Origami – the art of paper folding — has been around for centuries and involves turning regular paper into something quite wonderful. While most origami involves only paper, Japanese artist Inori uses leaves and flowers to create her origami pieces.

We spoke with the artist about her craft and said she first fell in love with "kusabaanasobi" (Japanese for vegetable origami) when she was a little girl. She would play outside with flowers, finding peace and tranquility in "the very quiet world" of the outdoors. She first began creating her botanical origami two years ago by playing around with a poppy flower.

flower jewelry
Some origami can even be worn like this poppy bracelet. (Photo: Inori)

To create her designs, Inori cuts along the veins of a leaf or flower to get the pieces to bend as naturally as possible. Sometimes though, she will completely dissect a leaf to create a more complex origami animal like a doll from a flower. A single creation will take her several hours to complete. It's such a delicate process that one wrong cut or fold would ruin the whole origami.

Arguably, the best part of Inori's origami is seeing the work come to life. Since her origami is made of natural items, they bend and move quite easily with just the slightest touch of her hand.

caterpillar plant origami
Inori even ties and bends a leaf until it's unrecognizable. (Photo: Inori)
leaf origami
Inori changes the shape of a leaf by cutting along the veins. (Photo: Inori)
butterfly botanical art
Butterflies are a common theme among Inori's flower origami. (Photo: Inori)
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