Issue #3
Decenber 10, 2004
Not us, certainly! And, because we are artists, friends and family expect a little more thought and imagination than might be found at the Mall - but it seems there is never time to bring our great gift ideas to fruition. And right about now, is when we begin to PANIC!

But, what if you could spend that day or two of mall schlepping in your studio instead - using mostly horded treasure that we all have in there, and turning out lots of wonderful, thoughtful gifts that look like they took days to make? Well, that’s what we’re doing around here right now, so why don’t you join us?
A discovery about gifts.
Last Spring, my best friend got married. The timing caught me by surprise because it was based on a military leave that came up unexpectedly. I totally did not have the wonderful, incredibly meaningful gift that would have suited this occasion, so I had to come up with something temporary to fill in until I could find or make the right thing. As synchronicity would have it, a Carol Duvall Show right then featured Karen Thomas making wonderful folded origami boxes. I don’t know if she originated the design, but I sure thank her for bringing it to my attention!

I made two of the boxes - for husband and wife - from the same couple of papers (each box is made of two paper patterns), but used in reverse - to symbolize that, although the couple had so many things in common, they were still unique individuals. As I was folding, and thinking about that, it occurred to me that there were many other ways these boxes could serve as the perfect wedding gift (interim, of course). Each box had an inside and an outside element (just like people) with the interior not visible until you were allowed to see inside. Each box was held together completely by its own structure - no glue was necessary, so the boxes represented two “whole” people, in and of themselves, who together could make a harmonious pair. There was also a slot in the top of each box where a secret wish or message could be hidden. And each box could hold treasure - so I thought perhaps they could keep their wedding rings in them until their ceremony.
And, I still wasn’t through thinking of the symbolism - the boxes were made using the ancient art of origami (something old), but I had just made them (something new), I had borrowed Karen’s pattern, and the patterned papers were blue. Now, how perfect was that?

I knew my friend would like the boxes, but I never expected how much. She and her husband were so moved by the idea, that they considered it among their favorite wedding gifts, and absolutely forbade me to go get something more.

You know the old saying “it’s the thought that counts”? Well, this experience changed the way I approach gift-giving. Now, I let the thought come first - what do I really want to express to my friend or loved one? What do I want them to know that I think or feel about them? Then, I let the gift sort of “form” around that thought or feeling in whatever way it does. Whether I make it or buy it - the gift is then truly full of the “thought that counts”.
We consider these boxes to be gifts in themselves, but there would be nothing wrong with putting something additional inside. The two shown above are not the wedding boxes I spoke of above (they were blue), but these I made for individuals on my gift list.

Since I am not the originator of these instructions, I cannot reprint them here, but I can send you to the proper page on the HGTV site: http://tinyurl.com/6kams. If this link does not work for you for some reason, go to the HGTV site and put this (the episode number) in the Search box: CDS-1411

My advice is that you go get these instructions now. They were harder to find this time for me, and with the show going off the air, they may not be there at all some day soon. Be sure to download the PDF files that gives you the diagrams for folding.

I suggest that you get a few sheets of plain copier paper and practice a few of these. The instructions are very clear and easy to follow, but it takes a couple tries to get results you will be happy with.

The boxes can be made any size as long as you start with square pieces of paper. By making several boxes, each starting with a square 1" - 1.5" smaller than the last, you can even make nested boxes - all fitting neatly inside each other.

I like to use 5.5" squares for most of my gift boxes, but I have made them larger and smaller. Karen’s instructions say to trim 1/8" off two sides of the paper square that will be the inside drawer. I find that 1/4" works better for any papers heavier than origiami paper.