Here's folding that would impress Jean Van de Velde.

Over the past few Christmases I've made origami gifts for relatives; usually designs placed in shadowboxes. The last couple of years it's been stars from Tomoko Fuse's Home Decorating with Origami. This year I finally figured out a pattern I've been trying to suss out for some time, even with the now out-of-print videotape: Chris Palmer's five-fold flower tower.

Chris Palmer's been extremely influential in modern origami by bringing tessellations and geometry to his folding, resulting in beautiful, intricate designs.

Unfortunately, his site is mostly inactive, but there are other artists who have done magnificent work based on his ideas. Here's an example. And here's another one exploring the connections between origami and math.

All in all, a lot to inspire me. An observation; after an hour or two of folding these designs, I see the crease patterns when I close my eyes. Long-time Tetris fanatics will recognize this syndrome.