Editor Notes:

Hello! Here's Flora Tan from www.making-greeting-cards.com. Welcome to the second issue of GreetingNews! I'm so glad to be able to connect with you via this monthly ezine.

Content

- Quote of the Month

- Gong Xi Fatt Choy!

- Subscribers' Special

- Book Review

Quote of the Month

"Creativity is so delicate a flower that praise tends to make it bloom while discouragement often nips it at the bud." ~ Alex Osborn

Gong Xi Fatt Choy!

Chinese New Year falls on the 9th of February this year. The shops around town have changed their decor from Christmas lightings and decorations to Chinese scrolls, Red banners, Chinese New Year auspicious words and all kinds of Chinese New Year decorations. In the shopping malls, Chinese music fills the air. Red is the theme color for this festive season with lots of gold trimming.

I love preparing for Chinese New Year. Home has to be scrubbed clean. Many housewives will be busy from morn til night baking cookies. Others will be thronging the shopping malls looking for good bargains. It is a tradition that all have to wear new pajamas the night before Chinese New Year day and new clothes for at least the first 3 days. So it's a season for shopping; shop for new clothes, new shoes, new handbag, and accessories. And on top of these, a new hairdo.

There are also lots of taboos - things we must not do especially on the first 3 days. No sweeping of floor, no washing of hair, no scolding of children, no 'unlucky words' to be spoken, etc.

Lots of 'Cannot Do' but also a season of great fun. It's also a time to renew ties with relatives and friends. Many of my relatives only visit us once a year - on Chinese New Year. It's also a time to send greeting cards - usually red in color and always with pink envelopes. Chinese use white envelopes for 'white gold' - giving of money to family who are mourning a death.

This year, just like Christmas cards, the trend is for square cards. Lovely red 5"x5" square cards with pink or red envelopes - these are the cards I see all over town. I will be putting up some homemade Chinese New Year cards in the next few days on the website. Do visit and browse. I hope you will enjoy them as much as I enjoy making them.

Subscribers' Special

Note: There is no link to this page on my website. In fact, this is the only link to the page since this is exclusively for subscribers of GreetingNews!

Chinese New Year Papercutting

Book Review

Handmade Cards by Anne Akers Johnson (Simple Designs for Beautiful Cards)

You will love this book. It comes in a lovely green hardcover portfolio. The cards are simple and easy to make. I love the see-thru templates, the measuring grid and folding tool and beautiful paper that come together with the book. Templates included are for different sizes envelopes, box with bow, daisy, pop up, etc. It's not just a great gift for a young girl which the book is meant for but it's also a great gift for yourself. In my opinion, it's a must buy. I bought it and love it so much.

Find out more about this book here.

So here ends the second issue of the GreetingNews! ezine. The next one will reach your mailbox on the first week of February 2005.

Gong Xi Fatt Choy! Let's usher in the Lunar New Year with many handmade cards.

Warmest Regards,

Flora Tan

Copyright ©2005FlorenceArt!, All rights reserved worldwide.

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