Origami Box

I wrote this out once before a couple of years ago somewhere else, but I LOVE that I have the mad skillz to do this, so I'm sharing it with the lovely world of the internet once again!

Ladies and gentlemen (...do gentlemen ready craft blogs aimed at we mom-folk? Hmmm...), I give you: THE ORIGAMI BOX!

Are you READY??

WHAT YOU NEED:
- one 12X12 piece of paper (I do NOT recommend cardstock, at least at first - it's a bit tricky and you fold over and over and over... try with B&T papers first)
- some PATIENCE as you look at the pictures and try to decipher my instructions (I'm going to do the best I can here...but it's pretty logical once you get going, PROMISE!)

OH and FYI - you can click on the images to make them bigger.

STEP ONE:
Lay your paper out flat. (Mine's lumpy-looking 'cause it's an un-origamied-box I JUST made!)

"flat" 12x12 paper - put the side you want to show on the bottom

STEP TWO:
FOLD the four corners of your paper into the middle and make a new, smaller square! (It's a bit tricky to get them all lined up perfectly - do yourself a favour and don't stress about it!)

See how my box is going to turn out blue? Yay!

STEP THREE:
Fold the right and left edges of your box over so they meet in the middle and you have a long skinny rectangle. 

Ta da!

STEP FOUR:
Fold AGAIN, this time grab the short edges and fold the long way 'till the middle. Same move as last time, but the LENGTH of the rectangle. Should land you approximately square, again. Or lopsided-like squareish... folding should be a little tricky, but you can do it.

Lopsided-square DONE! Wahoo! Next?

STEP FIVE:
Okay, don't go berserk on me here, but UNFOLD the whole thing EXCEPT for two of your FIRST folds, so your paper should be nice and lumpy with folds like mine and look like this:

Lumpy? CHECK!

 Got it? Okay, good.

STEP SIX:
THIS is where it gets tricky. See this part of your 'box' I'm pointing at??

Okay, good. (I know, I could take Vanna's Job - I mean, just LOOK at these perfect-for-pointing hands!) GRAB that part, and FOLD the pointy-bit over to HERE:

That's right, right in the middle. Good job. Okay, NOW you can EITHER do the same thing on the other side and THEN move on or move on and then do the same thing on the other side. I moved on 'cause I was still mastering my technique...

You gotta' FOLD back over where you just folded, making the wall of the box. So, keeping the pointy-bit where it is after you fold, fold the rest of the paper back over. 

(you can click on pictures to make them bigger, you know)

 I know it's a bit confusing and I'm a bit of an idiot so that may be making it worse BUT just look at it and you should be able to figure it out. It makes SENSE to do it to make a 'wall'.

Okay, when BOTH sides are done it should look like this: 

STEP SEVEN:
Fold that LAST corner that sticking out of your wall OVER the wall and down into the floor of the box. (Are there actual technical terms for these parts of the box?? Anyone?) 

Wall & floor DONE!

STEP EIGHT:
REPEAT steps six and seven on the other side.

VOILA your box!

Booyah

Make a second box for a top and tie on a piece of ribbon and you'll feel oh-so-very finished and accomplished for the day! YAY! Especially useful for last-minute gift-wrapping, oy!

 Okay, happy crafting! Let me know if that's as clear as mud and/or you need any help! :D Cheers.