It’s hard to say what’s the best part of a delicious Chinese meal but many people would say it’s the fortune cookies at the end of the meal. After all, they taste delicious and they give you a little glimpse at something pertinent to your life. After breaking open the cookie, and removing that little strip of paper, you can read about meeting a tall, dark stranger, having a long-lost relative return to your life, or about a boost in your finances, coming your way. Some people take the fortunes seriously; others read them and toss them aside. Whether you believe or not, when you save those fortune slips, you can make all sorts of cool things for yourself or your home.
Chinese fortune coasters can be a fun element in your home and they’re not at all difficult to make. One type is made from a block of wood. Find the square of wood at a craft store and purchase a piece of cork to go with it. You can paint or stain the wood, or you can use it as-is. Cut a circle of cork to be about the diameter of a drinking glass and glue it to the top of the wood. Glue a Chinese fortune on each of the four sides of the wood.
A more simple type of coaster you can make is done by cutting a 4×4″ piece of scrapbook paper, printer paper, or even a piece from a brown paper bag. Tape the chosen fortunes to the paper in any manner you want. For example, you could just make a border around the paper piece, using the fortune strips, or you could align them in a horizontal fashion, going from the top of the paper, to the bottom. When you’re finished with the arrangement simply cover the front and back with clear shelf liner.
Some types of picture frames look really great with the Chinese fortunes attached. Just use some watered-down, white glue to affix the fortunes around the perimeter of the frame. Some of the fortunes have a “learn Chinese” place on the backside. It’s up to you if you attach the paper strips so that the fortune shows, or the language lesson shows.
A little girl might like a cute bracelet she can make from a Chinese fortune paper. Just cut a piece of peel-n-stick, clear shelf liner to be long enough to wrap around the wrist, with a half-inch to spare. Cut the shelf liner to be twice as wide as you want. Lay the fortune right down the center of the liner piece. Bring each of the long edges of the liner up and stick them to the backside of the fortune, so that the edges meet in the middle on the back of the paper. Use a piece of Velcro as a closure for the bracelet.
Turn a tin can into a cute pencil holder, kitchen utensil holder, or another useful accent. As you collect the Chinese fortunes, glue them to the can. Wrap one as far as it will go around the can, and with the next one, place it beside the first. Continue to add another, and another, until the can is covered. Something similar can be done with a cardboard box, too.
Using the papers out of Chinese fortune cookies, a person can make a unique lampshade or lamp, candy dish, jewelry box, mirror, or your choice of many other home accents. If you love Chinese food, and you love owning things that no one else has, start saving those fortune papers.