Pulled From the Archives: Last Minute Low-Budget DIY Christmas Presents

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Due to recent events I still find myself in rather a low place at the moment and although I kind of promised myself to never do this because I consider myself an endless fountain of creativity and inspiration 😉 , I now have decided to pull some earlier posts from my archives and reblog them.

Actually this might not be such a bad idea after all, since in the early days of my blog there wasn´t much activity going on (which I know is perfectly normal), and I think some of those posts deserve revisiting and to be presented to a wider audience.

And because I know how it is sometimes with reblogs, I simply copied the content into this post rather than have you go to the trouble and click yourself to the original post. 😉

Hope you will enjoy this for the moment and as always I´m looking forward to all your wonderful comment!

 

This I is what I wrote on December 15 2015:

 

Chandelier Earrings made from Origami

 

If you´re anything like me, you´ll wonder how fast Christmas is upon us every year anew, too;)

As a rule, I try to make as many selfmade presents as I possibly can, ´cause I myself like these kind of presents the most. 🙂

So I´ve come up with some last minute DIY Christmas present ideas one of which I´d like to share with you here, and maybe that will save your Christmas as well.

My idea is probably more suitable for female friends – although one never knows. 😉

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Origami earrings

These sweet little earrings you can easily craft yourself: all you need is a little bit of time,  patience and practice 🙂

1. Watch some Youtube videos concerning the art of Origami – most really are easy and fun to follow, but be careful to chose videos that take only 5 till 10 minutes to watch, if you are a novice. 😉
2. Practice the form you´ve chosen with a large sheet of paper first, that´ll make it easier for you. If you think, you´ve mastered it, cut now tiny squares with approx. the length of 3.5 cm of your coloured paper and fold it into form.
3. When you´re happy with the results, apply 2 or 3 thin layers of clear acryllic laquer on your Origami, (be careful to let it dry each time before you put on the next layer!).
4. Buy some earrings, jumprings and small pliers, if you haven´t already got some.
5. Pierce tiny holes in your Origami forms and attach the earrings – this might need some practice, so: Keep calm and don´t lose your head! 🙂

 

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Origami Horses

 

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Origami Cranes

 

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Origami flowers

 

If you have any further questions or suggestions, please contact me! 🙂

Published by Sarah

Artist & Illustrator

99 thoughts on “Pulled From the Archives: Last Minute Low-Budget DIY Christmas Presents”

  1. Pingback: Travel Guide Photo Challenge – priorhouse blog

  4. Wow,my eldest daughter has been mad about origami for a couple of years now and she is getting pretty good at that.I ll steal your idea and suggest to her to make me some nice earrings ,for a change.im running out of space for all her creations😉😍

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    1. Haha! I know how it must be for you – my mum keeps all of mine too although I assured her she doesn’t have to! 😁 I’m sure your daughter will be happy to make some earrings for you. Please let me know how you like them! 😄😍

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      1. I’m afraid I’m not as good as ur mom.every once in a while I just pretend the dogs got them and chewed them ,easy excuse to throw everything away😉sure I’ll keep you posted on the origami earrings business😍

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      4. My dear Miss Gentileschi,just to let you know I just ordered small pliers and earrings hook.delivery expected by the 27th /28th…..with a bit of luck I’ll have my origami earrings for the New Years Eve🎉

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  6. Sarah, you are truly an endless fountain of creativity! These earrings made from Origami are so lovely, especially like the flower ones. They do remind me of poinsettias which make them perfect for a Christmas gift for a special friend. I’ve got to try this DIY. I so want a pair of these flower earrings for myself… Thanks for sharing! It was a good idea to reblog some content from your archives. This post certainly deserve a revisiting. Have a Merry Christmas.

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    1. Thanks so much for your lovely comment, Dominique! Those origami flowers would suit you perfectly I think! My mum loves wearing the red ones especially when she’s dressed all in black, like a little splash of colour. And I know you will have such fun doing them yourself!
      Joyeux Noëlle! 😄🎄🎀

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      1. Actually, I was thinking of red too. Really like the playfulness of those earrings. They would complement well the grey dress and burgundy booties I was planning to wear for the New Year’s Eve! Joyeux Noël et bonne Année à toi aussi Sarah!

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      3. Perfect match. Also lovely with navy, soft pink and mustard yellow. And if you like bold colour pairing try it with purple… Not for every one but surely a combo that will make heads turn. 💞

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  7. Love these…finding the time to do it, a whole other story 😉
    Haven’t read the other comments, so..how are you doing sweetie? I don’t know about you, but being patient and let the body take it’s natural healing path…frustrating. By now I am longing for a big huge schnitzel or steak, but not allowed to eat it for a few more weeks. However, not being able to move around, like you probably can’t, is even worse. Thinking of you and sending you healing energy, dear Sarah. And of course, to your mother too.
    Big, big hug! XxX

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    1. Thank you, Patty!
      Poor you, I know you like eating meat a lot and it must be so hard to abstain from it for so long. Especially in winter when it´s a great source for protein and energy. How about minced meat like in Shepherd´s Pie?
      I´m still on the mend but I started doing some exercises and I think they do me good.
      Sending you healing energy too and big, big hugs! xxx

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      1. Yes ! Minced meat, scrambled eggs and simmered meat (also minced) I can eat 🙂 Somehow, I miss chewing hahaha
        Thanks dear! XxX
        Glad to hear you are slightly progressing!

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  8. Oh gosh these are so clever! I really like the idea – and homemade gifts are always appreciated as they are so thoughtful 🙂 I’m glad you re-shared this one as I wasn’t reading your posts yet back then. I do hope you feel a bit more energized soon xx

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    1. Thank you very much, Christy! I just love making homemade gifts (not so sure if they are always received with equal passion though 😉 LOL!). Still need a way to find something suitable for men made of origami though! 😀 Haha!
      Wish you a very beautiful holiday season, my friend! xxxxxx ❤

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  9. Sarah, I really like this idea of re-posting your first blog articles, especially this one. Sharing your charming origami skills and showing how to adapt them into earrings is a gift to all of us. Thank you for the idea and for the photos of your gifts – such a wonderful idea. Joyous holidays to you.

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    1. Thank you so much for your lovely comment, Sharon! I hope you will try it out and make some origami earrings for yourself if you have the time – it´s a wonderful calming, meditative activity really, perfect for those stressful days before the holidays. Wish you a joyous one as well! ❤

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  11. Those are darling earings! And so creative, too. I love original jewelry for exactly that reason.
    As for the reblog, I think it’s a wonderful idea. You have a lot on your plate at the moment, and blogging is supposed to be fun rather than a chore. So if you aren’t up to writing a new post, reposting older ones is a great idea…especially for those of us who weren’t following you three years ago and didn’t get a chance to see these posts at all. I’ve thought about doing that myself once in a while, although I wasn’t quite sure how to do it. I like your way of simply copying the content of the original post into a new one!
    Take care of yourself and have a wonderful holiday!

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    1. Thank you so much for your wonderful compliment and encouragement, Ann! And you´re absolutely right about blogging supposed to be fun rather than a chore. At the moment I´m having fun choosing the posts for a repost which is really a relief as it seems so hard to come up with something new at the moment, although I know I eventually will but for the time being it´s nice to rely on the earlier posts. And I think it would be wonderful if you were to do this too as I´m sure I´ve missed a lot of your posts too. 🙂
      The idea to copy the content of the earlier post into a new one is borrowed from my friend Terry about who´s passing I wrote about three months ago. He had so many lovely posts to share from those early days too and used this method of reposting because he was getting too weak to come up with something new and I thought it was a marvelous idea to stay in touch with his blogging family.
      Wish you a very lovely weekend, my friend! ❤

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      1. Do you follow Jodi’s “The Creative Life In-Between?” She was friends with Terry as well, which is where I first learned of his posts and sadly, his death. Her bog is quite good and I think you would enjoy it.
        And I’m serious about not trying to write when you don’t feel like it. Those older posts are pure gold, and deserve to be published again for a new audience. The time will come when you feel like writing fresh material, and that’s a good thing. But it is also good to take a much-needed break and repost some of your original work!

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    1. Thanks so much, Kerry! And I’m so sorry to hear that life’s wearing on you at the moment – sending you lots of positive energy, love, hugs and kisses across the ocean!!! ❤
      P.S. Maybe you could do some reposting too if writing something new is difficult at the moment? Everyone would understand and I’m sure there are lots of posts that I missed!

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  14. I love these, Sarah, especially the flowers! It’s great that you pulled this from your archives because you’re so right about slow traffic in the beginning of blogging careers. 🙂 I’m glad you shared this again, and I may have to try these for my sisters and daughter. I also hope your spirits lift real soon. Sending hugs and smiles…💗🎄🎅🤶🎁💗

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    1. Thanks so much for your lovely words, smiles and hugs, dear Lauren! I know you will have such fun making these earrings for your daughter and sister and that they will love them! Have a beautiful and creative weekend! Love and hugs! 😚💓⛄🎄

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  15. Sarah, these are so lovely! It is so cool, I make jewelry too, although I’ve not ventured off into origami. “Keep calm, and don’t loose your head,” you crack me up, and heaven knows, I needed a good laugh. Handmade gifts are awesome and personable and handmade jewelry is the best. Thanks for reposting! xx

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    1. Thank you so much, Lana! I’m sure you’d have lots of fun doing them! I also think handmade jewellery is the best 😁 Did you post some pics of yours on your blog? Would love to see them!
      So glad I made you laugh and hope that whatever it is that’s troubling you at the moment will leave you very soon.
      Have a wonderful weekend dear friend! xxx ❤

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      1. They do look like a lot of fun to make, Sarah. I haven’t posted any jewelry on my blog yet, but who knows, I might someday. I usually put it all on my Willa’s Beads page, but I’m bad about updating it. I have a flu bug which has got me down, but it is a light case because I take the flu shot every year, so I should be thankful for that. I do feel really bad in the evenings, but it will pass soon. No worries. Thank you for your wonderful thoughts. Have a good weekend also 😀 xoxo

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      2. I´m sorry to hear about the flu, Lana, but I´m glad it´s just a light case and that you take the flu shot every year, I do too.
        Just had a look on Facebook and found your jewelry website – they are gorgeous!!! Isn´t it fun, making jewelry? I just wish I could do the “real” stuff too – working with gold and silver I mean, and form intricate designs etc. Maybe one day… 🙂
        I´m making some out of clay sometimes which is also fun, and with the right glaze they can look like metal, bronze or silver. Going to post some of them one day too.
        Get well soon! xoxo ❤

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      3. Thank you, Sarah for both your compliment and your kind thoughts. It is so much fun making jewelry. I consider myself more of a crafter than a designer because I do get most of my inspiration from YouTubers. I think it is important to have a creative outlet that we can enjoy. I love the idea of metalsmithing with gold and silver, but it surely sounds complicated, ha ha. Clay jewelry is truly awesome, and I will enthusiastically await your post on that! Hope you have enjoyed a terrific weekend and that you have a joyous and blessed week ahead. xoxo

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  16. I’m glad you re-shared this. My daughter received an origami book and paper for her birthday and wasn’t sure what to make with it. Now I can show her this and get her moving in the right direction. She will love the earrings. Thanks so much.

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    1. Thanks so much for your lovely words, dear Rose! If the shipping costs weren’t that horrendous I would send some to you! Much love and many hugs to you! I wish you a wonderful and Merry Christmas too! 😄😍❤🎄🎁🎀

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  20. Sarah, what a lovely present idea and so original! They are so sweet and delicate- I’m very impressed with your skill! Origami is not easy and so much tougher when small items as these. A great repost! Take care, my friend. Xx❤️

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    1. Thank you very much, Annika! It´s actually not that difficult to make them, all you need is practice and patience – you don´t want to know how many didn´t make it because the paper teared at some point! 😀 LOL!
      There are so many wonderful Origami like dragons but they are far too complicated and you literally need hours to make them! Maybe one day… 🙂
      Have a beautiful day, my friend! xxx ❤

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  21. well I am glad you picked this one to reblog because I remember it well and I still want to make these sometime.
    also – side note- keep in mind that even the highly creative artists (like yourself) might need dormant times – kind of the nature of things….
    ya know

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    1. Thank you, Yvette! Just grab some paper and rock it! It´s so much fun and I´m sure yours will look beautiful!
      And thanks for reminding me that it´s only natural to step back from time to time and to reload those batteries. 🙂 xoxo

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      1. you are so encouraging….
        and I can make some mean (decent) origami dogs, fish, and tea holders – ha ha
        I will keep you posted – I still have some square origami paper too –

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      2. also – reloading the batteries is a good way to describe it.
        I often forget to – and then when I do (recharge) I think “how could I forget?”
        ha
        and NOvember was my pull back month (so was last spring)

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    1. Thank you for understanding and for liking the earrings, Chris! And it’s true , there might be some posts in for you that you haven’t seen before! Not a lot though since we know each other for some time now 😁 Cheers!

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  24. Sarah I am so sorry that you’re feeling low. You have gone through so much recently and must feel quite exhausted apart from anything else. The earrings you made are beautiful — a truly lovely and thoughtful gift. I hope you start to feel better soon. Sending hugs xxxxx 🙂

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    1. Thanks so much, Su! I still got some of the earrings left – I made far more than necessary because I had so much fun doing them!
      Exhausted is the perfect word to describe me at the moment… Will write to you more personally soon. 😄 Many hugs back! Xxxxxxx

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  26. Reblog earlier posts from the earlier days when activity was low, you and I had the same idea (I did it only once but when I am too busy or undermotivate I may do it again) !! … I hope you feel better very soon, cheer up !! … I think you could draw what is on your mind that is troubling you it would hepl

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    1. Thanks so much, Diana! How lovely you bought some at the craft fair! I’m sure they looked wonderful on you – I love it when my mum wears hers. 😄 The origami flowers remind me if poinsettias which is why I think they are quite fitting for Christmas 😉 Have a beautiful holiday season! ❤

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