Introduction: Origami Flower With InstaMorph Sepal and LED Stamen

A decorative origami flower, with an LED center and InstaMorph sepal. The LED fades in and out using a small circuit and 555 timer. This circuit runs off of a 9V battery. This is my first Instructable and I am 12 years old.

Step 1: Gather Materials

Materials needed:

  • Square of paper (I used a 5 inch square from a colorful catalog page)
  • Vase
  • InstaMorph
  • 9V battery
  • 9V battery connector
  • Switch
  • 330 ohm resistor
  • 10k ohm resistor
  • 555 timer
  • LED (any color)
  • 100mF capacitor
  • BC547 transistor
  • 3 small and 3 large jumper wires
  • 1 inch square PCB board
  • Hot water (for InstaMorph)

Step 2: Fold the Origami Flower

For this step, you will need the square of paper. Follow this link to make your origami flower: http://www.origami-instructions.com/origami-8-peta... If the flower gets a bit deformed, it's ok, we'll fix this in step 5.

Step 3: Build the Circuit

For this step, you will need most of all of the rest of the parts except the InstaMorph. Follow this schematic to solder the parts on to a little circuit board. Here is a link to the schematic: http://rookieelectronics.com/wp-content/uploads/20... You also may want to have long wires connecting the LED to the circuit for more flexibility when putting the LED in the flower.

Step 4: Insert LED Into Flower

For this step, you will need both the origami flower and the completed LED circuit. Snip off the end of the flower and feed the LED through the hole to the center of the flower. As long as you hold the flower so it doesn't fall apart, we can add the InstaMorph sepal to hold it together.

Step 5: Make an InstaMorph Sepal

For this step, you will need the InstaMorph and the flower with the LED and circuit. First, heat water up to at least 140°F, but boiling water works best for me. Then, pour it into a bowl and place the InstaMorph in the water. When the InstaMorph is clear, remove it from the water, and roll it flat with a rolling pin or round object (such as a jar). Next, cut the InstaMorph into a square. With a 5 inch x 5 inch piece of paper, I found that a 3 inch x 3 inch square of InstaMorph works best. You may have to rewarm the InstaMorph to get a flat square. Now, rewarm the InstaMorph, remove the InstaMorph from the water when it is clear, pat it dry, and wrap it into a cone shape around the bottom of the flower and the top of the wires connecting the LED to the circuit.

Step 6: Add Finishing Touches

For this step, you will need your vase and the flower with all of the electronics connected. This step is simple, place the electronic components into the vase, then place the flower at the top of the vase. You may want the switch coming out of the vase so you can turn it on or off easily.