Celebrate Chinese New Year 2023: Rabbit!

Celebrate Chinese New Year 2023: Rabbit!

Learn How to Celebrate Chinese New Year this year!

Chinese New Year 2023 is on January 22, 2023. It is the year of the Rabbit.

Chinese New Year is such a fun holiday to celebrate. The new year is based off the lunar cycle, so it is also known as Lunar New Year or Spring Festival.

The celebration lasts for 2 weeks with Lantern Festival finishing it off on Feb 5th--so party as long as you like!

More reasons to celebrate during the gray month of January--sign me up!

Chinese New Year falls on the second New moon after the Winter Solstice (December 21, 2022).

The Chinese New Year zodiak consists of 12 animals cycled through, in order year after year. This year is the year of the Rabbit.

The Rabbit is a symbol of peace, longevity, and prosperity.

For more details on the Chinese Zodiak and the traits of those born under those signs, check out my 2014 post here!

I've got a few crafts for you to get ready for Chinese New Year celebrations yourself. These simple DIY's are perfect way to get creative and look forward to peace, prosperity and longevity this year.

I've done all the work for you--I'm sharing my project files and all my tips and tricks so you can have an awesome Chinese New Year!

First, this cake.

I have a cake decorating friend and it just magically worked out that she could fit me (and my cake needs) into her busy schedule.

I requested a fault-line cake with gold sprinkles and white frosting. The cake is gorgeous--and delicious.

Check out Something Special Custom Cakes on Instagram!

Chinese New Year 2023 Cake Topper:

I made a paper fan hot glued to wooden dowels.

I hot glued paper cherry blossoms on the sides.

Then I used my Cricut Maker 3 to cut a gold cardstock rabbit and hot glued it to a dowel as well.

Here's the Cricut Design Space Project file for this cute bunny--you are welcome!

Then stuck them all right in the cake and decorated with fortune cookies and gold chocolate coins.

Red Envelope Garland Paper Craft!

This cute red envelope garland is perfect for Chinese New Year 2023, because giving or receiving red envelopes is lucky--because they are full of money!

I remember receiving a red envelope when I was really little from a lady name Mrs. Q. 

I don't remember anything else about her, but that she gave me money was really memorable!

Supplies Needed for Red Envelope Garland:

• We R Memory Keepers Envelope Punch Board
• Red Paper (mine is from Cardstock Warehouse)
• Gold Wax/Wax Gun/Wax Seal (check out this wax seal kit!)
• Twine
• Paper Cutter

Step 1: Cut Paper

Begin by cutting paper to size. I scaled my paper down to 5.5 inches square and was able to get 2 paper envelopes out of one sheet of cardstock.

Step 2: Punch and Score

Check the punch board and it will give you all the details you need.

My square paper is 5 1/2 inches, so I set the first punch at 2 3/8. 

Line the paper up and punch down on the punch.

Then immediately score down the line from the punch mark on the envelope punch board.

Then rotate the paper to the left one time and line up the plastic guide with the score line you just scored.

Punch and score from that position. Then repeat for all 4 sides.

Ta-da! Now you have the punched and scored envelope!

Repeat this process for each envelope you are making. I did six of them.

Step 3: Fold Envelope

Now fold the side flaps in on the score lines and score them firmly with the scoring tool.

And then repeat with the bottom and top flaps.

Step 4: Wax Seals

Plug in your wax seal gun and get it heating up.

Fold the top flap over a long piece of twine. You can add money to the envelopes for your guests to take home if you want.

Then hold the top flap of the envelope down over the twine and squeeze out a quarter size pool of wax.

Then set the wax seal on top of the wax and let it cool completely.

Repeat for every envelope on the garland! 

It's so easy! Hang up the red envelope garland anywhere with command hooks or gummy removable adhesive.

Cherry Blossom Decoration!

This next craft is another simple paper craft for the perfect backdrop setting for any Chinese New Year Spring Festival!

The Cherry Blossom is a symbol of renewal of life.

Supplies Needed for Cherry Blossom:

• Sticks (snipped from the tree in the backyard)
• Pink and White Cardstock
• Cricut Maker or other cutting machine
• Gold Pen (These gold pens are the BEST I've ever used...the white and silver rock too!)
• Hot Glue/Gun
• Cricut Design Space Project
• Ball tool (this is the set I have)

Step 1: Cut Blossoms

Begin by finding a cherry blossom silhouette...or just use my Cricut Design Space file. You are welcome!

Cut a 12x12 sheet of white and pink blossoms.

Step 2: Gold Centers

Then use this amazing smooth gold ink pen and draw the little cherry blossom centers on each of the blossoms.

Step 3: Round Blossoms

Use the Ball tool, or a pencil that you can curl the paper round, to give each of the blossoms some shape.

Simply press the ball down on the paper, with a flexible surface underneath it, to give it a curled shape.

Step 4: Hot Glue

Finally, add a little hot glue to the back of the curled paper blossoms and adhere them to a stick. 

Fill the sticks with beautiful blossoms! 

Then put the sticks in a vase for the most beautiful and easy home decor--I mean, party decor! Haha, I'm keeping mine out all Winter!

I stuck a styrofoam ball into a turned vase and then stuck the sticks inside the foam. Then I covered the foam with more blossoms. 

I thrifted this adorable ceramic bunny dish from the local thrift store. I intended on spray painting it gold, but decided against it because it's so cute...and it's from Potterybarn, so I can actually use it for food use. 

Alright, nearly there!

I have so many good ideas for this party and should have or could have broken them up into a full 5 day series of posts.

Here's the last one.

Embellished fortune cookies!

I love fortune cookies!

Here's the actual fortune I got while preparing this party to share with you!

"Make those special talents you have work like a charm"

Supplies for Embellished Fortune Cookies:

• Fortune Cookies
• Sprinkles
• Melting/Dipping Chocolate
• wax or parchment paper

Simply open the cookies and place on wax paper. 

Melt the chocolate and drizzle on big backside of cookie. 

Then add sprinkles to the melted chocolate.

Let the chocolate harden. Enjoy!

Add some embellished fortune cookies to your cake for the perfect finishing touch!

So much fun to celebrate Chinese New Year or Lunar New Year.

There are so many beautiful reasons to celebrate!

We celebrated Chinese New Year 2023 early this year so I could get all these pictures posted for you--so that you have time to plan the perfect Chinese New Year 2023 party for your friends and family for January 22nd!

We had friends over, ate lots of fun Chinese food and tried some interesting things too--like those Ginko nuts!

We had Sweet & Sour Chicken, Teriyaki meatballs, spring rolls, potstickers, Beef and Broccoli and more!

And we cut right into this fault-line cake for dessert!

It was layers of rich chocolate cake and fudgy buttercream frosting! So good.

Phew, this was a long post, but I hope you enjoyed all the fun ideas for Chinese New Year--let me know!

Little fun fact: 

My husband and I ran a martial arts school for 7 years...back in 2002-2009, wow 20 years ago! We had so much fun teaching students the art of kicking and punching.

This gong hung in our dojo and now hangs in our kitchen, as a reminder of days gone by...and a great dinner bell. 

That's it!

Hope you have a great Chinese New Year 2023: Year of the Rabbit! And may 2023 bring us all peace, prosperity and longevity. 😘 

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Here's more great Chinese New Year Ideas:

Make Felt Fortune Cookies!

Chinese Lantern String Lights!