Whilst looking for a link which is so far remaining irritatingly elusive, I stumbled across kirigami. You might know origami, the art of folding paper? Well kirigami is a close relative. It’s the art of folding and cutting paper.

If you’re the crafty type and you’re thinking of making something a little different for Valentines day, then these images might give you some inspiration. If you don’t fancy making something yourself, relax, grab a drink, and look at the beautiful photos.

lilzabubba started my introduction to the world of kirigami. She’s created a variety of different ’snowflakes’. This one is particularly relevant to Valentines day - but the whole set is really worth a look.

There’s an infinite number of designs for paper snowflakes - this one is an ornament, looked after by katrinkles. It also happens to be created by lilzabubba

If you’re wondering where the folding comes in, then it’s right here. Author and designer Jeffrey Rutzky has created this beautiful card - and many more works can be seen in his Flickr stream

aiai_paperflicker (^o^) has taken this even further with her butterfly card - it’s 4 pieces, including the base, and holds together without glue.

If you’re planning a weekend away, you could hint at the destination with a card. This cleverly cut image image is by Lucasaci

Or you could create a fantasy, like this - again by aiai_paperflicker (^o^)

If you like the idea, and really want to push it, then Richard Sweeney takes things to a whole new level. This is more like paper sculpture - and it’s spectacular!

Happy folding…