Chinese New Years Eve Celebrates Family and Ancestors

Chinese New Year or ‘Spring Festival’ is China’s most important festival and holiday. The dates changes every year and are decided by the Chinese lunar calendar, but it’s always between January 21 and February 20 of the Gregorian calendar.

Traditions and Activities

In China, Chinese New Year’s Eve is a time for families to be together. Wherever they are, people are expected to be home to celebrate the festival with their families. On New Years Eve traditions include  remembering the ancestors and giving red envelopes that contain crisp new paper money to the children and seniors in the family, and watching fireworks and firecrackers which scare off the evil spirits.

Looking at the Hung Bow Red Lanterns crafted from the red envelopes to decorate for Chinese New Years, I decided it would be a simple matter to make Red Lanterns with family and ancestor photos on them to personalize the decorations and show respect to the ancestors on Chinese New Years Eve as well as year round.

These are traditionally made by folding and stapling red envelopes.

I have modified a simple 6 panel Hung Bow Lantern by using photographs of Chinese Ancestors.

READ MORE – CLICK HERE !

How to translate Chinese Caricatures into Computer Fonts

READ MORE – THERE IS AN APP FOR THAT !!

Chinese Caricature Generators

Screenshot from the Chinesetools.eu Calligraphy Generator

CHINESE THEMED PEDIGREE CHARTS

READ MORE

I hope my tutorial has inspired you to create one of your own. Please leave any comments or questions below. I would love to hear about your genealogy crafts.

If you are interested in ordering from Amazon.com, please click on any of these ads to be directed to their site. Any purchases, while there, will give us a small bonus, at no extra cost to you. This will help fund the Genealogy-GenCrafts.com website. Thanks ~ Jackie

“Genealogy-Gencrafts.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking from/to amazon.com.”

These instructions are for making a very simple 6 panel photo lantern. I am making this one out of 4″x4″ photographs trimmed from 4″x6″ prints that cost 15 cent each, so including the cord and some dabs of glue the entire project cost less than $1.50.

Supply List:

• • 6 Square photographs of any size
  • 1 Piece of scrap paper the same size as photographs
  • Piece of Ribbon or Cord
  • Pen or Pencil
  • Scissors
  • Glue

  If you are interested in ordering from Amazon.com, please click on any of these ads to be directed to their site. Any purchases, while there, will give us a small bonus, at no extra cost to you. This will help fund the Genealogy-GenCrafts.com website. Thanks ~ Jackie

  “Genealogy-Gencrafts.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking from/to amazon.com.”

  ---

  

  Cut a paper template the same size as your photo squares

   

  

  A) Fold the paper in half and then half again, as shown by solid lines in this picture. B) Cut 2 sides as shown in the photograph on the dotted lines.

   

  

  Normally you would fold the red envelopes to determine the fold lines that make the square or diamond shapes, so as to not bend the photograph we will use the template to draw the fold lines on the back of the photograph.

   

  

  To ensure the template is square, we are only going to draw 2 corners at a time.

   

  

  Draw around template and then turn around.

   

  

  Trace around the template again.

   

  

  The back of your photo should now have a perfect square drawn on it to use as fold lines. Repeat on the backs of remaining 5 photographs.

   

  

  Gently fold each photo along your template lines forward

  

  Crimp a crisp edge at each line, on each photograph.

   

  

  Each photo should look like this.

   

  

  By now you should have decided which 3 photographs are going to be on top and which 3 will be on the bottom. The top 3 photographs should all point to the center when you glue them.

   

  

  Glue the top left edge of one photo to the top right corner of the second photo you want on the top.

   

  

  I recommend using tiny clothes pins to hold each section together as it dries. They will not leave marks on the photographs like some other methods might.

   

  

  Line up and glue the 3rd photograph to the second photograph.

   

  

  You will need to place your ribbon or cord, coming out of the top before you glue the final corner of the 3rd photo to the 1st photo. In order to keep the ribbon or cord from sliding out of the photo cube you must secure it by either tying several large knots or gluing and or stapling a piece of scrap card stock to the ribbon or cord. If you are only making one lantern you could cut a corner off the template you made earlier.

  

  Position the knot of your cord in the top corner and glue the final top corner of the 3rd photo to the top corner of the 1st photo. This should secure the ribbon or cord in place.

   

  

  Secure all of your glue joints and set aside to dry.

  

  The 3 photos for the bottom half should be arranged where you glue the bottom point of all three photos together.

   

  

  While you placed your hanging ribbon or cord at the center of the top half, I made a small loop of cord (again stapled to card stock) to come out of the bottom so that I could hang embellishment from the bottom. This step is not necessary if you are not going to hand a tassel or other item from the bottom. Let the glue dry securely before moving on.

   

  

  The glue on the top half and bottom half must be thoroughly dry. Then you will glue the 2 haves together, securing each joint as you go, until they are dry.

   

  

  I found it easiest to put glue on all of the flaps on the bottom half and secure each flap around.

  

  At this point you can add any embellishment you might want to the little loop if you put one in. If you did not put a bottom loop on your project you are complete ! ENJOY

  ---

  Since I had 4″x6″ prints made, in order to get the 4×4 photos for the project, I was left with a 2″ x 4″ area. I reduced the 4″x4″ photo and made 2, 2″x2″ copies of the larger photo. I chose 12 photos instead of 6 and for my embellishment  I am adding a 2″x2″, 6 panel photo lantern, below the 4″x4″ photo lantern. – Was easier than it sounds.

  ---

  

  I looped the cord to hang the small cube through the bottom loop of the large cube.

  

  I continued making the small cube just the same as the larger cube.

  

  I secured the photos and let them dry well as I went.

  

  I even left a small tail coming out of the bottom of the small cube for an additional embellishment.

   

  

  I am extremely happy with the small photo cubes as embellishments. The bottom embellishment is a tag with the name, age and birth location of grandmother Yuntie Chin Leo.

   

  

  If you enjoyed this project leave a comment below and I will post the tutorial for making the 15 photo panel Hung Bow Lantern!

  

  See Also

  Converting Handwritten Chinese Fonts to Computerized Character Fonts.

  

  HANDWRITTEN SIGNATURE

  

  READ MORE !

  There is an App For That !

  “Genealogy-Gencrafts.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking from/to amazon.com.”

  If you are interested in ordering from Amazon.com, please click on any of these ads to be directed to their site. Any purchases, while there, will give us a small bonus, at no extra cost to you. This will help fund the Genealogy-GenCrafts here on the web. Thanks ~ Jackie

This post is still a work in progress.

Basic Red Chinese Lantern Photo Cube

Whether you make the basic Chinese Lantern or embellish yours with tassels or dragons, this photo cube is simple to put together and versatile. And if you don’t have any Chinese ancestors all you have to do is change the color scheme and embellishments and you can make this lovely “Mothers Day Tulip” shaped photo cube.

Simple lantern decorated with Dragon Heads, A Tassel and the Chinese Character for “Wong”.

For Bright Red Chinese Lantern template CLICK HERE

For Dirty Pour Chinese Lantern template CLICK HERE

For Tulip Lantern template CLICK HERE

I would recommend printing several copies at home on your printer if you have one to practice your cutting and folding.

Cut out the Chinese Lantern Template.

Fold each section of the Chinese Lantern template and press crisply.

Repeat the folding process at the bottom of the photos and press crisply.

Lay on the table and press firmly with your finger.

Gently flatten the Chinese Lantern Template.

Fold all of the Vertical lines of the template.

Pinch the vertical lines crisply.

Fold each of the glue tabs.

It is important that the fold is pinched crisply.

Use double sided tape on all of the glue tabs and the side tab. It is important that the tape cover the entire tab. Either use glue tape which I found worked best or hot glue. Trying to use contact cement was frustrating (for me) and it was next to impossible to hold position while regular craft glue set up.

ADDITIONAL STEPS INSERTED HERE

Examples Of  Various Embellishments

Chinese knots and tassels make great embellishments for the Chinese Lanterns.

More complex tassels are easy to assemble.

Playing your customized “Family Memory Game” is the perfect opportunity to get the elders in your family to tell stories from their past and or teach your children about their family.

• You might consider producing extra pairs of cards so that you can customize the game any time you play it.
• Use more photos small children would recognize if they are playing
• Adding a few pairs of cards that start the elders telling stories when they participate.
• Using less pairs at a time makes the game easier for children.
• More pairs at a time makes the game more challenging for adults.

The absolute simplest way to make a memory game is to pick 10, 15 or 20 pictures and have 2 prints each printed at your favorite 1 hour commercial printer. You can even use current photos out of your phone, or use your phone’s camera to quickly take pictures from portraits on the wall or out of albums.

Scanning photos is best,

Getting it done before the family shows up is better : )

Each person turns over 2 cards.

• If the photo matches they keep the set.
• If not they return the photo face down and the next person turns over 2 cards, until somebody remembers where 2 matching cards were and picks them up.
• You keep taking turns until all the photos have been picked up.
• The “Winner” is the person with the most pairs after all the photos have been picked up.
• Telling stories about the events in the photos as you turn them over is the perfect way to introduce children to relatives and ancestors that they may have never met.

A Little More Time – A Nicer Game

If you want to “Kick It Up A Notch” and avoid the word KODAK on the back of your playing cards, (or whatever other watermark is on the back of their photo paper) you can either create your own art for the back of your cards or download this piece of free downloadable art.

Have an equal number of backs printed for the number of photos you choose to make for your game.

I chose to do my set of memory cards at wallet size which meant I had to trim the photos myself (because of where I had them printed) It is preferable to find a printer that prints the photos individually if you are in a hurry and want the cards to look perfect.

Cut out the matching number of backs to go with your photos.

I chose to glue my fronts to backs with rubber cement. It is repositionable until it dries if you put the two photographs together while it is still wet. If you let either side dry before you put them together the rubber cement behaves like contact cement and will not let you slide the two cards into alignment.

Align cards by holding the back art card face down between your thumb and fingers and placing the memory card face up over the back. Align them, press together and it should be an easy fit.

If you did not get your photos printed to size and have a little white showing from the back of the opposite card, trim with a sharp pair of scissors.

Using a corner cutter makes your cards look professional.

Cutting through 2 pieces of photo paper takes some extra strength, but is definitely worth the time and effort.

A simple rounded corner is adequate.

Rounded corners also show less ware and tear.

You can make this professional looking set of cards in just a few hours, including the time it takes to have the photos printed. If you print the cards at home on photo paper or card stock it will take even less time !!

I have designed some Photoshop templates to add boarders to photos that would be printed 2 up on 4×6 prints. Leave a comment if you are interested in seeing a more advanced version of this project.

---

CLICK HERE

for more great Family Genealogy Craft Ideas

See a wide variety of Family based arts and crafts

HERE

How I use a vintage postcard to make this custom matte for a Civil War Ancestor.

I found this vintage GAR postcard on ebay for $3 plus $1 postage

You could use the original, but I have another project in mind for it, so I scanned the card and deleted the area where the soldier was.

Then using the clone tool to keep the original color and texture, I deleted the words “To My Comrades” on the banner

I added D. McArthur on the banner in a color I picked up from the eagle.

I put the photo of David McArthur in the opening where the soldier had been.

Instead of enlarging the card to fit a 5×7″ frame, I put a matte behind the photo in the shade that was in the shadows under the banner and put a drop shadow on the card layer to make it pop. Now it is ready to print and frame.

NOTE: I am not Tlinget. This art project is to demonstrate making a pedigree chart based on family tradition and/or art created by one of your ancestors. I am just lucky enough to have offered to help a friend with her genealogy and do a pedigree chart for her, only to find that she possessed the most fabulous tunic created by her mother.

A similar project could just as easily be done using the fabric of your mother or grandmothers apron or favorite dress and bits and scraps out of their jewelry box or junk drawer.

I sat down with my friend Julia, and started asking her all the standard questions to fill out a pedigree chart to the best of her abilities, as far as she knew so I could continue and confirm the information.

Then I asked her if she had any photographs of her parents, grandparents, etc and she produced this incredible portrait of her parents.

Rachel “Dixie” Johnson and Peter Charles Johnson Sr.

I commented how cool it would have been if the photo were in color and she said she owned the tunic that her mother was wearing in the picture.

Front of Julia’s mother’s tunic

Back of Julia’s mother’s tunic

I set to work taking lots of photographs with my iphone of all the detailing as well as a large solid area of felt on the back. Here are only a few of them.

Bead work on tunic

Bead work and fringe on tunic

Large solid area of felt on back of tunic

Button boarder on sides of tunic

First I made color swatches from the photos of Julia’s mother’s tunic

One of the first things I did was replicate sections of the bead work and make Julia some scrapbooking paper using the colors and textures found in the tunic

Using Photoshop filters I made more abstract digital scrapbooking papers based on the bead work and colors found on the tunic made by Julia’s mother.

Using a traditional Tlinget Button Blanket shape, I copied buttons and beads off of the tunic to make a simple Pedigree Chart for Julia using the digital scrapbook papers I made in Photoshop using the colors and textures from her mothers tunic.

But the project that exploded in my mind when I first saw the tunic was this chart, using more of the elements from the tunic. The felt from the tunic, the fringe on the bottom with the button borders, the beaded flowers, and the beaded eagle head.

Every element on this artwork, turned pedigree chart, was created by Julia’s mother, Rachel “Dixie” Johnson, I just rearranged it and included the portrait that led me down the path to this finished product.

I did the entire project using digital images in Photoshop. There was no fabric, bead work or eagles, damaged to create this artwork.

Final artwork designed using elements of fabric and bead work from Julia’s mother’s tunic.

I hope this inspires you to create a pedigree chart that jumps out of the frame instead of the same old, same old, chart they have been photocopying down the ages.

Get Inspired !

Jackie Whedbee-Mattingly

The bead work designs above were created by Peter Charles Johnson Sr and executed by Rachel “Dixie” Johnson. I received permission to put the photographs on this post, and to do the pedigree charts. Please respect their creative copywrite and mine and do not reproduce without written permission. © 2017 Genealogy-Gencrafts.com

Tin Ornament with the photograph of John L Whedbee Sr and his grandson Charles in approximately 1930, in Arkansas.

Creating Beautiful Vintage Looking Ornaments

Supplies Needed:

• Tin Ornament
• Mod Podge
• Paint Brush
• Photo Printed on LASER PRINTER
• Desired Embellishments

Coat Tin with a generous layer of Matte Mod Podge

Carefully place photo or art, toner side down onto the tin.

Starting at the center, gently press the paper against the tin, working out wrinkles and excess Mod Podge.

Press out from the center until it is as smooth as possible.

Once you have pressed out the wrinkles to the best of your abilities, set the ornament aside for 3 to 4 hours or overnight to dry. The longer the better.

After the ornament is completely dry submerge in water for about 30 seconds.

After 30 seconds gently rub the paper, if it starts rolling off, continue gently rubbing, if it does not dip back in water for a few seconds at a time until it does start rolling off.

Rub the paper away.

Dip back in the water.

Continue Rubbing the paper away.

You are going to want to get all of the paper to rub away, just keep dipping and rubbing, this takes patience.

When you have rubbed all of the paper away let it dry. if you see any paper fibers left you can use wet fingers to get the last of the fibers to roll away.

I decided to slightly color the photograph with pearlescent watercolors.

I painted a little peach on the skin, blue on the shirt and green in the trees.

After I was happy with the color I dabbed another layer of Mod Podge over the entire ornament, dabbing instead of brushing so I did not move the watercolor paint around. Then I sprinkled on some gold Mica Chips and glitter to sparkle it up a bit.

I tied a piece of ribbon around the top of the ornament and it was ready for the tree.

Other Examples

Paul Benton Hoyt and his first wife Amelia Long

Albert Mattingly, husband of Louise Catherine Ryan

.