4 Adorable + Valentine Origami DIYs

5 mins read
origami bow heart
origami hearts

So origami! As I had mentioned on my Instagram last week when I posted one of these Valentine-inspired projects, I’m now in the origami phase of the pandemic, and to be honest I’m finding making them is super-soothing (especially with loved ones in mind).  Origami has always been that way for me, almost a form of meditation when you get into the flow. But first off, I want to give a hat tip to a couple makers over on YouTube, (ColorMania and Tatiana Frolova) who inspired me and have some excellent origami tutorials there if you have some time be sure to check them out! Okay, let’s take a look!

1. Easy Origami Valentine Bows

What you need:
Various square sheets of 20lb paper (or origami paper) evenly square
A little patience
Cute Paper Heart with Bow tutorial on YouTube

So this origami fold which I initially spotted on Pinterest is one of the funnest origami things I’ve made in a while. And so so cute! I thought they would be fun to top a sweet box of chocolates or something special for the ones you love. As you’ll see below, I made them different sizes; all you need is the original piece of paper to be completely square to make.  This project is fairly easy, so even older kids should be able to make it. The reward is impressive! Visit the link in the “what you need” for the how to.

valentine bow origami diy

2. Origami Roses

What you need:
Various square sheets of 20lb paper (or origami paper) evenly square
A little patience
Origami Rose Easy tutorial on YouTube

This second one, the origami rose, although easy, is a little trickier to tame. The paper I used was a little thicker, so it didn’t curl as much as I would’ve liked. But still, a beautiful rose to give to someone special is the result. I thought they might look nice to decorate a table with. Or check out my last idea at the end of this post. Btw, I think I need to take some red colour photography courses. So hard to get right. 

diy origami hearts

3. Origami Paper Heart With Wings

What you need:
Various square sheets of 20lb paper (or origami paper) evenly square
A little patience
Paper Heart with Wings tutorial on YouTube
 
This is another fave and totally mailable too I thought. I’ve added them to the garland I made (below), but would also make a great gift topper! 
diy origami paper heart with wings
4. Heart Door Garland
 
What you’ll need:
A collection of origami hearts you just made
Some string
Tape
Tacks
 
So now that you’ve made all these hearts, you can create a garland for your door if you wish (or just send them off to all your Valentines)! I basically just lined the hearts up how I wanted them to look, folded the heart or rose flaps over the string (see image below) and taped them around the string —allowing the string to pull through loosely so it’s easier to arrange.
diy heart door garland
diy heart door garland with origami

Happy Valentine’s!

Jan Halvarson

Jan founded Poppytalk in 2005 while a student at Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design (now ECU) to catalogue inspiration from typography to interior design. Since then she’s collaborated with Target (creating a limited edition glamping collection), a wallpaper collection with Milton & King, as well has written as a contributor at Wired, Martha Stewart and Huffington Post.