In my opinion, one of the coolest things about origami is the many different ways people become interested in the art of paper folding. At first glance, folding paper is a solitary activity. But, the art of origami has a remarkable tendency to bring people together.

I became interested in origami because of my experiences as a scrapbooker. When I started scrapbooking, I accumulated a ton of decorative paper. In the process of looking for interesting ways to use the paper on my layouts, I discovered a few simple origami models. From there, my interest in origami evolved into paper folding as a way to keep my son busy and to create unique party decorations or home decor objects. I find the process of turning a flat sheet of paper into a 3D object to be endlessly fascinating. I wrote a few articles on origami for various websites, then was lucky enough to be selected to develop the About.com Origami website.

My personal origami tends to be very practical. I enjoy looking at beautiful origami sculptures that take several hours to fold, but projects like boxes, envelopes, and cards tend to fit in better with my life as a mom and a freelance writer.

This guide will cover the basic concepts you need to know to start making your own origami creations. Each section covers an important origami fold or base form, with instructions for a model that demonstrates the featured concept. When I was just starting to get learn about origami, I found it most helpful to associate each concept with one of my favorite models. Thinking about key concepts in relation to the steps involved in projects I enjoyed made it easier for me to refer back to these ideas as I was preparing to tackle more advanced projects.