Thursday 3 February 2011

How to: Red Packet Fishies

After Chinese New Year, we are left with many (we hope!) red envelopes.

Let's make fishies out of them!!

Things you'll need:
* Red Envelopes
* Scissors
* Stapler

Step 1: Start off with an empty red envelope!
(always check for money, as it would be very unfortunate if you cut up paper money)

Step 2: Flip the patterned side to face the surface, and fold a bottom corner to the opposite side to form a triangle.

Step 3: Cut off the excess paper, to form a square.

Step 4: Keep the square folded in half from corner to corner.

Step 5: You don't have to draw before you cut, but this is a demo. Make sure you're cutting the side which is already open.

Step 6: Cut this area off to shape the fins of the fish.

Step 7: Make sure you have cut through both sides of the envelope.

Step 8: At the closed corner, snip off a tiny triangle to form the mouth of the fish.

Step 9: Open up the envelope so it looks like an arrow.

Step 10: Cut down the centre of the tail (open) end to about the centre of the body.

Step 11: Cross the split tail, puffing out the body of the fish on one side, hold this tightly and repeat on the other side.

Step 12: Staple the fish at the base of the tail to hold it together.

And this is the finished product!

Different patterns will give different coloured fish :D

Then you can make plenty more!

If you like, you can poke a needle through the top with a piece of thread and hang up your fishes!

Credit goes to my sister-in-law, who taught me how to make these, but also as the modeller in my step-by-step photographs :)

Hope you like and do post a picture if you make some fish, I'd love to see!!

Love love and fishlove!!
Toffee xXxXx

2 comments:

  1. Thanks for this! I will do this... when I get more red envelopes next year. haha.

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  2. oh so cute!!! these make perfect decorations!!

    ReplyDelete