Day 118-119-Spring Cleaning The Emporium

Lunar or Chinese New Year has to be the most important festive holiday for us Chinese. In preparation for this big day, one of the task we undertake is the annual spring cleaning. We have up till 12 midnight on the eve to finish because the Chinese believes that on the 1st day of the Lunar New Year, you do not sweep the floor or clean your home lest you should also sweep all your luck and money away.

I cleaned my house weeks ago and so, as our local Chinese would say in very bad English, "my backside itchy" (meaning having nothing better to do), I decided to "spring clean" the Emperor's Emporium and change all the things I didn't like about it.

First thing I did was to choose a very auspiciously coloured (reds!) top which I bought from Little India last month.

I tested it and thought it rather gaudy and befittingly festive except for the metal pipe which had been cut. I took out my paints and converted it into a bamboo pole.

For contrast, I have placed a piece of real wooden pole beneath my "bamboo pole". I thought I did a pretty good job. Alas, this pole will eventually be hidden.

I also repainted ( I really disliked the original resin paint) the elephant bases to make them into wood carved pillars. These too will be hidden in the final set up.

Since it's the new year, I thought my Maharajah and his soul mate will need new clothes and so they shall have. It was a fiddly job especially for the "friend". The one on the Rajah's turban was easy.

But now they are truly birds of a feather. I also gave the Maharajah a new pillow at his head.

Thanks to a comment made by my sis, I had to change the tent body too as she thought the old one with the carpet was too heavy for this gaudy top. I could have killed her because I was rather content with leaving the old body (actually I thought it was perfect!). True enough, making the body and top took the most time. And worse, I was mostly unhappy with the result.

The fun part was adding presents from friends to the little room. Spanning the room from the right, there were the 2 paper bags that Katie made me. I have always thought my emporium a little unrealistic (understatement) because it did not have bags or wrappings for the customers. So I rolled some coloured papers and strings into the bags. Now the emporium is nicely equipped to serve even the most fussy of customers. I also added my favourite miniature painting given to me by Helene above the seat.

Just last month, I received some lovely presents from Dale (again!) She is a real sweetie, that Dale. She wrote to say that she thought of me when she saw this little snake (can you see her peeping through the basket?) made by her team mate at etsy, Anita. I placed her inside Katie's basket and made a matching lid from paper strings.

More impulse buying from Dale who also gave me the Hindu deity which I hanged on the extreme left wall of the tent.

I then made a "mango wood" altar out of metal, cardboard and lace. I also placed some usual ritual offerings like an oil pot, small oil lamp, flower and candles.

The candle holders were made from metal parts shaped like a "mehndi-ed" palms.

Finally, a sign for the shop. This, I placed just outside the tent, in front of a tree by Treewizard, Chris.

It's 3.17 am here on the 1st day of Chinese New Year. I have made it by the deadline but now I am dead tired. Good night, and to my Chinese friends around the world, Gong Xi, Gong Xi!