Handmade Shikishi Ideas: Let’s Make Them with Seniors!
This article is for those looking for handmade craft ideas using colored paper, especially for seniors.
We’ll introduce projects that require fewer folding steps and have easy-to-understand instructions.
Some seniors may have difficulty seeing clearly or may find it hard to apply strength with their fingertips.
For those individuals, how about trying torn-paper collage or paper pasting, where you tear and glue colored paper?
Please look for ideas that are easy to get started with!
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[Handmade Shikishi Ideas] Let’s Make Them with Seniors! (21–30)
Koinobori decoration
Here’s an idea for a carp streamer decoration in the style of a hanging scroll.
You can use origami carp and finish it in a way that suits the celebration of Children’s Day.
Fold the carp out of origami paper—Japanese patterns or other designs are recommended.
Attach crepe paper and washi to create a hanging scroll backing, then stick the origami carp onto it.
Making and attaching a windsock (fukinagashi) alongside the carp will look lovely as well.
Displayed on the wall like a hanging scroll, it can help evoke the feeling of May even for older adults.
Alternatively, insert a stick into a paper cup weighted with clay and attach the hanging scroll to the stick.
Two simple types of koinobori (carp streamers)
Let’s try making a three-dimensional, paper-cut carp streamer with scales.
We’ll fold origami or construction paper and make slits as we go.
By changing where you cut with the scissors, you can create a variety of scale designs.
You can either stick the finished scales onto a sheet that becomes the body of the streamer, or stretch the scales themselves to form the body.
With a little ingenuity, you can make two types of carp streamers.
The materials are minimal, so it’s easy to make.
It’s also a project that older adults can enjoy, taking the finished piece home to decorate their own room.
Three-dimensional hanging scroll of morning glories
We’d like to introduce a morning glory hanging scroll that’s perfect for the season when the rainy season ends and the heat sets in.
Make the morning glories by folding and cutting origami, then attach paper straws to them.
Cut a base into a long rectangular shape like a hanging scroll and punch holes for the straws.
Insert the morning glories with the attached straws into the holes in the base.
If you thread a string through the straws, you can hang it up as a decoration.
Curving the base will give the morning glories a three-dimensional look.
Many older adults associate morning glories with summer, so creating this piece can also help them feel the season.
Carp streamers with plump, scaly patterns
Here is a carp streamer (koinobori) you can display indoors at your facility.
Many places change their wall decorations each month, don’t they? Some older adults seem to feel the season through wall decorations related to the month’s representative events and celebrations.
Seeing koinobori decorations may remind them of Children’s Day in May and the Boys’ Festival (Tango no Sekku).
A koinobori with charmingly plump scales is fun not only to make but also just to look at.
The puffy scales, made with two sheets of origami paper, aren’t difficult, so many older adults should be able to create them.
By admiring the wonderful koinobori they made themselves, they can also feel a sense of accomplishment.
Gift Frame
Here’s an introduction to a carp-streamer gift frame that can hold photos or sweets.
Fold two sheets of origami using the same steps, layer them, and you’ll create a single frame.
The folding process doesn’t have many complicated parts, so it may be easy for older adults to try.
It also looks lovely if you place patterned origami inside the frame.
Shape the frame itself like a carp streamer and pop in a photo or some treats.
When adding sweets, we recommend using a clear bag.
On Children’s Day, some grandparents may have their grandchildren visit at home.
Putting sweets in the gift frame and giving it to your grandchild is sure to delight them.
Koinobori made with paper cores
Here’s a cute carp streamer craft using paper tubes.
After you finish a roll of toilet paper or kitchen paper, you’re left with the cardboard tube.
These tubes are usually made of thick paper, and their cylindrical shape makes them perfect for crafting.
Cover the tube with origami paper in colors like red or blue, then cut the tail fin.
Use round stickers to make the eyes and scales and stick them on.
You can display the piece on a wall at this stage.
For an extra touch, punch a hole and insert a chopstick so it can stand upright.
It’s also nice to display in seniors’ rooms.
The shape of the paper tube beautifully captures the rounded form of a carp streamer.
Pochi-bukuro (small decorative envelope for gifting money)
Let’s try making a small money envelope (pochibukuro) shaped like a carp streamer (koinobori).
In many older adults’ households, people still raise koinobori or display samurai helmets (kabuto) for the Boys’ Festival in May, don’t they? Since the Boys’ Festival and Children’s Day fall during Golden Week, it’s also a time when grandchildren or relatives’ children might gather.
In such situations, it would be nice to give them a gift tucked into a handmade koinobori pochibukuro.
The steps to make the envelopes aren’t complicated, so they should be easy for older adults to create as well.
Plus, handmade pochibukuro can be threaded onto a string to make a garland, so they can also be used as indoor decorations.