5 Easy DIY Chinese New Year Decorations You Can Try For CNY 2018

The Chinese New Year festive sounds like the best time to decorate your house. You can decide to beautify the house with New Year decoration from traditional Chinese culture. It is a good idea and a cheaper way if you decide to create the decoration rather than buy them. Below are some of the ten easy DIY Chinese New Year decoration that you can make at the comfort of your house:

1. Roses Decoration from Rolled Paper

Photo Credit: Dozi

This roses decoration are suitable for a table setting; they can also help brighten your plants. It is  fun and easy to create them. The approximate time you can use to make them is 5 minutes at the cost of $0.50.

Materials Needed

• Scissors
• Glue
• Square printing paper (20 x 20 cm is perfect, the size does not have to be exact to what we recommend)

Procedure:

Step 1: Draw a spiral as shown in the image above to be about 4 to 5 levels in layer on a square sheet of paper. The colour of the paper will be the colour you want your rose to be.

Step 2: Carefully cut along the lines that you have drawn on the paper with a scissors.

Step 3: Begin to roll your spiral up as finely as possible. Be sure not to press it too hard, you do not want to have them folded!

Step 4: Continue rolling up your strip until there is nothing left to roll! Can you see the rose beginning to form now?

And you are done!

2. ‘Ang Pao’ (Red Packet) Hanging Fish Decoration

Credits: http://goodyfoodies.blogspot.sg

It is an appealing decoration and one that kids can easily make. These could go well not only in your homes, but also in offices or schools (especially classrooms!). In Singapore, the Chinese identify fishes to be one of the many representations of good luck. With many organisations (example, local banks such as DBS) giving away so many red packers, you can put them to good use by making little fishes out of them, and hang them in your house. They will look attractive at any wall! The best part? You could get one done up as quickly as 5 minutes (yes, we have tried it!).

Materials needed:

• Scissors
• Tape
• String or ribbon
• Red packet

Procedure:

1. Cut the red packet into a square. You will need 2 squares.
2. Fold the square into a half so that you will form a triangle. Open it and a visible folded diagonal line should be in sight.
3. Make a cutting of the folded line till you reach the middle of the square.

1. Make a small cutting of a square to represent the mouth on another end of the square.
2. Push the two cut ends on each other like when you are creating a cone. Make sure the centre points at you.
3. Put the overlapping ends together with the help of a stapler.

In case you have red packets that are long, you will get two fishes out of it. That is if you cut the red packets in the middle.  Paper fishes tend to be easy to create. Also, you can decide to cut two triangles to represent their fins. Then, you can add store purchase googly eyes to give it more life and make it appealing.

3. Tealight Lantern Holder

Image Source: Pinterest

You may find it hard to frequently hang your lantern. You can try to make and use this lantern holder that will serve as a decoration and also a lantern holder. The appearance of the lighting when the light puts a pattern using the design of the lantern is beautiful. Furthermore, the lantern holder is removable; you can decide to store them for other events.

Materials Needed:

• Tea light
• Glue
• Glass
• cardstock sheet paper
• Penknife

Procedure:

1. Cut your paper sheet to make it long so that you can wrap it around the glass and a half inch However, you will have to leave the height of the paper to be 4 to 7 cm taller than the glass lip.
2. Make slit cuttings on the paper to be about 2 cm.
3. Make a wrapping of the paper around the glass then stick the base to the band at the bottom using glue.
4. Push the top band below to make it align with the glass lip. The slits made by cutting will expand to form a lantern. You can decide to fold one line at the bottom and top of the cut slits.
5. Stick the top of the lantern with glue. Your tealight holder is ready. You can now insert the lantern.

It is recommended that you can use standard colours like gold and red on the tealight holder. However, you can decide to use other patterns like a floral design. The thickness of the slits can also be adjusted to the ones that fit your taste. Even you can fix the ends using ribbons to have a better look.

4. 3D Character Standee “Spring” Decoration

Photo Credit: Paper blog

Making this decoration is an affordable and simple way to welcome the spring season. Understandably, we do not celebrate different seasons in Singapore. But it could still be an interesting decoration to add to the overall variety. It will take you at least 15 minutes and $1 to make the ornament.

Materials Needed:

• Piece of paper that is a square but around 20 cm in length and breadth respectively
• Scissors
• Pencil

Procedure:

1. Take the paper which is a square and fold it into half to form a rectangle, after that open it.
2. Make rotation of the paper 90 degrees and repeat step 1
3. Fold the paper to form two halves but from one corner to another and open it.
4. Repeat the same step using the remaining two corners. This now forms a squared paper with four lines
5. Push the appearing parallel folds inwards, and corner folds on the outwards. This will form a pyramid shape that is spiky.
6. Fold the pyramid to form a rectangle and draw the above-shown pattern with a pencil
7. Unfold it; it is ready

You make more patterns using a gold marker or use it the way it is. Also, you can stick some plastic beads on the standee.

5. A Wall Mural Fan

Materials Needed:

• Penknife
• Stapler
• A4 papers (2)

Procedure:

1. Bend the A4 paper on the length side.
2. Open it and cut the line that you folded.
3. Do the same for next piece. Now in your possession, you have four paper strips
4. Fold the paper to form accordion pattern that is 3/4″ in thickness
5. Staple one of the ends to stick them together. Also, open the side you did not staple.
6. Put four of them together to form a circular piece and stick them together with a stapler.

Thank you!

You may find some of the recommended decorations to be hard to make. A little advice, do not be hard on yourself. Pick the ones that work for you and go with the flow. All in all, enjoy your New Year celebration. However, do not forget most of us are already in 2018.

We hope you have enjoyed the above DIY CNY decoration ideas!