A lot of people in my life now don’t know that I graduated college with a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture. I’m not an architect now but I’ve always loved working and building things by hand. Paper crafts are one of my favorites because you don’t need much to make some extrodinary things.

So, when I found out that a fellow ex-architecture student who also didn’t pursue the career started his own paper craft modeling business, I got excited to check it out.

Tristan and I were actually in architecture school at the same time, a year apart from each other. He was a better student than I was so it doesn’t surprise me he’s actually taken what we learned into practice 😛

DIY Paper Craft Animal Kits

At Resident, you can order a number of really fun and cute animals from Penelope the Hippo to Jasper the Dragon and Phoebe the Cow. Each of them has a bio – you got to know them before you pick one! Penelope is a softy who likes classic movies while Clark the Triceratops is a big gamer.

I have here Louise, a gummy bear-lovin’, semi-pro boxing, got a bit of an attitude Giraffe.

What I love about these kits is that each comes with everything you need for this project! It is all packaged in a minimal yet secure flat cardboard mailer so you don’t have to worry about anything getting wrinkled or damaged.

In each mailer you’ll find:

• All the paper peices for your animal, pre-cut, scored, and numbered
• A small squeeze bottle of quick dry tacky glue
• A tonque depressor to help you with the glueing
• A practice piece so you can get the hang of how to put your animal together

You literally do not need anything else! Not even a pair of scissors.

The Practice Whale

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The concept of how to put these little guys together is fairly simple. Everything is pre-cut and scored and you basically fold along all the lines and then glue tabs with matching numbers together.

But, 100% recommend trying it first on the practice whale. You will get a feel for how the folds work and get used to the way tabs come together. Plus, you get an adorable little whale friend!

Let’s Get Folding

Paper Craft TIPS!

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1. Keep the glue cap on when not using.

I know that sounds stupid but this glue is effective! You don’t need much on each tab and it dries quickly! If the glue bottle clogs up, don’t worry you can just puncture it again with a thumbtack or pen.

2. Do everything in order, starting with the piece at hand.

Each piece of paper is numbered for a reason and the order is meant to help you. While every new piece you pick up adds onto the model, keep your eye out for pieces that glue onto itself. For example, piece number 5 might glue into a horn before it gets glued onto the rest of the body.

3. Fold Well. Go Slow.

Be meticulous when folding because folding right ensures your animal will take shape properly. You can use the tongue depressor to get those crisp folds. And go slowly. When I say the glue is effective, I mean it. Taking apart tabs that have been glued is possible but can be a pain.

Isn’t Louise cute? She’s got a prime spot on my gallery wall, looking over us in our apartment. She took an evening to make while I was binge watching Bridgerton on Netflix (it’s basically if 1800s had trashy, Gossip Girl TV). It was a perfect crafting night.