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How to fold an origami flower shop

A blooming build. Fold the shop front with its window and arched door, a hanging basket, three buckets of sunflowers, roses and tulips, a watering can, the florist and her bike, then stand it up.

You need: 43 pieces: light-blue A4; green, blue, black, grey, tan, yellow, brown, red, pink, orange, coral, skin paper (sizes in steps). Scissors, glue.. Challenge, 163 steps, about 110 minutes.

Steps

  1. Backdrop: crease the middle. Start with the sky: a light-blue A4 sheet lying long. Fold it in half, short edges together, and open it. It bends on this crease to stand.
  2. Shop front: new sheet. Set the sky aside. For the shop front, take a 16 × 18.6 cm piece of dark-green paper, green side up, long side across.
  3. Shop front: name board. Fold the top edge down 2.8 cm. The white band is the board for the shop's name.
  4. Shop window: new sheet. Set the shop front aside. For the big window, take a 10.2 × 8.8 cm piece of pale-blue paper, blue side up.
  5. Shop window: top and bottom. Fold the top and bottom edges in 6 mm.
  6. Shop window: sides. Fold the sides in 6 mm too. A white frame round the glass.
  7. Door: new sheet. Set the window aside. For the door, take a 3.6 × 11 cm piece of dark-pink paper, standing tall.
  8. Door: arched top. Fold both top corners behind, 1.2 cm along each edge. An arched shop door.
  9. Bracket: new sheet. Set the door aside. For the basket's bracket, take a 6.4 × 0.8 cm black strip, long side across.
  10. Bracket: narrow it. Fold the top and bottom edges behind to meet in the middle at the back. Press hard: a stiff strip.
  11. Bracket: bend the ends. Fold both ends down on slants. The short end sits on the wall; the basket hangs from the long one.
  12. Hanging plants: new sheet. Set the bracket aside. For the plants, take a 4 × 2.4 cm piece of green paper.
  13. Hanging plants: round it. Fold all four corners behind, 7 mm along each edge: a bushy leafy top.
  14. Hanging basket: new sheet. Set the plants aside. For the hanging basket, take a 3.2 × 2.4 cm piece of tan paper, tan side up.
  15. Hanging basket: rim down. Fold the top edge down 0.6 cm, so a white band shows.
  16. Hanging basket: roll the rim. Fold the band's lower half back up. A thick rolled rim with a thin white line under it.
  17. Hanging basket: make a bowl. Fold the bottom corners behind on slants, 8 mm along the bottom and 9 mm up the sides: a round basket.
  18. Pavement: new sheet. Set the basket aside. For the pavement, take a 29.7 × 11.2 cm grey strip, white side up, long side across.
  19. Pavement: fold in half. Fold the bottom edge up to the top edge. The fold is the front edge of the scene.
  20. Pavement: back edge. Fold the top edge down 6 mm, through both layers: the white doorstep line along the shop.
  21. Sunflower 1 stem: new sheet. Set the pavement aside. For a sunflower's stem, take a 0.8 × 4.5 cm piece of green paper.
  22. Sunflower 1 stem: edges to the middle. Fold both long edges in to meet in the middle.
  23. Sunflower 1 stem: and again. Fold the new long edges in to the middle again. Press hard: a thin green stem.
  24. Sunflower 1 petals: new sheet. Set the stem aside. For its petals, take a 3 cm square of yellow paper.
  25. Sunflower 1 petals: fold in half. Yellow side up, fold the top edge down to the bottom edge. The middle of the fold is the middle of the flower.
  26. Sunflower 1 petals: in half again. Fold the left half over onto the right half.
  27. Sunflower 1 petals: into a point. Fold the left edge up onto the top edge, creasing from the top-left corner (the middle). A triangle.
  28. Sunflower 1 petals: thinner. Fold it in half again from the same corner, the slanted edge onto the top edge.
  29. Sunflower 1 petals: thinnest. And once more: a very thin point. Press hard so all the layers stay together.
  30. Sunflower 1 petals: one rounded cut. Cut through every layer: start on the top edge 1.4 cm from the point and curve round to the other edge, 8 mm from the point.
  31. Sunflower 1 petals: unfold. Open the last fold.
  32. Sunflower 1 petals: unfold again. Open the next fold.
  33. Sunflower 1 petals: and again. And the next one.
  34. Sunflower 1 petals: nearly there. Open the left half back out.
  35. Sunflower 1 petals: open it flat. Unfold the top half. Sixteen petals in a ring!
  36. Sunflower 1 middle: new sheet. Set the petals aside. For its middle, take a 1.4 cm square of brown paper.
  37. Sunflower 1 middle: round it. Fold all four corners a little way behind to make an eight-sided round middle.
  38. Sunflower 2 stem: new sheet. Set it aside. Fold a second sunflower the same way.
  39. Sunflower 2 stem: edges to the middle. Fold both long edges in to meet in the middle.
  40. Sunflower 2 stem: and again. Fold the new long edges in to the middle again. Press hard: a thin green stem.
  41. Sunflower 2 petals: new sheet. Set the stem aside. For its petals, take a 3 cm square of yellow paper.
  42. Sunflower 2 petals: fold in half. Yellow side up, fold the top edge down to the bottom edge. The middle of the fold is the middle of the flower.
  43. Sunflower 2 petals: in half again. Fold the left half over onto the right half.
  44. Sunflower 2 petals: into a point. Fold the left edge up onto the top edge, creasing from the top-left corner (the middle). A triangle.
  45. Sunflower 2 petals: thinner. Fold it in half again from the same corner, the slanted edge onto the top edge.
  46. Sunflower 2 petals: thinnest. And once more: a very thin point. Press hard so all the layers stay together.
  47. Sunflower 2 petals: one rounded cut. Cut through every layer: start on the top edge 1.4 cm from the point and curve round to the other edge, 8 mm from the point.
  48. Sunflower 2 petals: unfold. Open the last fold.
  49. Sunflower 2 petals: unfold again. Open the next fold.
  50. Sunflower 2 petals: and again. And the next one.
  51. Sunflower 2 petals: nearly there. Open the left half back out.
  52. Sunflower 2 petals: open it flat. Unfold the top half. Sixteen petals in a ring!
  53. Sunflower 2 middle: new sheet. Set the petals aside. For its middle, take a 1.4 cm square of brown paper.
  54. Sunflower 2 middle: round it. Fold all four corners a little way behind to make an eight-sided round middle.
  55. Rose 1 stem: new sheet. Set the sunflower aside. For a rose's stem, take a 1.1 × 4.2 cm piece of green paper, white side up.
  56. Rose 1 stem: edges to the middle. Fold both long edges in to meet in the middle.
  57. Rose 1 stem: and again. Fold the new long edges in to the middle again. Press hard: a thin green stem.
  58. Rose 1: new sheet. Set the stem aside. For the rose, take a 3.4 cm square of red paper, white side up, turned like a diamond.
  59. Rose 1: make a triangle. Fold the bottom corner up to the top corner.
  60. Rose 1: curl the middle. Fold just the tip of the top point down in front. This is the curled middle petal.
  61. Rose 1: left petal. Fold the left corner up on a slant from the middle of the bottom edge, so it crosses the middle and pokes out at the top right.
  62. Rose 1: right petal. Do the same with the right corner, crossing over the first petal. The two petals hug the curled middle.
  63. Rose 1: round the bottom. Fold the bottom point a little way behind so the bud sits round on its stem.
  64. Rose 2 stem: new sheet. Set the rose aside. For a rose's stem, take a 1.1 × 4.2 cm piece of green paper, white side up.
  65. Rose 2 stem: edges to the middle. Fold both long edges in to meet in the middle.
  66. Rose 2 stem: and again. Fold the new long edges in to the middle again. Press hard: a thin green stem.
  67. Rose 2: new sheet. Set the stem aside. For the rose, take a 3.4 cm square of red paper, white side up, turned like a diamond.
  68. Rose 2: make a triangle. Fold the bottom corner up to the top corner.
  69. Rose 2: curl the middle. Fold just the tip of the top point down in front. This is the curled middle petal.
  70. Rose 2: left petal. Fold the left corner up on a slant from the middle of the bottom edge, so it crosses the middle and pokes out at the top right.
  71. Rose 2: right petal. Do the same with the right corner, crossing over the first petal. The two petals hug the curled middle.
  72. Rose 2: round the bottom. Fold the bottom point a little way behind so the bud sits round on its stem.
  73. Tulip leaf: new sheet. Set the rose aside. For a tulip leaf, take a 2.4 cm square of green paper, turned like a diamond.
  74. Tulip leaf: top edges. Fold the two top edges behind so they meet on the middle line.
  75. Tulip leaf: bottom edges. Fold the two bottom edges behind onto the middle line too. A slim pointed leaf.
  76. Tulip leaf: tilt it. Lean the leaf out to the right.
  77. Tulip 1: new sheet. Set the leaf aside. For a tulip, take a 2.3 cm square of orange paper, white side up, turned like a diamond.
  78. Tulip 1: make a triangle. Fold the bottom corner up to the top corner.
  79. Tulip 1: fold the left petal. Fold the left corner up and inwards so its tip sticks out a little past the left edge, about two-thirds of the way up.
  80. Tulip 1: fold the right petal. Do the same on the right side, mirroring the left petal.
  81. Tulip 1: turn it over. Flip the paper over from left to right.
  82. Tulip 2: new sheet. Set the tulip aside. For a tulip, take a 2.3 cm square of pink paper, white side up, turned like a diamond.
  83. Tulip 2: make a triangle. Fold the bottom corner up to the top corner.
  84. Tulip 2: fold the left petal. Fold the left corner up and inwards so its tip sticks out a little past the left edge, about two-thirds of the way up.
  85. Tulip 2: fold the right petal. Do the same on the right side, mirroring the left petal.
  86. Tulip 2: turn it over. Flip the paper over from left to right.
  87. Tulip 3: new sheet. Set the tulip aside. For a tulip, take a 2.3 cm square of red paper, white side up, turned like a diamond.
  88. Tulip 3: make a triangle. Fold the bottom corner up to the top corner.
  89. Tulip 3: fold the left petal. Fold the left corner up and inwards so its tip sticks out a little past the left edge, about two-thirds of the way up.
  90. Tulip 3: fold the right petal. Do the same on the right side, mirroring the left petal.
  91. Tulip 3: turn it over. Flip the paper over from left to right.
  92. Bucket 1: new sheet. Set the tulip aside. For a flower bucket, take a 3.8 cm square of blue paper.
  93. Bucket 1: white rim. Coloured side up, fold the top edge down about 4 mm, so a white band shows. That's the rim.
  94. Bucket 1: taper the sides. Fold the left and right edges behind on slants: a little at the top, more at the bottom, so the bucket narrows down to its base.
  95. Bucket 1: round the base. Fold the two bottom corners behind a little, so the base is rounded.
  96. Bucket 2: new sheet. Set it aside. Fold a grey bucket the same way.
  97. Bucket 2: white rim. Coloured side up, fold the top edge down about 4 mm, so a white band shows. That's the rim.
  98. Bucket 2: taper the sides. Fold the left and right edges behind on slants: a little at the top, more at the bottom, so the bucket narrows down to its base.
  99. Bucket 2: round the base. Fold the two bottom corners behind a little, so the base is rounded.
  100. Bucket 3: new sheet. Set it aside. Fold a yellow bucket the same way.
  101. Bucket 3: white rim. Coloured side up, fold the top edge down about 4 mm, so a white band shows. That's the rim.
  102. Bucket 3: taper the sides. Fold the left and right edges behind on slants: a little at the top, more at the bottom, so the bucket narrows down to its base.
  103. Bucket 3: round the base. Fold the two bottom corners behind a little, so the base is rounded.
  104. Can spout: new sheet. Set the bucket aside. For the watering can's spout, take a 3 × 0.7 cm piece of green paper.
  105. Can spout: fold in half. Fold it in half the long way, top edge down to the bottom edge, to make a thin green spout.
  106. Can spout: tilt it. Tilt the spout up to the right.
  107. Can handle: new sheet. Set the spout aside. For its handle, take a 3.5 × 0.5 cm piece of green paper.
  108. Can handle: fold in half. Fold it in half the long way, top edge down to the bottom edge.
  109. Can handle: bend the ends down. Fold each end down on a slant, so it points straight down. Now the handle is a bridge with two legs.
  110. Watering can: new sheet. Set the handle aside. For the can, take a 2.7 cm square of green paper.
  111. Watering can: white rim. Green side up. Fold the top edge down a little, so a white rim shows along the top.
  112. Watering can: slope the sides. Fold the left and right edges a little behind, more at the top than the bottom, so the can gets narrower towards the rim.
  113. Watering can: round the bottom. Fold the two bottom corners a little behind.
  114. Can rose: new sheet. Set the can aside. For the sprinkler rose, take a 0.8 cm square of green paper.
  115. Can rose: make it round. Fold all four corners a little behind, so it's a round rose for the end of the spout.
  116. Can rose: tilt it. Tilt it to fit the spout.
  117. Florist's hair: new sheet. Set the can's rose aside. Now the florist. For her hair, take a 3.1 × 3 cm piece of auburn paper.
  118. Florist's hair: round it. Fold all four corners behind, 9 mm along each edge.
  119. Florist's legs: new sheet. Set the hair aside. For her legs, take an 11 × 1.2 cm piece of dark-blue paper.
  120. Florist's legs: narrow it. Fold the top and bottom edges behind to meet in the middle at the back. Press hard: a stiff strip.
  121. Florist's legs: bend the ends. Fold both ends down on slants from the bottom corners, so they hang straight down: two legs.
  122. Florist's arms: new sheet. Set the legs aside. For her arms, take a 10.4 × 1.4 cm coral strip, long side across.
  123. Florist's arms: narrow it. Fold the top and bottom edges behind to meet in the middle at the back. Press hard: a stiff strip.
  124. Florist's arms: bend the ends. Fold both ends down on slants from the bottom corners, so they hang straight down: arms.
  125. Florist's top: new sheet. Set the arms aside. For her body, take a 3.8 × 5.7 cm piece of the same paper, coloured side up, standing tall.
  126. Florist's top: slope the sides. Fold the side edges behind on slants, 0.7 cm in at the top and nothing at the bottom. A dress that flares out.
  127. Florist's top: shoulders. Fold the two top corners behind, 8 mm along each edge, for round shoulders.
  128. Florist's apron: new sheet. Set the body aside. For her apron, take a 2.6 × 4.5 cm piece of leaf-green paper, green side up, standing tall.
  129. Florist's apron: hem. Fold the top edge down 3.5 mm: a neat white hem.
  130. Florist's apron: bib. Fold the top corners behind on long slants, 0.6 cm along the top. The narrow top is the apron's bib.
  131. Florist's head: new sheet. Set the apron aside. For her head, take a 2.4 cm square of skin-tone paper.
  132. Florist's head: round it. Fold all four corners behind, 5 mm along each edge: a round face.
  133. Back wheel: new sheet. Set the head aside. For the bike's back wheel, take a 4.2 cm square of black paper, white side up.
  134. Back wheel: corners in. Fold all four corners in to meet in the middle.
  135. Back wheel: hubcap. Fold each point back out a little, so a small white square shows in the middle. That's the hub.
  136. Back wheel: round it. Fold the four points of the square a little way behind, so the wheel looks round.
  137. Front wheel: new sheet. Set it aside. For the front wheel, take a 4.2 cm square of black paper, white side up.
  138. Front wheel: corners in. Fold all four corners in to the middle.
  139. Front wheel: hubcap. Fold each point back out a little for the hub.
  140. Front wheel: round it. Fold the four points behind to round it off.
  141. Bike frame: new sheet. Set the wheel aside. For the frame, take a 10.9 × 0.6 cm piece of green paper, white side up.
  142. Bike frame: fold in half. Fold it in half the long way, bottom edge up to the top, so it is green on both sides.
  143. Bike frame: turn 1. A third of the way along, fold the rest of the strip back on a slant, making a narrow V. The short part is the seat tube, the long part the down tube.
  144. Bike frame: turn 2. Fold the strip again on a slant so it runs straight back towards the start. The top tube closes the triangle; glue the end on the seat tube.
  145. Bike frame: tilt it. Turn it to its place in the bike frame.
  146. Back triangle: new sheet. Set it aside. For the back of the frame, take a 6.7 × 0.6 cm piece of green paper, white side up.
  147. Back triangle: fold in half. Fold it in half the long way, just like the first one.
  148. Back triangle: turn 1. Just past the middle, fold the strip back on a sharp slant. It makes a V lying on its side: the back wheel goes in the point.
  149. Back triangle: tilt it. Turn it to its place in the bike frame.
  150. Fork: new sheet. Set it aside. For the fork and handlebar, take a 4.8 × 0.6 cm piece of green paper, white side up.
  151. Fork: fold in half. Fold it in half the long way.
  152. Fork: turn 1. Near the end, fold the strip down on a slant so a short piece points back. That's the handlebar on top of the fork.
  153. Fork: tilt it. Turn it to its place in the bike frame.
  154. Saddle: new sheet. Set it aside. For the saddle, take a 1.3 × 0.4 cm piece of black paper.
  155. Saddle: cut the shape. Cut the bottom edge on a slant so the right end is a thin nose, and snip the back corners round. It looks like a little wedge.
  156. Bike flowers: new sheet. Set the saddle aside. For the leaves in the bike basket, take a 2.5 × 2 cm piece of green paper.
  157. Bike flowers: round it. Fold all four corners behind, 7 mm along each edge: a bushy leafy top.
  158. Bike basket: new sheet. Set the leaves aside. For the bike basket, take a 2 × 2.1 cm piece of tan paper, tan side up.
  159. Bike basket: rim down. Fold the top edge down 0.5 cm, so a white band shows.
  160. Bike basket: roll the rim. Fold the band's lower half back up. A thick rolled rim with a thin white line under it.
  161. Bike basket: make a bowl. Fold the bottom corners behind on slants, 5 mm along the bottom and 7 mm up the sides.
  162. Build the scene. Glue the shop front, window, door, bracket, basket and pavement on the sky. Stand the flowers in their buckets, then add the watering can, the florist and the bike.
  163. Stand it up. Bend the backdrop gently towards you on the middle crease and stand the whole flower shop up on the table.

Fresh flowers today!

Write FLOWERS on the board. Draw the door pane and knob, white blossoms in the baskets, sunflower seeds, the can's holes, the florist's face and the bike's spokes.

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