How to Make Origami Place Cards

place card

Learning how to make origami place cards can be a lot of fun. In fact, you can transform many of the origami animals and decorative pieces into place cards just by adding a small piece of paper to them. This is an easy way to decorate your table.

Make Origami Place Cards

You can change just about any origami project slightly to allow it to hold a name and serve as a place card. If you are hoping to make origami place card holders, consider these steps.

  1. Start with a 5 1/8th inch square piece of origami paper. Try matching the colors to the table decorations or giving each person a different pattern.
  2. Fold the origami paper in half. Then fold in half again. This quarters the paper and creates a smaller square.
  3. Fold this new square in half. Crease well.
  4. Hold the crease along the bottom with one hand. Use the other hand to fold down the front edge of the paper down to meet the bottom edge of the paper. Repeat this with the other side. This should create four sections, all even.
  5. Set the card holder down on the table so that the folded edges are on the bottom. This creates the ideal place to set a business card sized piece of card stock with your guest's name on it.

More Placeholder Ideas

Creating unique placeholders is possible. The key is to be creative and to come up with something that fits the rest of the party scheme. These ideas can help you to create the ideal origami decorated event.

  • Origami Crane Place Holders: Create origami crane placeholders, which are ideal for weddings. This project uses the basic crane design to create an elegant placeholder perfect for the wedding table. Take your time to ensure the crane is detailed.
  • Napkin Placeholder: Adorn a napkin simply, using these napkin folding techniques to create a placeholder. This design is a great choice for placeholders you will place on top of the plate, such as at an informal dinner party or special occasion.
  • Simple Place Card Holder:Ngai Chun Cheung creates a simple yet easy to use place card holder that anyone can use for a special occasion. His video demonstrates the steps to creating this design.
  • Origami Lovers Knot: For something a bit different, try using the Origami lovers knot by Lisa Shea as a placeholder. These place cards are a traditional form of origami that was used to pass special (and secret) messages between two people. You can easily add a name to them and send a personal message to each of your guests.

Tips for Creating Origami Place Cards

Any piece of paper folded into a design is a form of origami. Yet, when you want to learn how to make origami place cards, you likely want to be more creative.

  • Many of the origami projects at LoveToKnow.com are ideal for place card use. Use the origami hearts, origami flowers or even the paper airplane instructions to create a unique origami creation. The paper airplane would be ideal for a children's party.
  • Many origami projects can come from using fabric napkins. This makes an elegant statement on the table. Try an origami swan for this project.
  • The holidays are a great time to use origami at the table as a place card. An origami dove is perfect for Easter time. For Thanksgiving, try an origami folded paper turkey.
  • Use unique papers in a variety of colors and patterns to make the origami projects stand out.
  • Use any animal or decorative origami project as a placeholder. Include instructions and a sheet of paper alongside it. Allow guests to entertain themselves creating their own origami project.