Looking to make a uniquely shaped ang pow lantern? Try out this cute long ang pow lantern. It is so easy to make. This long ang pow lantern display measures approximately 31 cm by 25 cm, not including the length of the Chinese knot tassel at the bottom or the red string on top. The rating of difficulty is 1.5 out of 5, which should take roughly 45 minutes to complete. Do check out my Chinese New Year Pinterest board for more inspiration.
When picking ang pows for this craft, make sure the flaps have a design and the flaps are big and round. This will make the lantern look more impressive.
To make this, you will require:
- 12 long rectangle ang pows / red envelopes (approx. 9.5 cm by 17 cm)
- Stapler & staples
- Ruler
- Double-sided tape
- Scissors
- 50 – 60 cm red string
- 7 Chinese knot ornaments secured with paper/cardboard
Step-by-step instructions:
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Find the midpoint of the ang pow by folding the ang pow into half vertically but don’t press the fold all the way down. Instead, just press the bottom corner of the joint down. This is a marker for later use.
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Place the end of the ruler next to the marker and one end of the ruler to the top right-hand corner of the ang pow. Fold it as shown.
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Now place the end of the ruler next to the marker and one end of the ruler to the top left-hand corner of the ang pow. Fold it as shown. Repeat for the rest of the ang pows.
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To make the top of the long lantern, place six ang pows as shown and staple them together. I like to staple as close to the fold as possible. Also, I like to put three staples on the ang pows; on the top, middle and bottom. It will make sure the lantern won’t have any gaps or holes. Before stapling the 6th ang pow to the 1st ang pow, place the red string with a knot in-between the ang pows.
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To make the bottom of the long lantern, place six ang pows as shown and staple them together. Before stapling the 6th ang pow to the 1st ang pow, place the Chinese knot ornament secured with paper in between the ang pows.
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Place the double-sided tape on the flaps of the long lantern as shown.
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Insert one Chinese knot ornament secured with paper into the side of the ang pow as shown. I like to insert the Chinese knot ornament secured with paper as I can reuse the ornament again. If I use super glue on the Chinese knot ornament, the glue might destroy the thread and I would not be able to re-use it. Repeat for the rest of the ornaments.
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Place the top and bottom of the long lantern together. Staple all the folds of the flaps. Then stick the tip of the flaps together using double-sided tap.
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To smooth the top of the lantern, take one corner of each ang pow and staple these neighbouring ang pows together.
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To smooth the bottom of the lantern, take the corners of the same ang pow and staple them together.
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If you like, you can decorate the lantern with flower petals or pearls.
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Once everything is stuck down, the ang pow long lantern is ready to hang!
So what do you think of this long ang pow lantern? It does not look like the traditional lantern you might find in the shops, but it does look unique! I hope you like it.
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