[For Seniors] Heartwarming Handmade New Year’s Cards: Fun Ideas Using Everyday Materials

Horse-themed illustrated postcard, Year of the Horse

Year of the Horse: Handwritten New Year’s Cards 🐴 | Easy Way to Draw a Horse | Side View Horse [Etegami Illustration]

This illustration perfectly captures a horse’s expressions and movements—just right for the New Year.

Let’s paint the horse using a thick brush with color.

Start by drawing the face with the brush in a shape like the kanji “八.” Next, draw the chest, hindquarters, and belly; for the belly, curve it downward.

For the legs, it’s best to start from the front legs and draw toward the base.

Draw the thigh of the hind leg in a triangular shape.

Once it’s dry, switch to a fine brush and add black lines for the mane, tail, and nose.

Finish by writing a New Year’s greeting.

When adding the greeting, it’s recommended to consider the overall balance and leave some blank space as you write.

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mayumi

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New Year’s cards with yarn art

How to Make Art with Yarn (Monthly Day, November 2021 issue) #dayService #dayCare #outpatientRehab #nursingCare #seniors #craft #rec #recreation

Do you know about yarn art? There aren’t strict rules, but it’s a painting method where you soak a piece of yarn about 20 cm long in paint, place it on paper, press it down, and let mysterious patterns emerge.

With this, you can make stylish New Year’s cards without drawing or doing detailed work.

The pattern changes depending on how you arrange the yarn and how firmly you press, so try experimenting.

By the way, the trick is to let the yarn absorb a moderate amount of paint.

If there’s too much paint, it will bleed and the pattern won’t come out well.

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yamamoto

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New Year’s cards with clay stamps

Paper clay stamp transferred with wood glue [no mirrored text]

Some people may want to make their own stamps but aren’t good with detailed work.

Especially if you want a fine, intricate design, you might finish making it only to find it looks nothing like you imagined.

That’s why I’d like to introduce clay stamps.

Clay stamps are made quite differently from traditional stamps.

First, draw an illustration on paper and trace it with something like a cuticle stick tipped with wood glue.

Then press clay onto it, and your stamp is complete.

This way, there’s no carving involved, so it’s easy.

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yamamoto

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New Year’s cards with rounded/cute lettering

[Yuru-moji] Handwritten New Year’s Cards Using “Yuru-moji” with a Brush Pen 4 [New Year’s Cards]

If you create New Year’s cards using “yuru-moji” (soft, rounded lettering), you can enjoy the unique charm of handwriting.

Yuru-moji refers to characters with an overall rounded shape, giving them a relaxed feel.

The warm, hand-drawn look will surely convey your appreciation to the recipient.

Writing with a brush or brush pen makes it easier to get good results.

It’s also a great idea to add not only lettering but also the zodiac animal or a simple portrait.

Like the letters, keep the shapes rounded and draw them in a loose, gentle style.

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yamamoto

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New Year’s cards with embossing powder

[Year of the Tiger New Year] How to Use Embossing Powder

When you use embossing powder, a normally stamped design pops up with a puffy, raised effect! Why not add a special touch to your New Year’s cards with this embossing technique? As long as you have the materials, it’s very easy to make—even for older adults.

You can find embossing powder in the stamping section of 100-yen shops, so be sure to look for it.

After stamping your favorite design on the New Year’s card, sprinkle embossing powder over it before the ink dries.

Gently tap off the excess, then apply heat with a dedicated embossing heat tool.

Let it cool, and you’re done! The recipient is sure to feel warm and delighted when they receive it.

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miyabi

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New Year’s cards with stickers and masking tape

Cute New Year’s cards made with 100-yen store items. // How to make New Year’s cards

As the end of the year approaches, stores are filled with New Year’s stamps, stickers, and seals, aren’t they? If you’ve only been window-shopping until now, why not put some effort into your New Year’s cards for next year? By making good use of masking tape and stickers printed with perfect New Year motifs, you can create really lovely cards! You can even find cute items at 100-yen shops, so they’re highly recommended.

Arrange your layout while considering the balance of text, messages, and illustration stickers.

It might require a bit of taste, but making it the way you like is the best, right? As long as it’s heartfelt, it’s OK.

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miyabi

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New Year’s cards with washi tape art

[New Year’s card] Just stick on washi tape! A simple and cute Year of the Rabbit New Year’s card 🐇🎍ˊ˗

Let’s make New Year’s cards with washi tape art! First, lightly sketch your design on the card with a pencil.

Then, start sticking on your favorite masking tape, tearing it into small pieces as you go.

Try expressing “Happy New Year” or the new year’s numbers with masking tape, too.

If you decide which areas will be which colors at the rough sketch stage and buy tape accordingly, you can work without hesitation.

Masking tape tears easily by hand, so it’s easy for older adults to handle as well.

It’s also nice that you don’t need glue after tearing the pieces.

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sasashina

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