Every once in a while I get an incredible urge to craft.

I’m really not one of those Martha gals with a well-organized craft corner and gift wrapping station. I don’t plan out my projects and shop accordingly, ensuring I have all necessary materials before I start. I don’t get up early on a Saturday morning, clear off the kitchen table and get to work. My approach is more tornado-like. It’s like the barometric pressure dips and something inside me clicks. This might happen on a Wednesday night at 8 PM and keep me up until 2, even though I need to be at work the next morning. I swirl around my apartment, ripping into shopping bags of leftover yarn and beads, improvising with what I have on hand.  I typically produce something half-way decent, but leave a path of glittery destruction.

I’m not sure why it’s like this – why all the sudden I get the bug. Maybe it’s something instinctual. Like we, as humans, really do need to create things with our hands. And, when we stay cooped up inside all day staring at computer screens and talking into phones, that urge gets all pent up until it can’t be contained.  And that’s when we must craft.

Last spring I became slightly obsessed with origami. I bought some books and different papers and actually got pretty decent at folding. For my 1 year wedding anniversary, I made a paper swan mobile for my husband.

Ok – a romantic gesture, but kind of a huge pain in the ass. Not the folding part as much of the stringing each stupid swan with fishing wire and attaching them to base of the mobile.

But, origami needn’t be a huge pain in the ass. In fact, if you’re like me and have regularly occurring craft attacks, origami is a good option. All you need is some paper, which lasts forever (unlike paint, glue or clay) and is easy to store. You can buy special origami paper, or you can cut other paper (computer paper, wrapping paper, magazine pages) into squares and use that.

And, because Valentine’s day is in a few days and I happen to feel like it, here’s how to fold a basic, stand-up heart.

Start with a square piece of paper.

Fold it in half one way

And then the other way

Open it up so you’re looking at the whole paper that’s folded into quadrants. Then fold one side the long ways so that the edge meets the middle crease.

Then do the same thing on the other side

And flip it over.

Then fold the top down just a little.

And open up that crease. It helps to use your thumb to get in there.

Then fold down the corners of the middle crease so it looks like this.

Fold the bottom half up towards the top.

Then fold the corners of that section you just folded towards the outer edges.

So it looks like this.

Then fold the two bottom corners toward the center crease so that they create a point.

Then fold down the upper flap so it looks like this. Turn it over and you have…

A heart!

You can make a bunch and decorate your desk or your dresser. Or, leave them for a friend or special someone to find.

Question: Do you suffer from craft attacks? If so, did you feel better after making this origami heart?