My two sisters-in-law are big fans of Hello Kitty so when I came across some Hello Kitty Ang Bao/Pow when I was last in Singapore, I bought some for them. I bought some for myself too and with these, I decided to make a lantern.
It is very common for Asian Chinese people to make Ang Bao/Pow Lanterns to decorate the house and to put up other wall decorations which I mentioned on my previous post. The more traditional ones will use a proper Ang Bao/Pow than the contemporary ones I am using now. Nowadays, the designs of the Ang Bao/Pow follows popular trends. You can get so many varieties of Ang Bao/Pow from square shapes to rectangular, from traditional to modern style of Ang Bao/Pow.
So this is how you make the lantern, you need:
- 12 Ang Bao/Pow
- Stapler
- Scissors
- String and Pin/Needle
- Cards (optional – to keep the lantern in shape)
- Chinese ribbons
Of course, you can use any type of Ang Bao/Pow to make this type of lantern. If your Ang Bao/Pow is quite thin and soft, insert the cards to keep the shape of the Ang Bao/Pow.
The string can be any colour but obviously it would look matching if it was the same colour as the Ang Bao/Pow. If you can find/get a Chinese Auspicious Knot or red tassel to add on, it will look great! As I had limited resources, I can only show you what I had.
These are the step-by-step instructions:
- Slightly pinch the middle of both long ends for easy marking.
- Fold all four corners as shown.
- Staple six Ang Bao/Pow for the top and the bottom of the lantern.
- Now join top and bottom using a staple.
- Use a pin/needle to thread a hole for the string. I used a transparent string in this case.
Hope you like it.
Do take a look at my past posts if you fancy making them:
What a fab way to get the kids interested and involved in the Chinese New Year 🙂
these looks so easy to make, but where can you get the cards from?
These look fantastic – wish I could do stuff like this, I am just not creative!
That looks FAB! my daughter Kitty would go nuts for this (for obvious reasons!)
Oh I LOVE this….my 4 year old would be in absolute heaven if we made these…thank you so much for sharing!
I love this idea. I have never heard of htese Chinese decorations. Thanks for sharing.
How wonderful! My eldest loves Hello Kitty and would LOVE this x
That’s fab and we love Hello Kitty in this house!
My daughter is called Kitty and has a penchant for all things with her name on! Lovely pictures 🙂
What a cute decoration – I adore Hello Kitty. Would be great to teach kids about Chinese New Year, and make some fabby crafts. Think I need to get my hands on some Ang Boa – to make crafts, and have a cool idea for them which has just come to me. Can you recommend the best place to buy them? My twitter is @curlywurlygirly. Thank you so much for getting my creative brain fireing 🙂 x
We used to make these from old Christmas cards as Christmas decorations when I was a girl 🙂
They are very cool! My girls would adore them.
I’ve never heard of these lanterns, but as Chinese New Year becomes more and more of a celebration in the UK, these are a great idea for celebrating with children
Love the Hello Kitty designs, these are great!
How lovely. Hello Kitty is always a winner#1
wow it looks amazing! still not sure I would be able to do this, must give it a go! x
The finished lantern looks brilliant, I love hello kitty 🙂