If you're planning a wedding and want to incorporate some unique folded paper touches, consider making origami tent cards. These place cards can double as favors, and your guests will be pleased and amused by the creative design.
Types of Origami Tent Cards
There are two ways to create tent cards using origami. You can embellish a traditional single-fold place card with a fun origami figure, or you can make a card that has a figure incorporated into the design. While the second option is appealing, it can be more complicated. If you'll be making a lot of place cards for a wedding or a large party, consider embellishing simple cards with cute folded paper figures.
Origami Pelican Place Card
This origami project uses a folded pelican to add extra beauty to a traditional purchased place card. Depending on the size of your event, consider getting help from friends and family. These cards are very easy to create, but they can be time consuming in large batches.
Things You'll Need
- Purchased blank place cards
- Origami paper in event colors
- Glue
- Pen
- Folding surface
What to Do
- Begin by writing the names on your place cards. You don't want to have to throw away a pelican-adorned card because of a misprint.
- Place your origami paper on the folding surface with the printed side down. Fold the paper in half to create a triangle, crease the fold, and then unfold it. Turn the paper so the crease is pointing toward you.
- Fold the left corner of the paper in so that it meets the center crease line. Repeat with the right corner.
- Repeat this process to make a narrower shape.
- Grasp your shape, and flip it over. Bring the pointy end of the shape up to the top, and crease. Next, fold the shape in half lengthwise.
- Turn the shape so that it is lying with the longest edge on the table. While holding the body firmly with your fingers, pull the inside triangle up to create the neck of your pelican. Crease the fold at the desired angle, and fold the pointy tip down to create the head. Finally, fold the wings out to support the pelican.
- Use a dab of glue to affix your finished pelican to the crease on your tent card. Experiment with placement on the card to find the best position for the bird.
Other Shapes for Traditional Cards
You can use any easy origami shape to embellish ready-made place cards. Here are a few more ideas:
Other Tent Card Designs
Looking for a tent card design that incorporates origami into the card itself? Consider these table cards from Hans Birkland. This site has some adorable designs, including the following:
- Elephant
- Flapping bird
- Butterfly
- Orchid
- Iris
- Seagull
- Pine tree
Regardless of which origami tent card design you choose, the guests at you event will be impressed with your creativity. Even in small doses, origami adds beauty and style to any special occasion.
