A Cut and Fold Technique

Studying bulletin boards, especially those in schools, this is a frequently used technique for making an elaborate-looking design that's actually quite simple to do!

We found a stash of colored paper hidden away. The paper is quite thick, like a very thin cardboard. We don't even remember where the papers came from, but it came in handy to show this cut-and-fold technique. :)

 The cardboard were cut into strips about 1.5 inches by 6 inches. First you fold the board in half by putting together the two longer sides, like this:

Getting a pair of scissors, cut diagonally along the fold. Try to keep the distance between the cuts the same thickness. But, as you'll figure out later, varying the length between your cuts can alter the final design. :)

 Let's review: the piece of cardboard, fold it in half, then cut diagonally. (We just wanted to show the steps, using the different colors)

When you open the cardboard, it'll look like this:

Fold every other cut V-shape upwards, like this:

 

We planned to use the design to make a bookmark:

So we stuck the folds back to complete the design. The little diamonds in the middle are a little unequal in size, this is because our cuts weren't the same thickness. We were too lazy to get a ruler and mark out the distances. We couldn't find a protractor to measure out the angles either.

And there you have it! A great way to design borders, gift tags, cards... whatever surface you feel like designing. :)

We experimented more with weaving the V-shapes of two strips of the cardboard together:

The creations!