Another set of painted paper bags for the wonderful Heart of Dinner. I had completed two sets and this time around I wanted to create something to celebrate the upcoming Lunar New Year. I made a paper stencil of an ox, this year’s zodiac symbol. Efficiency would be key to get through 50 bags, so the stencil was really helpful. I filled in each ox shape with red or black paint, then added floral and geometric motifs in gold, which was the extra bit of embellishment that was needed on the oxen.

With the stresses of my apartment move, it took me much longer to complete all 50 bags, but better late than never, right? Especially for an organization that provides food, love, and smiles to New York City Asian elders.

When I dropped off the bags last Wednesday, I was so happy to learn that due to overwhelming response from the community after being featured on the Ellen show, Heart of Dinner has enough bags for months. So the next time around, I will try my hand on some handwritten notecards instead. Need to start brainstorming! 😊