Chinese New Year Cards

With the Chinese New Year approaching, creating holiday cards for the event can be an activity for the family. Using pre-made cardstock and stamps is a simple and fun activity.

The Chinese New Year starts with the new moon on the first day of the New Year and ends on the full moon fifteen days later which happens to be February 7, 2008 this year. By the Chinese calendar this year is the year of the Rat, which is also know by its former name of Wu Zhi, (Electronic).

People who are born in the year of the rat are known for their charm and attraction for the opposite sex. They work hard to achieve their goals, acquire possessions, and are likely to be perfectionists. They are basically thrifty with money and are easily angered and love to gossip. Rat people are ambitious and are usually very successful.

New Years Eve and New Year's Day are celebrated as a family affair, which is a time of reunion and thanksgiving. The family decorates the living room with vases of pretty flowers and platters of oranges and tangerines as well as candy trays with a variety of eight dried sweet fruits. On the walls and doors are poems and happy wishes written or red paper.

One way to celebrate is to create cards decorated with flowers and cheerful poems. All these items can be found in a local craft store such as Michaels or Hobby Lobby.

You will need:

Red Cardstock

White Cardstock

If you prefer prefolded cardstock

Assorted stamps with Chinese Symbols

Assorted stamps with flowers

Variety of stamp pad colors

Variety of craft papers

Scissors

Glue stick

Whole punch

Fine tip markers

Colored pencils

Stickers of Chinese symbols and flowers

Ribbon

Using red cardstock fold the cardstock in half you can chose to lay it vertical or horizontal. Take the white cardstock and cut a smaller piece using the scissors and glue onto the inside of the red cardstock with the glue stick. Using the fine tip markers you can write a poem or use a stamp and stamp pad with a sentiment on the white cardstock. You may decorate with stickers of Chinese symbols and flowers. Using a smaller stamp and stamp pad you can also add to the design and color in with colored pencil.