Celebrating the Chinese New Year, The Year of the Tiger

 

    The other day while listening to someone talk about the Bengals possibly being in the Super Bowl, they brought up the fact that February 1st was the Chinese New Year, and it was going to be the year of the Tiger. 

     That was when I remembered that a few years ago, I shared a fun Chinese New Year party when it was the year of the dog.(you can see that post here.) I have been working with Oriental Trading company for many years, and I really enjoyed that party. I thought why not share my tips for celebrating the Chinese New Year but update for 2022. 

    Did you know that red and gold are very lucky colors for the Chinese?  That is why you see so much of it in the decor.  Have you ever wondered why you do not see white?  Well that is because it is an unlucky color, and the color of death. 

I am an affiliate of Oriental Trading Company, and Dollar Tree, and these are affiliate links. 

One thing you will need is a cute tablecloth. I am loving the tigers on this one. (it is even on sale right now) 

This is the year of the dog tablecloth, we had at my party a few years ago.  

This was the place setting from 2018.  When I was looking on the Oriental Trading website, I noticed that they did not have table setting items specifically for 2022.  Since items like this go into production way in advance, that could be because of everything happening with the supply chain the last several months.  It would not be too difficult to put together a place setting with a black, red, or gold plate and coordinating napkins, from the Dollar Tree.  

They do still have this burst centerpiece. It is red and gold and has many symbols such has luck and fortune. 

Have you ever wondered why you see so many dragons in Chinese celebrations and decorations?  The dragon is a symbol of power, luck and strength.  It also represents the Emperors, who were assumed to have been descendants of the dragon. 

This is hanging dragon decoration is currently on sale as well. 

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They do have this set of hanging tiger banners.

Chinese New Year could be a great reason to have Chinese food.  On this particular night we had sweet and sour chicken, and egg rolls. 

Mandarins are also considered very lucky, so we had a big bowl of them on the table and  even ate a few . 

It's always fun to crack open a fortune cookie and read what it says. The fortune that I got that night, came true right away. 

Happy Year of the Tiger! 

Dare to Share #504

 

It is Friday night, and you know what that means.. 

It is time to Dare to Share! 

Brrr... Are you staying warm where you live.  Where I live it has been very cold, but thankfully not that snowing. I do know that parts of the country are being hit with a pretty bad snowstorm this weekend. 

One thing I am really looking forward to this weekend, is the AFC and NFC Championship games. My Bengals made it one step closer, and possibly going back to the Super Bowl for the first time in 33 years!    Who are you hoping to see in the Super Bowl? 

While I had good intentions to write a blog post this past week, I was kept pretty busy by other things.  One of those things is my Etsy shop. 

My Esty Shop

I'm preparing for the Valentine's Day rush and adding several types of Valentines and Treat Bag Topper Bundles that are perfect for a class party.  I have been having a lot of fun making printables,  and being part of the Gold City Ventures Facebook group. 

If making printables is something you are interested in, they have an amazing course  (truly the best course I have ever taken, that also is affordable).  If you are interesting in finding out more you can at this link here. .. 

If you would like read more about it, and no jump right into a course, they offer a free Ebook which talks about making passive income with a fun side hustle making seasonal printables.

 Well it is getting ready late so it is time to get this party started.   Link up and HAVE FUN! 

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Dare to Share #503

It is Friday night, and you know what that means..

It is time to Dare to Share! 

How was your week?  It was another busy one for me.  While it looks like most of our teachers were healthy this week. we still have a lot of students out for either testing positive being a close contact. We did make it to the halfway point though, so hopefully the second half of the year will be a little easier than the first half. 

This I wrote a post for the Dollar Tree.  With Valentine's Day coming up in a few week, I share how I made this Unicorn Valentine's Day Card Box using Dollar Tree items. 

I have also been busy working on my Valentine's Day listings. I have my Gnome Classroom Valentines newly listed, and I will have few more designs posted this weekend. These were a lot of fun to create, especially since I love gnomes. 

Do you have any big plans for this weekend?  My oldest turned 25 today.  They live across the country though, so we won't be able to celebrate together.  However, I am really hoping to be celebrating a Cincinnati Bengals win.. It will be so exciting if we make it to the Super Bowl again. It is has been since the late 80s! 

Well it is getting late, so let's get this party started! Link up and HAVE FUN!! 

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Dollar Tree Unicorn Valentine's Day Card Box

 Valentine's Day is about a month away.  I work at a school, so I know Valentine's Day is a pretty big day in the classroom, especially at the elementary level.  It can be quite exciting for kids to make a card box to hold all of the class valentine cards. 

I made this Unicorn Valentine Box a few years ago using almost all Dollar Tree items.  The items not from the Dollar Tree were items you may have laying around your house. 

** This post also contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

Here is what you will need 

A box for the body (shoebox, tissue box, gift box or even a mailbox)

4 cardboard tubes for the legs

2-3 curly bows (multiple bows on each) for the mane and tail.

round container/tumbler with lid (something unicorn head shaped) or floral foam for the head 

craft foam or pre cut glitter hearts for snout

googly eyes

colored wrapping paper  or paint 

cardstock (color of choice for horn) 

I used a box with a slot cut in the lid for my unicorn body. Whatever type of body you choose to use, there needs to be a way to get the valentines easily in and out of the box.   My box was already white, so I decided to make a white unicorn, but you can make yours whatever color you like.  

To make the legs, paint four cardboard tubes

When I made my unicorn, I had a hard time deciding which head shape I wanted.  In this picture are what both options looked like. 

I covered both items with white wrapping paper. Expert tip.. If you chose to go the square floral foam route, DO NOT remove the plastic off the foam! It's much better to wrap the entire brick as one piece.  I found out the hard way that the floral foam is made from five smaller bricks that I had to re-attach, and it was a little bit messy.   I personally preferred the shape of the plastic container head, which is what I decided to use in the end.  You can attach the head with hot glue or double sided tape. 

I found it easier to attach the legs to the bottom of the box with hot glue instead of tape.

 

The curly ribbon bows have several smaller bows on each card.  Arrange the bows as desired to make the mane and tail as full as you prefer.  I used four smaller bows for the mane, and two for the tail.  

 

I had some pink craft foam on hand from the Crafters Square aisle, so I cut out small hearts for the snout. If you prefer pre-cut hearts, I have also seen them available at the Dollar Tree. 

I rolled a piece of cardstock into a cone shape to make the horn, and hot glued it in place.

The last step on the unicorn is to add some googly eyes, and if desired some eyelashes. (Dollar Tree sells fake eyelashes in the make up aisle that would look really cute!)  

Here is the finished Unicorn Valentine Box.. 

If you love all things Dollar Tree like me, be sure to follow me on Instagram. Over there I share Dollar Tree hauls, finds and DIYs. 

Dare to Share #502

 

It's Friday night, and you know what that means.. 

It is time to Dare to Share! 

We made it through another week. It went pretty well this week at my school. Our school still has a couple teachers who were out, and some of the children, but that was not the case at another school in our district.  The middle school had 14 teachers out, and around 300 kids.  There were so many people out sick, last night it was announced they needed to go virtual for a few weeks.  One of our elementary schools went through the same thing in the fall, so hopefully we will have good results this time too.  

I did not have a chance to write a new post this week but I have one planned for Monday.   I updated My Shop link at the top of my blog with several of my latest printables.   

I went to the dance with my boyfriend again tonight, so it is getting late.  It looks like it is time to get this party started.  Link up and HAVE FUN!! 

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Dare to Share #501

It's Friday night, and you know what that means.. 

It is time to Dare to Share! 

How is your new year going so far?  We went back to school in person and the first few days were pretty busy.  I had to cover to four different teachers throughout the day on  Monday.  All four of those teachers were not feeling well, and were waiting on their test results.  Thankfully all four of them were were negative so the end of my week was a bit slower paced than the first part.  

I did write a post this week sharing some of the things I did over the holidays in the post  What I did on my Christmas Vacation. We did a lot of fun things, and a great couple of weeks. 

 I have ideas on some posts in the next couple of weeks so I am hoping I have the chance to get them online.  

Well it is looking to be able that time, so let's get this party started.  Link up, and HAVE FUN!!

 

 

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What I did on my Christmas Vacation

 I know I have been kind of quiet the last few weeks. As you know I got a much needed break from school. We have been very busy before and after the holidays especially with the variant on the rise.   On the first day back I had to cover four different teachers at different parts of the day.  It has been a little bit easier the last couple of days, but only time will tell.  

While we were on break though, here are some of the things that happened.  

I think the most unusual present I got this year was my Chris for Christmas puzzle book from my brother.  He knew I would love it because I love several actors named Chris (Hemsworth, Evans, Pratt, and Pine :)) My favorite is definitely Hemsworth.  If you would like a book of Chris's for yourself or a friend I found it online, and it's currently 50% off.  Chris for Christmas Book   

One of my favorite presents was this farmhouse red Christmas truck from Aldi from my daughter. We found it for only $4.99 at Aldi the day after Christmas. I love it, and can't wait to decorate with it during the holidays. 

I spent a week in Ohio with my boyfriend and his kids. We went to a really cool light show called Land of Illusion in between Dayton and Cincinnati. 

I set up a Hot Chocolate Bar that week which was a huge hit.   

We had to wash the mugs several times, because they were used often.  Add the marshmallows and peppermint definitely upped the yum factor. 

We celebrated this girls 2nd birthday.  She turned two on Christmas.  We got her as a pup right before the Covid shutdown in 2020. 

We made a traditional turkey dinner  

and then made one of my favorite holiday dishes, leftover turkey pizza.  It was the first time I made it for his kids.  They loved it, and all 3 pizza were gone by the next day.  

D and I celebrated New Years Eve at the dance we like to go to on Friday nights. :) It was a lot of fun. 

Then on Jan 2nd, my boys played each other in an amazing game. (I love both Joe and Patrick) Being a long time Bengal fan though, I was VERY HAPPY with the outcome. 

On Monday and I was THRILLED to find part of the Beachy Keen Fairy Garden at Dollar Tree.  It is so cute! 
Adorable gnomes are living their best life with so many cute accessories.  They are currently selling them online at the Dollar Tree.    They have the Sweets Fairy Garden set which is adorable as well.  

I also added a new Vision, Manifestation, Goal Planner to my Etsy Shop DancingUnicornbyPam, and if are interested, it's currently 20% off.  

I would love to hear what you did over the holidays. Comment below if you would like to share.  

Dare to Share #500

Happy New Year! 

Welcome to 2022! It feels weird to say that. Have you noticed that time seems to go super fast, and super slow at the same time? How is it already 2022? The last two years have been a blur.  We just got back from celebrating at the New Years dance.   I hope you were able to do something fun to ring in the new year as well. 

Since it is late, I am going to get this party started.. 

Link up and HAVE FUN!! 

 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter