Would like to buy origami flower (north america)

stebed · Post by **stebed** » April 10th, 2008, 1:33 am

Hi everyone, I saw some origami flowers online and they were beautiful so I attempted to make a rose for my girlfriends birthday and it just did not turn out right. I'm not cut out for this but I'd really like to give her an origami rose.. I was wondering if there was anyone who could make a rose and stem for me and mail it to me? I don't know how long it takes you guys to make these but I would pay you whatever you think is fair, it would have to be shipped this week. I have looked around and found a couple of places online that sell origami in North America but I don't like their work or the kind of paper they use. Seems a lot use a shiny plastified looking paper, I'm looking for something closer in relation to construction paper.. I found a site in Thailand that makes them exactly as I would like them but unfortunately they would not make it here in time. If you can help it would be greatly appreciated, here's what I'm looking for:

http://www.asian-inspiration.com/buy-folded-rose-2.html
http://www.asian-inspiration.com/buy-or ... -lily.html

Or if you know any places in North America that provide these services let me know, I only found two so there may be many I didn't find. Thanks!

qtrollip · Post by **qtrollip** » April 10th, 2008, 1:47 am

Well, how many do you need and where about are you in North America?
Maybe there is someone close to you who is willing to help out!

Post by **Daydreamer** » April 10th, 2008, 1:50 am

As far as I know Brian Chan (and he's in the US) is still offering to sell his beautiful one-piece roses:

http://chosetec.darkclan.net/origami/
http://chosetec.darkclan.net/origami/rose/

stebed · Post by **stebed** » April 10th, 2008, 1:57 am

qtrollip wrote:Well, how many do you need and where about are you in North America?
Maybe there is someone close to you who is willing to help out!

i am in montreal, quebec, canada and i would only need 1 rose

ideally i'd like one as close to the one i linked to above as possible, thanks! i don't know how you guys do it, amazing stuff

origamimasterjared · Post by **origamimasterjared** » April 10th, 2008, 2:43 am

Whoever is selling those roses needs to learn how to make them without creasing a full grid...

stebed · Post by **stebed** » April 10th, 2008, 3:27 am

so anyone feel like doing this? you don't have to live anywhere near montreal, as long as you live in north america and can ship it international express i'll get it in time. just let me know what your time is worth i'll paypal you plus shipping, let me know thanks

bethnor · Post by **bethnor** » April 10th, 2008, 5:11 am

origamimasterjared wrote:Whoever is selling those roses needs to learn how to make them without creasing a full grid...

be nice... many of us (by us i mean me) still do the full grid. i could probably follow the many instructionals on this forum to avoid doing the full grid, but there is a certain pleasure to the process.

to the OP... in all honesty, imho, you are better off making the rose yourself. which rose are you attempting? the one in the picture would actually be quite hard for a beginner. further, i am not sure how many ppl know exactly how to fold that rose; it is a hybrid between the latest kawasaki and this one:

http://www.wikihow.com/Fold-a-Paper-Rose

and so is not diagrammed or has a crease pattern, to my knowledge. there are many quite advanced folders here, though, and may have figured it out by "eyeballing" it. incidentally, the above HTML is the rose i think you should do, and is probably the most compatable with a stem that you can just attach, i.e., go to a local craft store, buy some floral wire/copper wire, paint it green/wrap it with green paper, and just glue it to the bottom, as in these instructions:

http://www.instructables.com/id/A-Dozen ... ami-Roses/

the hardest part about the rose in these instructions is the twist fold. there are many videos on yahoo on how to do it.

most roses you see on the web are kawasaki's... or just a variation.

lastly, i reluctantly give you this website:

http://www.paperblooms.com/

the reason i say reluctant is because i honestly believe what they are doing is highway robbery. and if the owner of that website reads this... well, you're committing highway robbery. the bud (the instructions to which i posted) is going for an amazing $25 for a single rose. this rose can literally be folded in a minute. unless the paper is pressed from gold, there is no way it should cost $25. even the fastest folders still take ~ 15-30 min for the original kawasaki and the angled one. i also take issue with anyone aside from kawasaki himself selling the roses for such exorbitant prices.

origamimasterjared · Post by **origamimasterjared** » April 10th, 2008, 5:37 am

What I mean is that for a display rose, one that you are selling, it should not have such blatantly obvious squares running across it. It's like selling a painting made on graph paper.

And as for the website being "robbery", I agree. Not because of the price, but because they probably do not have the permission of Kawasaki to be selling his roses commercially. It would be explicitly stated if that were the case. (Also, look at the "money sunflower"…remind you of a certain Robert Lang's 3-Dollar Flower?)

Now, their bud looks fairly original, just with the typical twist fold, but the others are folded straight from the diagrams.

And good-quality paper, coupled with how valuable someone's time is, and the quality and care all factor into the price. If this person created their own designs/had permission, $25 could very well be a fair price. They are very well folded. Also, remember that the stem + calyx are not part of the "rose that takes literally under a minute". These roses are nowhere near as nice without the stem and calyx.

And I find the angled Kawasaki rose very difficult. I don't think I've folded a satisfactory one yet. Give me Satoshi Kamiya any day!

To the OP: If you go with Brian Chan's you:

Are directly supporting the author.
Will receive something expertly folded. He is one of the best folders I've ever seen.
Will receive something made from good quality materials that will last.

I would be willing to make a rose for you, but I don't have the proper materials at the moment.

Good luck!

stebed · Post by **stebed** » April 10th, 2008, 5:43 am

thanks but i'd rather just buy an intricate rose thats folded by someone that knows what they're doing with proper paper than make a crappy beginner rose myself and likely mess it all up. i need this for next week. i didn't think it would be a problem to find someone willing to make a rose in exhchange for payment but i guess i was wrong. the prices on that site are quite expensive and what kind of paper are they using? maybe its just the lighting but it seems like some people use a glossy almost plasitified paper thats quite shiny, making it look more like the silk/plastic artificial flowers.. i'd like something that clearly looks like its made out of paper. to me thats the appeal, i don't quite understand the why anyone would want to plastic look. would you like to make a rose?

it will likely be saved and on display somewhere in the house for a very very long time. you could be a part of it

Joe the white · Post by **Joe the white** » April 10th, 2008, 6:35 am

You could always try the local group in Montreal, Origami Montreal. http://www.geocities.com/orimtl/

For a professional model folded by a professional creator, with high quality paper (origamido, etc.), expect to pay top dollar. I read in an article once something about Robert Lang's Bull Moose (with stand and base, etc.) going for $800. I think I read about Eric Joisel's work going for something similar as well. $35 is still expensive though for a generic rose by an average folder. Mark Kennedy and Michael Sanders both sell some origami at conventions (nice guys with good skills and full permissions) for about $8-20 a piece. Not too marketable outside of conventions, but slightly expensive anyway. Supply and demand are funny sometimes.

(Also, note some of Brian Chan's fine metal work in his katanas, quite the eye for detail)

stebed · Post by **stebed** » April 10th, 2008, 6:57 am

thanks for the suggestion for brian chan and i don't want to upset anyone but i just don't like that rose, i much rather the other styles. i have no problem paying top dollar if its really well made and catches my eye

polomeque · Post by **polomeque** » April 10th, 2008, 12:54 pm

Hi there! Just try Etsy. http://www.etsy.com

There, you'll find what you're looking for. For example: http://www.etsy.com/search_results.php? ... igami+rose

bethnor · Post by **bethnor** » April 10th, 2008, 2:01 pm

origamimasterjared wrote:And good-quality paper, coupled with how valuable someone's time is, and the quality and care all factor into the price. If this person created their own designs/had permission, $25 could very well be a fair price. They are very well folded. Also, remember that the stem + calyx are not part of the "rose that takes literally under a minute". These roses are nowhere near as nice without the stem and calyx.

the problem is, most websites which sell the kawasaki rose (and there are distressingly many), the stem + calyx are NOT folded. they usually appear to be made from from wire and cut green paper. in fact, you can buy kits to make paper roses from kimscrane with green wire and pre-cut leaves for $3.50 allowing you to make 22 roses. the diagrams in the kit are for the simplified rosebud. if i sold it at $25 a pop, that's a > $540 profit, for something probably in totality that would take an hour to make. i maintain that's highway robbery if kawasaki permitted it or not, unless kawasaki did it himself.

to me it is not remotely the same as buying a lang bull moose or a joisel model from the creator.

stebed · Post by **stebed** » April 10th, 2008, 6:09 pm

awesome thanks for the link, i think that will be the easiest way to go. whats the difference between a folded stem and one that is made from wire and cut paper? are the folded ones the really thick ones? i think i prefer the wire look

you have to realize that from a consumer point of view i'm not at all concerned with the purity of the technique or whether the person authored the design, i just want the best looking flower (to my eye) and you guys being origami artists probably look for very different things in a flower than someone like me. thanks everyone!

stebed · Post by **stebed** » April 10th, 2008, 6:57 pm

does anyone know what design this is or where to find instructions? i'd like to give it a try, also what kind of paper is this so i know what to ask for? thanks!

http://image0.etsy.com/il_fullxfull.22614988.jpg