Paper Roses!

Well, I bought Christine a little origami rose in the English Market in Cork at the weekend. Curious, I looked up how to make origami roses. Woah! Difficult. A bit beyond me, even at my most optimistic.

So then I kept on looking on YouTube and came across a nice video that showed how to make a paper rose out of three pieces of paper, 11cms x 11cms square. So, in the office, I cut out some lilac paper and, when I got home, I followed the instructions and, hey presto, a lilac rose. A bit rough but recognisable.

Not one to stop there, or to keep to the instruction book, I thought about that lovely roll of rice paper I have. So I decided to triple the quantity, i.e. use 9 squares rather than 3 because a) the rice paper is thin and b) I’d like to see more petals on my rose.

I meant to take pics all the way through the process but I was too engrossed! Here’s a few that give a small idea of the process and equipment involved.

And a picture of the finished product. I like how it turned out.

Next, I aim to use the Chinese brushes and some colour to make a few coloured roses. I’ve marked out more paper but I didn’t cut it because, instead …

… I made some scented candles.

This time, to secure the wicks, I used Glue Dots, and to scent the candles I used an essential oil blend. I bought the espresso cups in a local shop that sells mostly distressed furniture. They were on special offer at a ridiculously low price. The little bowls came from Flying Tiger and cost next to nothing.

Yesterday, Christine and I were in Cork at Ausome, a conference on autism organised by people with autism. All the speakers were autistic, as were about 30% of the 300+ conference participants. It was a fascinating event from which I leaned a lot about the nature of autism and how autistic people view the world and society.

Someone at the conference showed me this page in a book. I think it’s apt.

I also played the ukulele today. I’m enjoying the chord progressions on some old Beatles songs, especially ‘Something’ and ‘Yesterday’. This morning I found the chords for one of my favourite Pogues songs, ‘Thousands are Sailing’, a very moving song about emigration, so I’ve been playing that too.