To me, the idea is the soul of any design, sometimes it just came out of nowhere, and most of the time, it began with a specific purpose. For instance, holidays, special events, and specific functions, such as boxes, mirrors, organizers, and light fixtures...

I spent lots of time contemplating my idea first, I like to use a top-down method, first to have a clear final look of the project in mind, then figure out what it takes to achieve that, once you figure that out, then just matter of finding the right materials, tools, and software to create it.

For instance, for this project:

1.   I was thinking to make a lamp that looks like a lotus flower
2.   So I figure that I will need the following:
       Flower petals,  
       Something or someway to hold the petals to form the flower shape, and 
       Something or someway to hold the light fixture
3. Sketch, this step will offer you a great visual of your idea

Photo 1: A drawing of a lotus flower, which is going to be the main shape of my lamp
Photo 2: A split-side view of the inner structure piece of the flower, I call it “Petal Support”, this will hold the petals, and also will determine the shape of the lamp.
Photo 3: Two rings will hold the Petal Support in place, and the bottom one has a small center circle for the light fixture
Photo 4: Petals

Now the sketch is all set, and ready to create the laser-ready design file of all the parts of the lamp. It is a very straightforward process, just a matter of inserting some geometric shapes, by using basic functions such as “unite”, “subtract”, and “circular array”.

Photo 1: “Petal Support”: Since this is the piece to determine the shape of the structure, hence the number of petals needed, it makes sense to design this piece first. 

Photo 2: “Petals”, I use an oval shape for the petals, place them according to the slot on the Petal Support, then modify the length of the oval, to create a lotus shape.

Photo 3: I drew lines between two Petal Support, from slot to slot, and figure out the distance between petals.

Photos 4 & 5: Example of Petal 1 & 6. With the distance I've got from the previous step, draw a circle, then with the circular array feature, a total of 12 duplications are created, and the width of the oval may need to be adjusted to have all 12 petals touch each other. Once the petal is done, add a slot on one end of each petal.

Photo 6: All 6 layers of  petals  

Photo 7: Two support rings are created, the bottom one has a small circle in the center, and the size is determined by the size of your light fixture. 

Since the design is for cardboard, I have been very successful with the setting of 70/100/1. 

Putting the lamp together is rather simple:

1. Dab some glue to the inside of the slots, insert the petals onto the Petal Support, then gently press to adhere
2. Then one by one insert the petal support with the petals onto the top and bottom ring, also dab some glue to the inside of the slot first, then gently press both parts to adhere.
3. Carefully insert the light fixture through the center hole of the bottom ring, or you can use a LED tea light.