Origami Lotus Book

Here's a fun project that both kids and adults really get excited about!  The Lotus Book may look complicated, but its folds are actually very simple.  Don't be intimidated by all the steps.... once you've made one you'll have it down.  It's so much easier than it looks!

Materials:

• Heavy-weight paper or card stock for pages (5 pieces, 8½” x 8½”)
• Heavy-weight paper or card stock for cover (2 pieces, 4¼”x 4¼”)
• YES! Paste (or Avery permanent glue stick - works okay, but not as permanent as the YES! Paste)
• Paper plate, cut into quarters, for holding a glob of paste
• Popsicle stick for creasing folds and spreading paste
• Flat shoelaces, one 36” lace per book (or any flat ribbon, seam binding, etc.)

Directions:

First, fold all of your pages....

Start with your first square of paper and fold it in half, matching the top and bottom edges.

(A popsicle stick works great for creasing folds, especially for small hands!)

Then unfold and fold in half again, matching the side edges.  Both of these folds are "valley folds".

Now unfold your paper and turn it over.  (Your "valley folds" just became "mountain folds".)

Next, fold your paper in half once, diagonally (valley fold), matching corners carefully.

Unfold your paper again and turn it over again so that the diagonal fold is pointing upward (mountain fold).  Then press down on the center where the three folds cross.  The diagonal folds on each side of the center will pop up.

Gently push the two diagonal folds together so that they meet in the middle.

Press down (it should look like a square again) and crease all folded edges well.

Repeat these steps with your remaining four pages.

Now it's time to assemble your pages.  (You'll be working from back to front, so keep that in mind if you've already written or drawn on your pages.  If not, the order doesn't matter!)  Spread YES! Paste over the top of one page and press the next page onto it, matching folded corners to folded corners and loose edges to loose edges.  Repeat this step until all five pages are glued together in a stack.  Open and close your book a few times to make sure you have it glued together correctly!

Spread YES! Paste over the top of your stack of pages.  Then lay the shoelace diagonally over the glued area, with the mid-point of the shoelace over the folded corners, and the extra length hanging below the corner with the loose edges.  Dab a little extra paste on top of the shoelace.

Press one of your cover papers on top.  Then turn your book over and repeat the last step with glue, shoelace and cover on the back.

Open and close your book a few times to make sure your pages aren't sticking together where they're not supposed to!  (A baby wipe or damp paper towel works great for wiping off any stray paste!)

Close your book and set something heavy on it while it dries.

Open your completed book and marvel at its amazing shape!  (A photo really doesn't do it justice!)

These fold-out pages present a unique place for poems, jokes, riddles, or interesting facts about people, places or events.  You can also use Lotus Books to create one-of-a-kind book reports, using the five-page format to summarize and illustrate key events from the (1) setting, (2) rising action, (3) climax, (4) falling action and (5) resolution of a story.  Or simply fill them with colorful drawings and designs.... the sky's the limit!