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Tonya Papanikolas ReportingThe art of origami has been around for hundreds of years and one Utah woman is making sure it doesn't go out of style.
Ginger Brakke says she learned origami in the 7th grade. As she did it through the years, people started asking her to come to their businesses. Now she teaches origami at birthday parties, schools and libraries.
On a recent Monday night, kids and adults packed into a Sandy library room.
Tim Osbourne, Father: "We came out here just to have some fun with the kids and do something a little bit different."
Their project? Learning origami.
Grace Anastasi, Learning Origami: "I just like how the pretty paper shapes without having to do any glue or stuff."
The woman teaching the group is Ginger Brakke, also known as the "origami lady."
Ginger Brakke, 'Origami Lady': "All the kids said, ‘Oh, there's that origami lady.' I thought, ‘Oh, I like that name.'"
One look at her hat and you know Brakke has fun with the job. But she also takes her role seriously.
Ginger Brakke: "I'm one of the purists. I take one piece of paper."
And with the paper she can make more than 100 items, from dinosaurs and flowers to turtles and Christmas trees. Her favorite is the flapping bird, the very first item she ever learned.
Ginger Brakke: "Those are my favorite things to make because that was the one my sister showed me."
After years of practice, she can now make a flapping bird in just 28 seconds. Her miniature jumping frog takes just one second more. Brakke has also perfected using dollars for paper.
Ginger Brakke: "None of it's been cut. All of the money has been folded."
This origami-lover is a school teacher by day. Her students say she brings her passion into the classroom.
Rebecca Sutton, Brakke's Former Student: "We made people and we made hearts for Valentine's Day. And we made shamrocks."
Her friends emphasize she will fold origami any time, anywhere.
Colleen Koontz, Friend: "My husband's 40th birthday party, we invited her to come and have cake and ice cream. She brought the whole origami works. She was there entertaining the kids."
Brakke says sharing her knowledge with kids is what makes her job so fun.
Ginger Brakke: "I love doing it because it's something different, and it makes a smile on the child's face."
Occasionally, Brakke does branch out and use more than one sheet of paper, like she did to make some paper doll clothes, and she used ribbon to make a fancy bird.
