When I was quite young (elementary school, or before?) my grandmother gave us an Origami kit consisting of a small instruction book and various sheets of colored rice paper. I was never very interested in the flat designs, preferring the 3-D pieces, especially if they were functional in some way (e.g., paper airplanes).

One design in particular has stayed with me over the years, because it has repeatedly served me well in innumerable situations: the Origami Paper Cup!

There are few things more basic, yet more essential, than being able to transport water to your mouth or another location without dribbling. Yet how often do you find yourself in a place where water or other cool liquid is ostensibly available but lacking a drinking/carrying utensil?

The great thing about this skill is that it can be done with ANY piece of standard paper (I don’t suggest newsprint) – just drink quickly if forced to use one that is printed to avoid soaking off the ink! This week I was in dire need of a drink while at a bookstore reading where they had bottles of fruit drinks but were out of cups. A quick perusal of their free handouts/flyers shelf provided a suitable piece of paper for accessing the liquids.

Here’s how – whenever you are told to fold something, make a good sharp crease of the fold: Continue reading →