Want your home to shine like a star? Why not hang a few ang pow star lanterns around your home to impress your family and friends this coming Chinese New Year 2023! Chinese people love to decorate their homes with red lanterns during the Chinese New Year celebration as they symbolize wealth, fame and prosperity. It’s also to frighten away evil spirits.
This ang pow star lantern has very similar step-by-step instructions to this pop-out flower ang pow I did a week ago. This ang pow lantern measures approximately 30 cm by 24 cm by 24 cm, not including the red string on top or the Chinese knot tassel on the bottom. The rating of difficulty is 2.5 out of 5, which should take roughly 45 minutes to complete.
This craft will work well with ang pows containing a flower design or striking gold colours. Unfortunately, I was unable to find any, but I did find these cute panda bear ang pows from one of the Asian supermarkets. You do not need a design on the back of the ang pow. As for thickness, try to get a thicker ang pow in order to keep its overall shape. These ang pows are very thick and they keep the shape so well after I puff them out.
To make this, you will require:
- 12 long rectangle ang pow (approx. 9.5 cm by 17 cm)
- Scissors
- Stapler & staples
- Strong clear glue
- A cut-out of a Chinese word (e.g. from an ang pow)
- 50 – 60 cm red string
- 1 Chinese knot tassel
Step-by-step instructions:
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Fold the ang pow into half horizontally but don’t press the fold all the way down. Instead, just press the two corners of the join down. This is a marker for later use.
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Fold the ang pow into half vertically but don’t press the fold all the way down. Instead, just press the two corners of the join down. This is a marker for later use.
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Fold the top sides of the ang pow inwards. Make sure that you fold the back of the ang pow inwards to the front of the ang pow. Repeat for the rest of the ang pows.
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Flip over the ang pow and fold the bottom sides of the ang pow inwards. Make sure that you fold the design on the ang pow inwards to the back of the ang pow. Repeat for the rest of the ang pows.
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To make the FRONT and BACK of the star lanterns, place six ang pows as shown and staple them at the top together. I like to staple as close to the fold as possible. Also, I like to put two staples on the ang pows; one at the top and one at the bottom. It will make sure the star doesn’t have any gaps or holes.
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Now we are going to make the cutting for the top part of the star. Cut from the middle towards the top (diagonally), just above the middle staple and before hitting the staples on the top. Cut a 7 cm slit. Do the same for the rest. Cut carefully, especially for those corners that are not stapled. I would recommend cutting around 1-2mm above the folds.
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Take both cut flaps of the same ang pow, cross them over like how you might cross arms and staple them together. Please see the photo and do the same for the rest.
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Place the front and back of the star lanterns together and staple them together. The bottom of the front and back of the star lanterns will slot in together nicely.
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Before stapling them all, remember to place a red string and Chinese knot tassel in between the slot before stapling them. Also, place your hands in between and pop/puff the lantern outwards while stapling it.
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I then use glue to stick the Chinese wording to cover the middle part of the ang pow star lantern on both sides.
So what do you think of this ang pow star lantern? Try to use different sizes and colours of ang pows to make this to decorate your house! It will look great! Have fun! Don’t forget to check out the rest of my Chinese New Year crafts!
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