Fabulous Origami Boxes

This book created a unit origami monster... ME! There is something absolutely addictive about learning to make these boxes, as witnessed by my coffee table, which is heaped with the efforts of the past two days of folding paper. I've actually inserted a picture of the coffee table full of boxes in the picture row above as proof. Thank goodness Easter is tomorrow, and I'm going to my son's house for a big family dinner. Everyone there is going to get a nifty origami box with grass and some little goodies inside! They are sure to be a hit. (Added note: They WERE a big hit. Even the guys were fascinated by them.)Okay, now the details:1. Practice folding each box with paper that is a different color on the back to make following the directions easier. Otherwise, be prepared for some pretty funny-looking results, and a corner of the room full of crumpled paper frustrations, or CPF. CPF rating 0=none (boring), to 5=steam coming out of the ears, but giving a huge sense of accomplishment if you live through it.  Origami Paper Bright 6" 49 Sheets , Origami Hanging Paper Bright 5" 48 Sheets (Origami Paper Packs) 2. To make the lily box, the author recommends "larger" paper, but does not say how large is large. I found that heavy 8.25 in. paper worked well,  Origami Paper Kimono Patterns Large 8 1/4  but heavy 7 in. paper made quite a bit harder to fold the layers of the lily. I can't even imagine making it even as small as 6 in. unless one has very thin paper, or a teeny-tiny vise or itsy-bitsy pliers to press in the folds. ...I suggest curling the petals around something smooth, such as the end of a crochet hook. A stick pen's barrel was just a little too large, but it did work. Curl the petals before doing any other "primping" and the lily will look crisp and nice, otherwise, it may turn into paper mache. Lily Box CPF 4, but worth it.3. Box bottoms, named "body" by the author: My favorite is Body 3 on page 43, as it goes together very quickly and is very firmly locked together when completed. Size 2 (page 47) worked the best, as size 1 was too tight a fit. Learning to put Body 3 together earns it a CPF 4, but now that I know how to do it, I can hardly remember how difficult it was to do the first couple of times.Body 2 on page 72 is good because it can be made deeper than the other bodies, but it is really diabolical to assemble. Figuring it out added the most to the pile in the corner of the room. CPF 5. It is easier to make with heavier paper that is not too slippery, or by using paper clips to hold it together before collapsing the spiral folds that form the bottom. Paper clips might leave marks that you won't like, though.4. Some CPF ratings: Iris-2 (if you've ever made a crane), Bovardia-4, Hydrangea-3, Box with a Tab-4, Party plates-0, Rabbit and Butterfly-3 (don't skip step 4 of Rabbit or he has one large ear and turns his back to you!)5. If anyone figures out why we do Step 6 on page 64, please leave a comment to tell me why. I skipped it a couple of times, and it didn't seem to make any difference in the final product. Now I do it because, as a good girl, I follow instructions. Still wonder why, though.6. I thought the Octagon Boxes were interesting, and the Hexagon Box was sort of boring. The Lamp-Shaped Bowl doesn't stay together very well, as when breathing on it. Triangle Box is interesting, too, because of the unique shape. But once I learned how to do them, I didn't go back to them.I've made most of the items in the book. Some I can hardly imagine I would ever do more than once, for example the Party Plates. Others, such as the Lily Box and Vortex, are good friends, giving a sense of accomplishment and pride. One certainly can't ask anything more from a how-to book than that, eh?

The designs in this book are gorgeous. I have a large collection of Japanese papers and have done quite a bit of origami, including the modular kind. I have only had this book for few days, but I would make a couple of suggestions:1) For each project, indicate what size paper to use for the resulting dimensions of the finished product. I have had to experiment with copy paper to see what the finished product's size would be. More guidance would save a lot of time.2) Include some directions as to proper dimensions for the papers to use for the top and bottom of the box. As an example, if you are using 4" or 5" or 6" squares for the modules, what size should the squares be for the bottom of the box? There are a few notes about making "nesting boxes," so I have tried to adapt those to what would work for the tops and bottoms, but it is trial and error.3) Also include recommendations for whether to use paper with color or pattern on both sides and some general ideas about paper weight. I have used some reinforcing pieces of stiffer paper to line some of the sections of the boxes, but that is tricky to do, especially if you would like to avoid using any glue.I am going to work through this book, because I love the designs. My "3" review is simply because I think the book could be more user friendly., so I would not recommend it for a beginner.

If you've read Tokoko Fuse's other box book, simply titled "Origami Boxes", you'll probably do all right with this book. I consider myself an origami hobbyist, something I do for fun when I'm home from work. After my first experience with her book, I was excited to try this book. However, "Origami Boxes" has far superior diagrams, making it much easier for those not used to 3D/modular. This uses the standard origami notations, but her final notes for assembly are extremly limited, making a certain leap of faith necessary.That being said, "Origami Boxes" forces you to make certain leaps of its own to make certain boxes she shows in her pictures. This book allows for more complex boxes with more complete variations.So overall: Not for beginners or people with little 3D experience. Good for intermediate to advanced folders. Still highly enjoyable, just a bit challenging!

Tomoko's books of modular origami are always wonderful and challenging and this book is no exception. We have an array of new models, including many with origami figures on top, hexagon and octagonal boxes made with one sheet per two sides, new trays, etc. Definitely an array of models well worth owning if you enjoy making boxes. I would not recommend this box book as a first purchase however, I personally tend to use the models in her other books,  Origami Boxes  and  Joyful Origami Boxes  more often as they tend to be more flexible in terms of the varying types and designs of papers you can use with them, and would suggest purchasing those first as having more universal appeal and use overall. But if you enjoy making boxes, you will definitely want this one to complete your library.

If you love origami boxes this is a must-have. Tomoko Fuse is ingenious & required for origami lovers. I could wish for directions in higher color contrast, inches instead of the metrics, and adaption to readily available sources of paper - both in size and two-sided color to lower the cost of playing extensively with these boxes.That said, it is an great book.

I got this for my son and will never regret it. He is constantly working to expand his knowledge of origami and this was a book he specifically asked for. He recently had his first girlfriend and made her a rose and then made a box to put it in. I can tell you as a parent I was very proud of him. If you are looking to expand your skill set or encourage your kids to and they are at the high end of basic or at the intermediate level, great pick up.

Bought this to inspire me to make attractive gift boxes for my hand-crafted items. There are some attractive designs but the instructions are implied rather than explained clearly. For example, it sets out step-by-step instructions but the actions to get from step x to step y are not always obvious. I found that the book hints at what you need to do to get a given result so making any of the more complex designs involves a lot of trial and error, at least that was my experience. Maybe this is a problem of translation or maybe I just don't know enough about the conventions of Japanese origami diagrams to pick up the information offered -- a more experienced origami maker might have fewer problems and therefore find this a more useful book. Perhaps origami is just one of those arts you can't explain through a book but have to see demonstrated in person and learn in a social context. Or maybe a DVD would be a better idea? Anyway, I probably would not buy this book again and this copy is probably going to spend more time on the shelf than being used but I may grow into it once I get used to how the author communicates or have had more practice making the designs I can understand.

The boxes in this book are fantastic to look at and the making of the individual components is fairly straightforward, though probably quite tricky for a beginner. However, the instructions for putting the components together to make a finished product are somewhat mind-boggling and I have resorted, after much frustration, to working out the assembly purely from the photo of the box and how it should look. Overall an inspiring book that could just do with a bit of tweaking.

Fabulous Origami boxes was simple to follow with a range of designs. Most of the designs were modular which was useful when putting the design on top. I prefer to fold in one piece so found this a little tiresome. Some of the detailed designs such as the one with lilies on top requires rather thin paper as there are so many folds in such a small space.I liked this book and will continue to use regularly for alternative designs.

I received this book yesterday and have made a square box and a lily. These are the first items I have ever made in origami. I am so pleased with my box and lily they looks so good that I will show them to people and display them proudly. I thought this book would be too difficult for me and ordered more books that looked easier and I have not produced anything from them. I recommend this book to anyone. Fabulous boxes with fabulous instuctions.

Another great book by the incredibly talented Ms. Tomoko Fuse. Like the title says, they are indeed wonderful origami boxes, all in different shapes and levels of difficulty, with clear instructions and drawings to help anybody make delightful little gift boxes.