Snowflakes, Sunbursts, and Stars

Two experts guide papercrafters in capturing the perfect geometry and delicate beauty of some of nature's most glorious creations—using origami, quilling, and kirigami.

Ayoko Brodek and Shannon Voigt help readers craft seventy-five shapes that can then be used to fashion a multitude of decorative and practical pieces.

First, they clearly explain the essentials, such as tools, paper choices, and instructional symbols. Then, Brodek demonstrates the core techniques of origami (folding) and kirigami (cutting), while Voigt covers quilling (curling). Skill level is indicated for each design, along with detailed directions, step-by-step photos, beautiful color shots of completed designs and projects, and templates where needed.

The book is organized by craft and then motif within each section. An entire chapter of projects, including quilled window ornaments, coasters, and mobile; origami earrings, gift tags, and garland; and kirigami place cards, notecards, and silhouettes, offer readers many ideas for showcasing their stunning creations.

Ayako Brodek’s love of origami began when she was a little girl growing up in Japan. After moving to the United States, her fascination with origami continued and she founded OriCraft (www.oricraft.com) to introduce her work to a wider audience. She has since embraced a variety of paper arts, and works to design paper creations that can be loved and used in everyday life, exploring ways to combine paper crafts with other craft techniques. She is the author of Origami Jewelry, published by Kodansha in 2007, and The New Encyclopedia of Origami and Papercraft Techniques (Running Press, 2011).


Ever since she was young, Shannon Voigt has had a passion for creating. Consequently, she taught herself a wide variety of skills including cake decorating, quilting, crocheting/knitting, cross-stitching, and quilling. In 2008, she took up quilling again, and began selling quilled snowflakes in her Etsy shop, ForeverFiligree. Her snowflakes have sold all around the world and were used in Jockey International’s 2011 Holiday Catalog and Sundance’s 2012 Holiday Catalog. This is her first book. Visit her Etsy shop at http://foreverfiligree.etsy.com.