We’ve been thinking about Chinese New Year lately. 2014 is all about the Chinese New Year of the Horse but animal crafts don’t seem to be our speciality, so far. Instead we opted for some simple Chinese New Year tea light holders.
We collected some old (clean!) glass jars from the recycling bin, a bottle of PVA glue, paint brush and red tissue paper which I cut into small squares. I had to google why red is associated with Chinese New Year, apparently the colour red, which corresponds with fire, symbolizes good fortune and joy.
Then my son got to work, first covering a jar with a liberal amount of glue, and covering it in the red tissue paper. We made a couple as this is a really quick craft activity.
We left them to dry for an hour before he added some colourful stars. Then I popped in a tea light and we sat back to admire the warm glow.
There are some lovely crafts for Chinese New Year. If you’re looking for some inspiration why not take a look at these: dragons from toilet rolls, firecracker decorations, a Chinese fan, dragons for a puppet show, more dragon shadow puppets, or candy cane horses.
37 Comments
maggy, red ted art
January 9, 2014 at 11:23 amOh my, that is so sweet!
jenny
January 9, 2014 at 11:25 amThanks, it looks so pretty for such a simple craft.
Ruth
January 9, 2014 at 11:35 amWhat a lovely idea. Simply love all candles and candle holders.
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January 9, 2014 at 11:52 am[…] The Gingerbread House makes pretty Chinese New Year tea lights […]
Eileen Teo
January 9, 2014 at 12:35 pmThey look so pretty!
Mum of One
January 9, 2014 at 12:43 pmVery sweet and so simple! Love it!
natalie
January 9, 2014 at 1:53 pmwhat a lovely idea, will do this with the kids
Aly
January 9, 2014 at 2:14 pmOh I bet they look pretty lit at night!
Liz Burton
January 9, 2014 at 2:24 pmThat’s so effective!
Mums do travel
January 9, 2014 at 2:30 pmWhat a lovely, simple idea. The finished one looks really pretty.
Janie
January 9, 2014 at 3:28 pmVery cool & effective. I bet the kids were chuffed with themselves.
Charly Dove
January 9, 2014 at 4:30 pmThat’s such a lovely idea. Looks really pretty and easy to make too (famous last words!)
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Hellie's Corner
January 9, 2014 at 4:42 pmSo simple and looks great 🙂
Fritha Strickland
January 9, 2014 at 5:41 pmaww this is so sweet! so simple but so beautiful! x
Kirsty
January 9, 2014 at 6:23 pmRed is a lucky colour in Chinese culture and on Chinese New Year you give money to family, friends and employees in a red envelope and even wear red. I always find this so interesting as in the West red has negative connotations (danger, fire, anger) but it is a joyful colour and the Chinese use it for celebrations. Lovely craft x
Keri-Anne
January 9, 2014 at 6:41 pmWhat a great diy! My girls would love to make this x
Lori
January 9, 2014 at 6:45 pmA lovely idea, I’ll definitely try this with F x
anna
January 9, 2014 at 7:15 pmthats lovely! makes me wish we had kept some of our spare jars to craft with
Cass@frugalfamily
January 9, 2014 at 7:39 pmThat looks fab – I’ve just pinned it to remind me to come back to it 😉
Thanks for sharing x
Shell Louise
January 9, 2014 at 7:43 pmThey look lovely, my girls would love making them 🙂
Kara
January 9, 2014 at 8:56 pmWhat a fab and simple idea!
Amanda
January 9, 2014 at 9:04 pmThis is so sweet! What a lovely way to celebrate!
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January 9, 2014 at 11:00 pm[…]
http://the-gingerbread-house.co.uk/2014/01/09/chinese-new-year-tea-light-holder/
[…]
Emily @amummytoo
January 10, 2014 at 3:53 pmThat looks great! Really effective and simple enough for the little ones to make. Pinned 🙂
Pinkoddy
January 10, 2014 at 5:02 pmLovely idea and so simple.
suzanne3childrenandit
January 10, 2014 at 6:43 pmWhat a lovely idea and so easy to make!
liska
January 10, 2014 at 10:10 pmOh I love Chinese New Year
xx
P.S. Soon: “Xin Nian Kuai Le!”
KidGLloves
January 13, 2014 at 10:26 amWhat a fab idea. These look awesome. Thanks for linking up to #minicreations
The Funster
January 13, 2014 at 6:13 pmJenny
What a cool idea! My two daughters would love this! Simple and easy to make and useful too! Thank you for a great post!
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