Kusudama Children's Nightlight

So I've been developing a collection based on the Kusudama origami flower, and, as such, I added this instructable as a different use for an old design. I designed this to be a centerpiece for my wedding, but my niece liked it so much, I decided to turn it into a nightlight for her. Overall, it is made by recycling left over scrap booking paper.

Two make an kusudama flower you first have to make 5 individual petals. I have instructions in each of my kusudama instructables, but I've give a refresher here. I started by taking a 7 inch by 7 inch piece of paper and folding it diagonally to make a triangle. The pictures above map out a step by step process. After making the triangle, I turned the triangle so that the open point pointed away from me. I took each side point and folded them up to the top point and made a diamond shape. I then took each of the flaps I just created and folded the inside edge out parallel to the outside edge. After I did this to both sides, I unfolded them, opened the space in each flap, and pressed it down. At this point I folded tips to the flaps I just pressed down to be in line with the sides they are touching. I then refolded the flaps along the original lines, glued them with elmers glue, and pressed them together in the middle. I used craft clothes pins to hold them together until the glue dried. This process makes one petal. If any of this is unclear take a look at my Kusudama wedding jewelry instructable for greater detail.

After the glue dried I cut one petal about an inch from the top. I used the discarded bottom of the petal as a gauge to cut the other four petals per flower. Once the petals were cut down, I "fluffed" out the sides, and arranged them into a flower shape.

I glued each petal together with elmers and held them in place with craft clothes pins on both the front and back of the flower. Repeat this process to make 12 total flowers. It may take some time.

I took one of the 12 flowers and put it aside with an LED pop light. I trimmed each petal of the flower so that the flower would sit flat on the table. I then glued the pop light to the inside of the flower.

I then took the remaining 11 flowers and started to construct the flower ball. I first arranged 5 of them into a circle, holding them together with craft clothes pins petal tip to petal tip. Once assembled, I took a few clothes pins off at a time and glued between them. I then repinned them. Once the whole circle was completed and glued, I started the next ring in the ball but pinning the next level of flowers to the circle.

Once I glued the second circle onto the first there was only a small space open at the top. I took the 11th flower, glued its petals, and pinned it into place in the top circle until dry.

To give the nightlight a subtle colored glow, I chose to line the inside of the ball with tissue paper. I sprayed adhesive into the inside of the ball, then pushed in tissue paper in the open bottom space and inflated a balloon inside it. I then trimmed the excess tissue paper from the hole.

I then popped the light on, and placed the flower ball over the bottom piece. The LED light should last a long time.

To make the light last longer, before putting the tissue paper in, I space numerous coats of spray designed to firm up paper or fabric.