Origami Dinosaurs! Rarrrg!

A request from a coworker has led me to fold a few dinosaurs. If you glance down, I folded a t rex and a tri tops before, but they were snapped up by someone before the person who wanted them could even see them. This time I went with a could different designs. I personally like the way the tri tops and the T rex turned out this time. I think their designs are a little better. I also folded a couple of stegosauruses and a ankylosaurus. ( Not sure about the spelling...the "Turtle Looking" one) I think that one could be messed around with a little to give it a little more shape and character.....we'll see. As for last week, I finished up the Rhino and the Unicorn. The Unicorn was a little simple and a bit disappointing. It had no mane or hoof hair to play with. I did like the way the tail and horn came out though. There was not much paper left over to play with so I could create my own version. But I might give it another go later. ( or look for a better design!) I was very proud of the Rhino. IT had a Good three dimensional look and was a solid design. Some of the collapse folds were tricky, but not that difficult if you have a little experience folding. Hope everyone has a great weekend. And next week.....I'll be exploring Star Wars Origami!

Origami Weekwend, Cat, New Eagle, Frog, and Giraffe.

My latest projects! I have a few requests from some people at work, so tonight I will have to make a few "repeats". I'm kind of liking this latest eagle. He has a better pose than the last one. And the cat I think I can make better. I've been working on a Rhino and he is coming along nicely. He's almost to the point where I can use my "artistic magic" on him to give his a little more expression. I also found the limits to Tyvek as a material. IT is rather durable, which is good! But that means that it is also rather thick. Making extreme designs a challenge, such as this frog and many insects that I have been doing. Regardless, I did do a butterfly that turned out pretty good last week. Bummer I didn't get a picture of it before taking it to work. Hope everyone has a great week!

Walking through Barbed Wire In Iowa!

Honestly, what is it with Iowa? Everywhere I look whenever we go out to Iowa City, I see people who look like they have walked through barbed wire! Their jeans are all ripped to shreds and no one seems to notice! It's like they are part of some Marine Training Exercise! I guess it is the cost of being a farmer and having to surround yourself and your farm with sharp fencing. Then again, it might be fashionable here in farmer ville to wear your work clothes whenever you go out. ( Nothing like attending a wedding in your BIBS!....AS THE GROOM!) I guess you could say that Iowa is the hub of fashion lately...because all of Cheryl's fashion magazines are following the trend. Take a look at these stars! Another trend here is the broken legs. While walking around the mall I see people with casts on their legs and I think" must have been caught in a combine!" I'm not sure if that is true, but there sure seem to be more leg injuries here than back in Michigan. I also base this guess on the thought that many farmers have lots of children ( in case one gets run over by a tractor) and they also have lots of dangerous equipment that they have to use to harvest the corn. And I have seen children using this equipment out in the field! So...If you want to wear ripped clothes and legs casts with your outfits, Come to Iowa!

The latest Origami....Dragon, Walrus, Owl, And Eagles....Oh My!

As promised....the origami. Just wanted to post a few quick pics so that they will forever be in the my history. I wanted to try another Eagle because this one went well, right up until the feet. I tried to give him three claws and it did not turn out very well. So, I'll try again. As for the dragon, I'm pretty happy over all with the way it turned out. It was one of those designs I had to walk away from for several weeks and come back to. I'm not sure why it didn't click at the first try, but after a couple of weeks away from it, it went together like clockwork. I'm even impressed with the walrus, which is surprising. Anyway, hope everyone has a great week this week and enjoys the pics.

I'll Give it My All...Tomorrow. Life After 40!

So what do you do when you think that what you are currently doing is not really what you should be doing? I'm sure this happens to many people ( other than me) when they hit some magic number as they age. ( usually around 35-45) Well, Cheryl bought a manga about just such a character and it is totally AWESOME! If you find yourself in that age group and are searching for answers to questions that you don't even know you may have...then take a look at "I'll give it my all Tomorrow" A story of a man who quits his safe secure job and decides to become a manga artist ( to the un-initiated, that is similar to a comic book artist/writer). The Catch: he has never drawn a picture, written a story, and he is over the age of 40! IT is hilarious at times, sad at others, but you end up rooting for the guy as he climbs every wall that is put up in front of him. ( Sometimes in the least graceful way!) There are moments where I feel he is writing the story and he has taken a page out of my life! Constant rejection of his work, small time job that can't even pay the bills, and friends and family that constantly tell him he is an idiot for following his dream. Well, the third volume just came out and it was truly inspiring and funny....but not the way you might think. There is also a web comic where they post the latest chapters as they come out.. Find it here....
I've been working on some new origami, Hopefully I'll post some pics tomorrow. Enjoy the manga!

The Totally Awesome Origami Koi

I finally figured out the secret behind the origami koi with scales. I know that seems like it should have been easy, but it was just a matter of the size of paper. I needed a rectangle instead of a square! However you put it, Here is the results: My first attempt was so cool I decided to try it again with a little more care for the head. I'm pleased with both attempts, and I may just try it once again. Cheryl says I have to make an entire school of them to put them on the wall. I'm not sure how ambitious I will be, but the thought does sound appealing. Other than that, Iowa has become rather boring as of late. The factory work keeps us tied up and wore out. Even though we get off rather early, we are so tired from standing and getting up early that we basically eat and sleep then go back to work. I'm not sure how people do this for thirty years....Regardless, it does give us a steady supply of income for the time being, and that is nice. But there are other things that are creeping back into our life....such as our spending and eating habits. Perhaps the glamor less work causes us to overcompensate in other ways. Well, at least the weather is pleasant for the moment and summer is almost here. Hopefully I will blog a little more than this once a week thing. Hope everyone is having a great week so far!