So... don't have enough $$$ for a dozen roses?? Well, here's a different way to give that special someone a dozen, or 30, roses!

Introducing the Dafina Kusudama, created by Andrei Dumitriu.

This is a kusudama, which is an origami piece that is made with several identical units and matched together.

Here is what you will need for this instructable:

12 or 30 pieces of square paper of same size. (The one above is 12 red 90mm x 90mm paper)
Glue (your choice here, I went with super glue, fast drying and definite bond)
Beads (again your choice, something that matches with the paper)
Embroidery Thread (yet again your choice. Can choose other strings if you like, it's for the tassel and string )

Alrighty let's get this started!!

Step 1: Step 1: Precreases Part 1

Alrighty, start off by folding your paper into an 8x8 grid. I do this by first folding in half horizontally, then halving that, and again. Repeat vertically.

Next make center points on the corner boxes. I do this by matching up the edge of the paper with the first line next to it on both edges.

Okay, with me so far? Good, then let's move onward!!

Step 2: Step 2: Prcreases Part 2

Next Bring one corner up to the opposite corner's center you made previously. This should make a small square in the center of your paper.

Flip your paper over to the "white" side (could be a different color)

Ok, here we are going to need some explanation and terminology.

So if you look up there, you'll see two colors in the second pic, red and blue. The blue lines are what we call mountain folds and the red lines are valley folds. Imagine the shape of the mountain, like an A with the line in the middle. Imagine the same thing but the opposite for the valley, V.

Now that that's been taken care of, make the folds as you see in the second and third picture.

Next parts is gonna start being a lil crzy so I've added pics of me folding with a larger paper.

Step 3: Step 3: Making the Shape

Ok, so now is where we start to make the shape of the rose. Carefully make the folds in the image. I've added two pictures of how the folds should look like.

Now, if you made more definite folds, you will see that it will start to spiral around the center, as shown in the fourth image. Fifth image is a view of the "top" of the rose.

So far so good? You're doing great! Almost there.

Step 4: Step 4: Making the "attachments"

So now, unfold your rose slightly to be able to see the corner edge of the paper. Following the first image, make the folds. The second image shows how the folds should be.

Now, I wasn't really able to show this in my diagram pics so I just took picture. Let's look at the bottom edge of the paper. You will notice a diagonal in the... third square from the right, fold that to be a mountain fold. Make the same diagonal on the next square to the left, but a valley fold, and the opposite diagonal on the square to the left of that one, should be a mountain as shown in the 4th image. Also make note of the diagonal fold above the center square in the three previously mentioned, make sure it's a valley fold.

Now fold all of the diagonal mentioned previously and they should collapse into image 7. Images 5 and 6 show the process of making the folds for the rose.

Repeat this process for the other edges and you should end up with a windmill like object shown in the last image.

Oofa that step was complicated. Really close now.

Step 5: Step 5: Making Pockets

Now if you flipped the model over, you should see your rose. Aww pretty.

Anyways back to the other side. So, take one appendage and reverse fold. You can see the process done with images 2-4. In image 4 I've pointed out the line which you will fold and insert into the pocket in the bottom left.

Repeat this on the other appendage show in the 5th image.

There you go! You have made one unit of the kusudama. Now all you need to do is make 11 or 29 more, depending on which version you are doing.

Next! Onto assembly!!

Step 6: Step 6: Assembly

Ok so if you are making the kusudama out of 12 you will want to make it into the form of a truncated cube, as shown in the first image. Oh umm... the last image in the first image... hehe ma bad, not my image. Image that each rose is on a point of the truncated cube. My suggestion is to start with four to make the square. Then join two of the four roses with one rose all around to make the triangle shape. Continue from there. You can look at my very first image for an example of how it should be assembled.

For those making 30, you will be forming it into a icosidodecahedron, shown in the second image. (Don't ask me how to say that) An example is shown in the third image. Notice how there are three that are right up next to each other, I would start with those three first, then make the pentagon around it.

If during any of these steps for making the origami portion got you confused or got stuck, I've also embeded the video which I used to make mine.

Now, theoretically the pieces should stay together, but from experience, this did not go well. So here I've used super glue to keep the pieces together. Images 5-8 show where I added glue to put them together.

Step 7: Final Step: Embelishment

So technically we are done here. The kusudama is finished and can be presented as is... but do we wanna do that?? NAH!!!

So let's add a little extra onto it. Here is a tutorial for making a tassel and the loop for the kusudama:

http://kusudama.me/#tutorials/Tassel

Remember to add some beads and such on top of the tassel before bringing the loop through the kusudama. Oh yes for looping, Since there aren't any small holes for the 12 rose one, I made holes in the center of one and another in the opposite rose and looped through that way. For 30 rose ones, loop through the connection of the three roses.

And there you have it, your very own Darina Kusudama to keep as your own or gift to a special someone.