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