Paper Magic: Kirigami Water Blossoms

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

'The Kids Should See This' was the first feature I found on Kirigami Water Blossoms http://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/9653595698
This miniature Paper Magic was chocked full of surprises.
Art, math, science...beautiful handiwork!!

Then the lovely 'Handmade Charlotte' hosted a simpler version of blooming paper lilies, easily done at home.
http://www.handmadecharlotte.com/diy-magic-paper-lily/
'Babble Dabble Do' defines Kirigami (which is the same art as making paper snowflakes) and offers a detailed tutorial of Kirigami Base-Making, Blossom Assembly and the science behind why the water pulls out the petals of paper http://babbledabbledo.com/science-for-kids-kirigami-water-blossoms/

1. Fold your circle

 2. Slice petals close to the center

After some trial and error, we learned that lighter paper does not necessarily result in a better blossom.
The key was cutting the petals close to the center, so the water could saturate (expand) the paper.
Our original test was on light copy paper and we used glue to hold the layers together at the center, but our best result was using construction paper and simply encasing the layers within each other by folding over the petals. The deep cuts created a quick unraveling, which can be repeated over and over after drying your blossoms.

This is such a sweet project (particularly for February blues) we're prepping to send some to our friends for Spring Festival & Chinese New Year. The best bit beyond the surprise, is the same blooms can be used again and again, once laid out to dry.