Instructions for a Heart-Shaped Bowl in Origami

Inspire a kid's imagination with origami.

Origami is the ancient Asian craft of bending and folding paper into life-like objects and began in China within the first decade of the Common Era. Making a heart-shaped origami bowl is a creative way to express your love. Once your heart-shaped bowl is complete, fill it with treats and give it as a gift to a family member, friend or loved one.

Things You'll Need

• 8-by-8-inch sheet of red paper
• Scissors

Instructions

1. Place the paper onto a flat surface. Adjust the paper so one of the corners is facing you.

2. Bend the bottom right corner of the paper up to the top left corner. Pre-crease and unfold the bend. Bend the bottom left corner of the paper up to the top right corner. Pre-crease and unfold the bend.

3. Fold the bottom and top corners toward the center. Crease the fold. Always crease the fold.

4. Flip the paper over. Bend the two remaining corners toward center. Pre-crease and unfold the bends.

5. Fold one corner from the previous step up to its respective pre-crease line to create a flat bottom edge. Fold the flat bottom edge up toward the center. Repeat for the opposite corner.

6. Flip the paper over. Unfold the folds from Step 3. Adjust the paper so one of the corners is facing you. Repeat Step 5 for both of the corners. Fold the flat edges until they are flush at center with one another. The paper is now shaped like a rectangle.

7. Adjust the rectangle so one of its short ends is facing you. Fold the bottom and top half toward the center. Your object is now shaped like a square.

8. Adjust the square so the top flaps unfold like a book -- to the left and right. Unfold the right flap. Unfold the bottom inside right flap and flatten. Repeat for the top inside right flap. Repeat for the left flap. You paper is now shaped like a hexagon with two pointed ends.

9. Adjust the paper so the pointed ends are facing to the right and left. Fold the top left pointed end down to the bottom left corner of the paper. Repeat for the right side.

10. Fold the bottom edge of the top flap upward. The top of the object now looks like a rectangle.

11. Spin the object so the rectangle is facing you. Fold the top edge of the top flap downward.

12. Fold the right and left pointed ends toward the center. Fold the bottom edge of the top flap upward. The object now resembles a square with one top and one bottom rectangular flap.

13. Fold the top corners of the top flap behind its body to create a triangle. The triangle will ultimately act as the bottom of your heart.

14. Cut a small "V" shape at the center in the bottom top rectangular flap. The "V" shape indicates the top portion of the heart.

15. Spin the object 180 degrees. Pull the triangular flap and the "V" shaped rectangular flap open to open up the sides of your box.

References

• Tunes Baby: Origami -- Heart Shaped Box
• Origami Resource Center: History of Origami