Celebrating Chinese New Year at Emma's Imagination Monday

It's been quite awhile now since I last time I joined Emma and the girls at Imagination Monday and Throwback Thursday.  With all the Holiday preps and the planning for Europe relocation, I just don't have the time, energy nor the concentration to do challenges.  But things have changed, I now can sit down and do crafting as much as I want since departure for Europe has to be set aside until next fall.

New Years day was quite sad for us and so many things are left unsure.  According to some predictions, the year 2011, which was the year of rabbit based on the Chinese calendar is a great year for people born with an Aries sign.  I know that it wasn't Christian-like to believe in such predictions but when you feel hopeless and down, you will hold to anything and bad as it may sound, it can be one of those psychic predictions.  It's not like I'm taking it seriously but it at least give me some kind of hope that things will get better soon.  But let's not get into that. 

Like I said, this could be a good year for me and so I was really inspired while making this wonderful card entry for Imagination Monday Celebrating Chinese New Year:
 

 I opted for Chinese Lanterns.  Card is being assembled in this pic 

After cutting those lanterns and it's layer pieces, I then run them in the Cuttlebug machine ande used

Forest Leaves embossing folders just for added touch.  

See the tassles?  I saw a tutorial in YouTube on how to make these and said 

to myself no more spending money on tassles.  

I still feel guilty spending $84 for those things because I needed them for our house curtains.

Here's the final outcome.  I incorporate images of Dragon, Koi and Bamboo on the lanterns because

those are beleive to bring goodluck and good fortunes.

After putting together the lanterns, which are the main focal point of my card, I then set 

it on the top of a gold image (Asian screen), so add dimension and texture. 
Red and gold are also considered lucky 

colors amongst the Chinese, that's why I tried to incorporate them too in the theme.

 And here's the inside of the card:

 Gung Hei Fat Choi means Happy New year in Chinese Cantonese dialect.  Back home in the Philippines,

where there's so many Chinese descendants, the Cantonese greetings is more popular.

  I embellished the inside with a strip of Washi Paper, red twine and 

three Chinese gold coin charms as added luck, LOL.

RECIPE:
PAPER: Japanese Washi paper, CTMH, Gold Vellum by Paper Company, American Craft, GP 110 white, Recollection and some known brand of CS from my stash

TOOLS: Cricut Expression, Gypsy, Cuttlebug machine, Embossing Folder (Forest Leaves), PC paper trimmer, ATG and Zip Dry

CARTRIDGE: Pagoda (Lantern, Dragon, Koi, Bamboo, and Cherry Blossoms) and Gypsy Wandering (Fonts)

EMBELLISHMENT: Googly eyes, gold twine, red crocheting floss/twine, and Chinese gold coin charms

Until next time!  BTW, you still have until January 16th to join in the fun...