Lucky Daruma: Craft ideas for decorating January wall displays for seniors
Daruma dolls are popular as lucky charms that bring good fortune throughout the year.
They are often displayed to ward off illness and misfortune and to pray for household safety.
In this article, we’ll introduce crafting ideas for daruma decorations that are perfect for January wall displays!
We’ve gathered a wide range of motifs, from items used in New Year’s decorations to classic themes for wall art.
Many of the ideas can be made slowly while seated, making them great for recreational activities for seniors.
Try creating a wall display of daruma that you’ll feel attached to by drawing your own original patterns or adding messages.
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[Good-Luck Daruma] For Seniors! Craft Ideas to Decorate a January Bulletin Board (31–40)
New Year’s origami
Let’s try folding a daruma doll using a single sheet of origami paper! The steps are simple, but you’ll end up with a cute daruma.
Once it’s done, draw the face with a pen or use round stickers—try different expressions and enjoy customizing it! Origami is said to stimulate and activate the brain by using your fingertips and thinking through the next steps.
It’s also easy to do while chatting with others, which helps spark social interaction.
Please make use of origami daruma to create a delightful time for older adults.
shimenawa (sacred Shinto rope)
Would you like to try making a shimenawa (New Year’s sacred rope)? Many people usually buy ready-made ones to display, but if you make your own, you’ll grow attached to it and are sure to like it.
For a standard shimekazari, you just tie the shimenawa and add artificial flowers, and it’s done.
If you want a bit more originality, make decorations like a daruma out of clay and attach them to the shimenawa.
Since it involves detailed work, please have staff members provide support.
It could also be fun to start from scratch and make the rope itself.
Daruma Picture Book
The daruma made from origami, inspired by a picture book full of daruma decoration ideas, is easy to make and recommended for seniors.
The method is very simple: prepare red origami paper, fold it into a triangle, then fold the white part back outward.
At that point, fold the red part into small triangles to form the daruma’s hands, letting them stick out slightly on the sides—this instantly makes it adorable.
It also seems like a great idea to make the other daruma decorations shown in the picture book and display them together!
Daruma face illustration
Even among elderly people, some create their New Year’s cards on a computer every year.
For those who are comfortable with operating machines like that, I recommend making a daruma illustration using computer software.
You can use Paint, the drawing program that comes with most PCs, but if you can, PowerPoint is even better.
The key is to cleverly combine tools that draw ovals and rounded rectangles.
As a finishing touch, add a message like “Safety and well-being for the household” in the center of the daruma!
Twin Daruma
How about a twin Daruma decoration made by connecting two small Daruma side by side? All you need is red origami paper.
The steps are very simple: First, make a square, fold the corners to form a heart shape.
Next, fold it back, make small cuts with scissors so it looks like two connected Daruma.
Finally, stick on white origami for the faces and draw the features with a pen.
If you give the two Daruma different designs—like making one a boy and the other a girl—it will look even cuter.
[Good Luck Daruma] For Seniors! Craft Ideas to Decorate January Wall Displays (41–50)
apple snowman
Let’s make a cute daruma charm using dollar-store items.
Cut adhesive-backed fabric and felt into an apple shape.
Attach a ribbon to the felt side, then stick it to the adhesive fabric.
Next, use the adhesive fabric to create and attach the daruma’s face, and add the facial features.
You’ll have a cute charm with an apple on one side and a daruma on the back.
Using adhesive fabric means you can make it without sewing.
It’s a project that many older adults can enjoy making.
Daruma-otoshi with a bottle cap
Here’s an introduction to a Daruma-otoshi game made using caps from finished plastic bottles.
Make a hole in the center of each bottle cap and thread cotton twine through it.
Tie the ends of the twine to form a loop, and make several of these in different sizes.
It looks nice if you color-code them by size, so that’s recommended.
If you also make a small mallet and the Daruma figure that sits on top, you’re all set.
The pieces you make can liven up recreation time, too.
Try enjoying Daruma-otoshi as team matches or individual matches.