There is a small magic trick every origami lover should know: a flower that appears from nothing but a napkin in your hand. No scissors, no glue, no special paper — just a few rolls and pinches and suddenly you are holding a rose.

It is the kind of fold you can do absent-mindedly at a café table, and the result is charming enough to tuck behind someone's ear or drop onto a note. Let's make one.

This easy origami rose is not only beautiful and lifelike, it is also remarkably easy to make. Once you get the hang of it, you can whip one up in seconds using almost any kind of paper you have on hand.

The mix of simplicity, flexibility, and charm makes the easy origami rose a delightful little project. Wherever you are, as long as you can find a piece of paper or a napkin, you have everything you need to make one.

STEP 1. Start with a piece of napkin. Regular paper also works, but it will not look as nice.

STEP 2. Roll up the napkin as shown.

STEP 3. Begin forming the rose by pinching near the top.

STEP 4. While pinching with one hand, use the other hand to roll beneath the rose.

STEP 5. Lift one corner up to the side from the bottom of the napkin.

STEP 6. Start rolling up from the bottom of the rose.

STEP 7. As you roll up, try to leave the loose corner hanging to one side. This will become the petal.

STEP 8. Twist the base of the petal so its shape becomes more defined. Now your rose is ready to give away.