Happy Almost Chinese New Year!

Well, it's not quite Chinese New Year yet, but I have just returned from an amazing trip to Hong Kong, where I visited my inspiring and beautiful sister Karen, her sweet as can be husband Dean, and my lovely niece Sacha.  Hong Kong was wonderful.  We ate, we walked, we visited Buddhas, and of course, we shopped.  OK, I shopped, and as I unpacked my bags, including the new adorable pink butterfly one I desperately needed to transport my new goods home,  I realize that I was a wild woman!

As a passionate surface designer, artist and crafty gal, I feel compelled to purchase paper goods from every place I visit and Hong Kong proved extremely fruitful.  I consider it research, really...

The bulk of the paper goods I got came from a prayer shop.  These amazing shops contain paper goods with traditional Chinese imagery such as lotus's, chrysanthemums, dragons and Chinese characters.  All the paper goods from the prayer stores are intended to be burned in temples during holidays, funerals, and during everyday praying.  It's hard to believe these papers will be burned, they are so beautiful.

Lots of the papers actually represent everyday objects such as clothing, cell phones and houses.  The houses were like paper doll houses, they were amazing but I didn't see any packed flat, and my luggage was already busting at the seams so I will have to wait until my next visit to get one.
Most of the papers I got were packaged in mysterious bundles.  I will unwrap them now, here goes...

A stack of lotus flowers with lots of gold leaf-ish accents.

Beautiful mini traditional outfits.

Yipee, with enough outfits to cut up and still have some left over!

I unfolded this and it's actually a huge bag.  Isn't it amazing!!! Wish I got 2!

These are life size shirts and include pants as well.  I love the variety of flowers on the blue one, and how they are clustered together.  Must remember this for my own flower designs!

An Indian paisley in purples, yum!!

A mysterious bundle, I wonder what's inside?

Woo hoo!!

Another bundle, bigger, fantastic exterior paper, can't wait to see what's inside...

But of course, a complete life size outfit.  Hmmm, I don't think those shoes will fit me...

 

One final bundle, nice and chunky, will if be the best bundle of all...?

Holy bundle indeed! 

I am delighted by my Chinese papers, they are so beautiful and are going to be inspirational for my own surface designs and patterns.

I have decided that 2013 is the year I go back to serious crafting.  I will balance my time between surface designing on the computer, and crafting in the studio.  My first project will be to make little lanterns and hanging ornaments with these papers and the rest of my pretty huge paper collection. 

Until then, jet lag is forcing my eyes shut...Happy Year of the Snake!!