Many Chinese believe that fish attracts the chi/good energy that brings good luck, abundance and prosperity (年年有余 Nian Nian You Yu – an abundant and surplus-filled year after year)! The number 9 in feng shui principles is the most auspicious and complete number. Hence in many Chinese paintings, pictures, ponds or aquariums, you will find nine fishes in it. In feng shui, they believe that eight fishes should be red or golden and one should be black (which symbolizes strength).
Some would choose to have Koi fish as they are able to swim against currents and travel upstream which symbolizes wealth and success. Some would choose to have goldfish as the word ‘gold’ means wealth!
One of the feng shui tips that I learnt from Lilian Too (Malaysian Feng Shui writer) is to not keep goldfish in the bedroom, in the toilet or in the kitchen. They are harmful in the bedroom and cause you to suffer material losses. Always keep your water feature either in the living room or outside the house. (From Personalised Feng Shui Tips book by Lilian Too, 2005)
Now I am going to show you how to make this large-size Koi fish lantern, hoping it will attract a lot of wealth into your home! It measures approximately 26 x 17 x 16 cm, not including the length of the Chinese knot tassel and red string. The rating of difficulty is 2 out of 5. It is so simple to make and the outcome is a lovely 3D shape.
Usually I will avoid using glue for my hong bao crafts as it can get quite messy and I don’t like the use of double-sided tape either. However, on this occasion, this fish does work well with glue to join the tail to its body. Also, remember to always staple onto the line of the fold or as close as possible to the fold and on the edges like this.
In terms of thickness, the best hong bao for this craft is between soft and medium thickness as you will need it to be flexible to be able to bend it. Once it is shaped, the hong baos should not warp.
In my step-by-step instructions, I will split the fish into four sections: preparation and folding the hong baos, constructing the body of the fish, constructing the fishtail and joining it all together. You need 8 hong baos for the whole body, 2 hong baos for the tail and 1 hong bao to cut for the fins.
You will require these materials:
- 11 rectangle ang pows / red envelopes (approx. 8 cm by 11.5 cm)
- A pair of googly eyes
- Stapler & staples
- Clear packaging tape
- Ruler
- Clear strong glue
- Scissors
- 50 – 60 cm red string
- 1 Chinese knot ornament (optional: secured with paper/cardboard)
Method:
- 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.
- Fold all four corners as shown. Repeat for the nine hong baos.
- To make the side fins of the fish, take one hong bao and fold it in half vertically. Fold both corners.
- Cut it in half as shown.
- Cut the corner with a small lid 0.5cm as shown. Fold the triangle in half and cut a slip in the middle. Now repeat the same.
- To make the face of the fish, take two hong baos and staple it as shown. It looks like a pouch.
- To make the front of the fish, take two hong baos and staple them as shown. Repeat the same.
- Now join the face of the fish to the front of the fish using a staple as shown.
- Staple the side fins as shown. Don’t staple the top and bottom fins just yet.
- To join the face/front of the fish to the body, use two hong baos. One hong bao on each side and staple it as shown.
- Now staple the opposite corners as shown. Now cut away the extra top and bottom corners of the body’s hong bao.
- Staple the top fin while placing the red string in it.
- Staple the bottom fin while placing the Chinese knot tassel in it.
- To make the tails of the fish, take two hong baos and tape both corners at the bottom of the hong bao with clear packaging tape. Staple the top corners.
- Staple and fold the two hong baos together as shown. The tail can be flattened.
- To join the tail to the fish, place some glue onto the top tip of the tail.
- Insert the tail into the opening of the body.
- Stick the googly eyes.
What do you think about this Koi fish? Hope you like it. If you prefer a simpler craft, you can try this fish craft or if you’re after a slightly more challenging craft, try this small size 3D fish lantern or this medium size fish lantern. Let me know how you get on in the comments below.
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