An Origami Light Show
by Anita F. Barbour
A strand of tiny white xmas lights, with each light covered by a traditional origami waterbomb, makes an easy
holiday decoration and a great gift. They spread cheer and delight!
You can get these strands with different numbers of lights. Some sets of lights come with the warning not to
place fabric or paper over them. The lights do not get hot, even after being left on all day, but I recommend
that you don't leave them on overnight or if you go out, just in case.
What size squares work the best? Standard 6"/15cm squares, from solid, patterned, duo-color and graduated-color
papers. It might seem a waste to fold a waterbomb from duo-color paper, but you get a beautiful intense red
from red/yellow and red/orange duo-color. Or you can fold waterbombs from white kami for strings of colored
lights.
It's important when folding to leave a wider hole than most diagrams allow for, so that the origami fits over
the light sockets without getting mashed in.
Light shades can be folded from the Traditional Balloon/Waterbomb and other
inflatable models: Kettle from Robert Harbin's "Paper Magic"; Easter Egg by John Nordquist from
Samuel Randlett's "Best of Origami"; Thai Flower from Joan Appel and Alice Gray's "Origami Flowers and
Flower Arranging"; Space Taxi by Robert Harbin from "Paper Magic"; Pinless Pinwheel by Karen
Reeds from OUSA Convention Annual 1988; Strawberry by Tomoko
Fuse from "Simple Traditional Origami; Ground Cherry from Toshie Takahama's "Creative Life with Creative
Origami"; Three Vegetables (Eggplant, Pepper and Daikon Radish) by Toshikazu Kawasaki from "Origami for
the Connoisseur" by Kunihiko Kasahara; Blow-up Frog and Persimmon; Red and Green
Peppers from Samuel Randlett's "Art of Origami"; Drop-shaped
Ornament by Rae Cooker and Strawberry Ornament by Alice Gray
from "Magic of Origami" by Alice Gray & Kunihiko Kasahara (both can be inflated and used on lights though
it is not so specified in the diagrams); Tulip by Yoshihide Momotani
from "Magic of Origami"; Bilberry from "Alpine Flowers" by Y. Momotani
and da Vinci's Polyhedron, SP3 Orbital and Pi Orbital from Momotani's
"Molecular Origami".
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