We always stock up this Multifunction Paper Tray at home. We mainly use it as a trash bin on dining table. We put clam shells, fish bones, chicken bones, etc., so that it is easier to clean up the table after dining ( ^_^ ) no messy table. Sometimes we use to share snacks, so that we can keep the rest back to the air tight container to prevent being soft for too long in open air. You can find some more usages at the last step, but before that, let's take a look at how it is folded.

Material : Any paper. We used old magazines for stock, rather than throwing them away. At the end, we will throw them away along with fish/chicken bones :D

Step 1:

Fold it half from bottom to top.

Step 2:

Crease it half from left to right.

Step 3:

Crease from the top right corner to the middle line. And also from the top left corner to the middle line.

Step 4:

I don't know the origami terminology for this kind of fold but.. lift one layer of the paper from the right to the left, forming a triangle on top with rectangle below it. Then fold the layer back to the right.

Step 5:

Repeat step #4 for the left side layer.

Step 6:

Now pick up one layer from the left and right side to the center line. You can go at any width toward the center line to get a different height of tray. Using the same paper, when you want a shallower tray, you will get a larger tray area.

Step 7:

Now we back to standard height, that is folding the left and right side to the center line. Then fold the bottom side up.

Step 8:

Flip your paper and repeat step #7 for the other side. We are done! After several attempts, I'm sure you can make one in less than a minute. Or ten in a minute maybe? Or you can use it for a family game, who fold the most in five minutes? After the game, you stock them up for later use ^_^

Step 9: Pop Up

Pop it up. Hold the left and right side of it. Put four fingers (two pointers and two thumbs) at the corners. Smash the point side (center of the base) down on the table. You can strengthen the bottom corners to form a better square shape. There you are, the normal version and the shallower paper tray.

Step 10: More Usages

I can use the shallow paper tray to put electronic parts of my pending project while I am working on another one.
I use the deeper one for crackers.
I also use them to show sample grains to customers.
I use one for peanut and another for the pericarp.

Maybe not the paper folding that is special to share, but how we use it in daily life (^_^ )

Introduction: Multifunction Paper Tray