What began many years ago as a project with my daughter to make Christmas gifts, eventually turned into a passion for folding peace cranes. They have evolved alot from the first cranes that we made, which were basically folded from glorified construction paper. All of my cranes now are folded from Chiyogami paper. 

Today Chiyogami is silkscreened and usually created in small, family-run Japanese paper making studios. Each color is separately screened by hand, one layer at a time. The final layer is usually a gold or silver metallic overlay that provides shiny highlights that catch the light and sparkle. After the cranes are folded, they are dipped in wax to add strength and stability. Lastly, they are strung with aurora borealis-finished glass beads.

When I’m not busy folding cranes, I like nothing better than hiking a trail to connect with my own peace of mind. Living in Northwest Montana, there is thankfully never a shortage of beautiful and inspiring mountain trails to travel. “One only needs a walk in the woods to find peace.”