Starting Fresh With Chinese New Year

As decorations from Christmas come down, and the new year gets underway, I always find myself wanting to clean things out!  There seems to be this urge to get any clutter out of the way and start the year off on the right foot.  Adding fresh greenery and house plants into my home also tends to be something I am sub-consciously drawn to - that sense of freshness.  Well, if you are like me, let me tell you, THIS IS YOUR YEAR!!  First off, 2017 has begun.  Secondly, this year Pantone has made Greenery, (fresh plants!!), the color of the year.  If you missed our last blog post, Stacy went in depth on that, check it out. So...new start, plants are IN, and....  Third, it is almost Chinese New Year,  (January 28, this year)!!  What's that you say?  Chinese New Year?  Chinese New Year is one of the largest Chinese festivals of the year.  My daughter is Chinese, and while researching and learning about Chinese customs, I have fallen in love with Chinese New Year.

What is it?  Chinese New Year is the celebration of the end of winter and welcoming the promise of spring.  The premise is to literally and figuratively "sweep out" the old year and any bad/baggage from it, and start the new year fresh and with a clean slate.  While we make New Year resolutions and "say" we're going to start anew, the Chinese actually DO IT!  In preparation for the New Year, homes are thoroughly cleaned and swept out, (makes me feel good just thinking about it)!  Many people will buy presents, and new clothes.  Once the homes, streets, and businesses are cleaned, they are decorated with lanterns, and flowers (symbolizing prosperity), and as the welcome of spring.  Since Chinese New Year follows the lunar calendar, the festivities run 15 days from the New Moon, to the Full Moon, typically starting somewhere in late January or early February.  This is the start of Chinese Spring.

On Chinese New Year, customs include banging gongs and drums, and setting off fire crackers and fireworks to "scare away" the "dragon" of winter or the past year.  At midnight, some customs include throwing open the doors and windows to "usher in" the New Year.  Coins in red envelopes and flowers are given as gifts.  Many of the gifts and decorations are gold, (to bring wealth), and red (for luck, as this is considered an especially lucky color).  During the celebrations, family dinners are very important and many people will travel great distances to join family for the New Year.  As many of us in the US have various regional food customs for New Years, so do the Chinese.  Oranges, fruits and candies are eaten for a sweet future.  Long noodles are eaten for long life.  Dumplings are made crescent shape and resemble ancient gold nuggets.  And eating a whole fish will mean plenty to eat.  The Chinese New Year festivals culminate on the 15th day with the Full Moon and the Lantern Festivals.

Around our house, we have been making a push to get things cleaned out and fresh and ready for the New Year.  I have already added a new plant or two, as well as some greenery to my decor and the house is beginning to feel so nice and fresh.  This coming weekend, Jan 28, starts Chinese New Year.  We are planning to celebrate with some of the food customs, (mostly ordered from our favorite local Chinese restaurant), a gathering of friends, and decorations of red flowers, lanterns, and envelopes of chocolate coins!  For some fun crafts, I have made super simple tissue paper flowers, directions below, and found a fun tutorial for making paper fortune cookies (see below)!

If you haven't gotten everything cleaned out yet for the New Year, it's not too late!!  Make your resolution!  In the spirit of China, let's sweep it out, and start fresh!

Cheers!
Christine


Tissue Paper Flowers:

Red and Gold Tissue Paper
Thin Wire, or even twist ties off bread bags
Scissors

Use full sheets for large flowers or cut them in half, or trim some off, along the narrow side, making narrower long rectangles, for smaller flowers.  Layer red and gold tissue in whatever pattern you like, (I used two gold, 4 red sheets).  Pleat the paper back and forth like a fan, (keep the short side straight, pleating the longer length).  Then tie wire around the center.  Using scissors, trim the ends to either points or curve them like a scallop.  Then open the flowers up.  Gently "fluff" the layers apart (tissue does tear easily), and viola!  Flowers!



Paper Fortune Cookies Tutorial here: Link

Fresh New Year, Fresh New Color

We have had an abnormally COLD and snowy week here in the south.  After the first couple of days of playing in the snow and drinking cocoa, I tackled taking down our Christmas decorations.  After having the house so full of color and excitement for a month, it seemed so dreary to go back to our standard décor, so I decided to leave out some of the greenery that didn't seem specifically Christmas.  Shades of green just seem to brighten up both the space and my mood.

The 2017 Pantone Color of the year "greenery" will likewise be a bright spot in wardrobes and home décor throughout the year. It is a bright green, with some yellow undertones, that will mix well with a variety of palettes through the seasons. As a strong nature color, this green can function as a virtual neutral - complimenting a range of colors.   During the winter season, greenery will provide a great contrast to winter whites and greys - I really enjoy seeing those stark contrasts at this time of year, but in nature and fashion.  As we move into spring it will be in harmony with the blue and terra cotta shades that are featured in the Spring 2017 Pantone palette, bringing a breath of fresh spring air into homes and fashion. Further into the summer, I could see it mixed with sand tones and sea blues, giving a very spa like atmosphere.  Coming full circle to next fall, greenery will blend nicely into the more subdued fall shades. This is truly a color for all seasons.

Depending on your personal style, and your feelings about bright greens, you can treat the color of the year in a variety of ways.  If you are looking for a big statement, or this is the perfect color for you, go ahead and grab some large statement pieces in greenery - things that you can mix and match throughout the year as the seasonal palette changes.  If you are less of a "green person" look for some accent pieces - jewelry, or small vases, even some plants, for example - that you can add to your fashion or home decor look throughout the year.  Either way you go with it, this is such a versatile color that it can work for everyone! Share with us in the comments your favorite uses of greenery in your wardrobe or home décor!  

-Stacy

Mimosa! A Year of Classic Cocktails - January

January - Mimosa

It's finally here!!  A New Year and the start of our Year of Classic Cocktails!!

Break out the Bubbly!! Who was up all night partying in the New Year?!  Who still hasn't gone to bed?! lolol  As champagne is the definite requisite New Year's libation, chances are, there's still some lurking around the house.  And now that it's morning, and the parties are winding down, well we certainly wouldn't want to waste anything.  So.... the perfect New Year's Morning drink?  Mimosa of course!  This classic is likely well known to all!

Legend has it that the Mimosa originated in Paris, in 1925 - created by a bar tender in the Ritz Hotel. It was named after the yellow/orange mimosa flower that is prevalent throughout much of Europe. My research indicates that it is much more likely that the Paris bartender "borrowed" the idea from Buck's Club in London where it was originated in 1925, and named Buck's Fizz. The Fizz is actually much more in line with a modern mimosa recipe- having two parts champagne to one part orange juice, while the French mimosa was an even mix of the two. The one thing that seems universally accepted is that the drink was popularized in the United States in the 1940's by Alfred Hitchcock!

If you've never made a mimosa, the official amounts are as follows, however one can really mix the parts according to preference.

Mimosa

6 oz. Brut Champagne

3oz. Orange Juice

Mix pre-chilled champagne and OJ in a champagne flute or goblet and enjoy! 

Cheers!

-Christine and Stacy 

A New Classic Cocktail will post on the 1st of each month!  Here's to classics and cool stories!