The gifts of the Fall harvest in Maine have been delivered and now the biting air and heaps of brown leaves are moving us to the changes at our doorstep. But first, Halloween, a birthday, and eventually Thanksgiving. None of these occasions are amping me up this year, but I will give them each a bit of reverence, and my candy bowl is filled for all the little goblins.
I did participate in some lovely and fun Mid-Autumn Moon Festival activities. I partnered with my local library for some after-school crafts and we dished out lantern garlands and story puppets… easy, cozy and mellow. A good fit for me, right now.
Our CAFAM Moon Festival celebration was splendid, sharing the delicious food and full program of speakers and performers with old friends and new. We had attendees from teens to esteemed older CAFAM members in their 90’s. Celebrating with lanterns, mooncakes and song was a wonderful way to share community and friendship. And later on, the full moon was aglow with radiance in the nighttime sky.
Now I dive back into ongoing projects and more art making. I’ve been painting some new nautical works in gouache which I’ve been selling as notecards and prints. It pushes my boundaries; not only the very different painting challenges, but selling my art in the purest (reproduced) form to people who just…. like it. You artists understand. Part of a true creative life is always stretching and exploring with different art forms, mediums and subjects.
Soon it will be hunker-down time as we dance around the weather and shorter, darker days. I still love my Lucky Bamboo Crafts life, but like parenting a grown and flown child, I periodically focus attention on the crafts for kids and book events, but then redirect to the rest of life. A recent foliage view from a local mountain trail after a short hike was a great way to breath, reflect and take stock of all the great opportunities that lie ahead.
Summer is coming to a close and I will not give in to a cooler season without a fight. I still scour the long-range forecast for days I can linger on the beach or at the lake. They glow like precious rare gems at this point. But what a summer it has been in all the best ways. Time with my grown daughter, family reunions, outdoor events, short getaways, lobster, and even a Neil Young concert. (I can still rock.)
My creative muses have expanded beyond Chinese crafts, and I have rolled up my sleeves with tubes of gouache and brush. Lighthouses! Let me back up. I permanently left my full-time employment several months ago for the virtue of personal freedom, flexible time in my days, and new horizons. I’m no spring chicken and there is so much to explore and savor while I still inhabit this earth.
So, lately my creative outlet has been painting lighthouses and publishing and selling a small line of notecards and prints. I have always thought I could work for the Chamber of Commerce as I constantly ballyhoo all that is beautiful and unique about Maine. And lighthouses never, ever disappoint.
But don’t get me wrong…. Chinese culture, history, and all things Asian still inform my life on every level. I am still active in CAFAM here in Maine. I’m also assisting my friend, Gary Libby with his soon-to-be-published book, Chinese in Maine – From Struggle to Success. He is a respected historian on the subject, and the story is fascinating and widely unknown. Until now.
And yes, I still make cultural crafts with kids and share my enthusiasm for Chinese history and culture as part of my array. And my book, Lucky Bamboo Book of Crafts is still widely available. But it won’t be forever. I am considering sunsetting it in 2026 and liquidating my inventory. Sigh. But it’s probably time, so please buy now through me, Amazon, or Nataraj Books, and share my website with friends, educators, community, and family.
Since you are reading this, thank you. As we launch into a new season and school year, I hope your days include some hope, even if that can be challenging right now. Our kids and grandkids need to always be able to find a north star for their curiosity, learning, kindness, and creativity. I try and provide a little piece of that with both my everyday actions and creative pursuits…. and there are infinite ways you can, as well. But for now, I will enjoy a little more beach and ice cream as summer breezes are already giving way to cool wafts.
The days are calm and quiet in Maine as we hunker down for snowstorm after snowstorm and do our best to stay protected from the frigid air. I look out the window with my coffee, and the bright sunshine streaming in seems like trickery from my warm perch. Lunar New Year festivities have now passed, and as you know by now, this is my favorite post of the year, recapping all of the events and special moments.
This Year of the Snake 蛇年 was especially wonderful because my adult daughter attended every gathering. Sharing our traditions and being together takes me back to all the Lunar New Years and special Chinese cultural celebrations of her childhood and of course, all the years of making crafts. This being the snake year, some are also sharing the Legend of the White Snake as part of their cultural program. If you are inspired to take a deeper dive, look up this interesting piece of folklore; as with many ancient Chinese tales, it’s a wild ride.
Nothing can compare with having a few friends in my home for a festive evening of dinner and conversation. This year was no exception and my house was festooned with red and gold decorations and the dinner I prepared was (mostly) edible! Ginger beef and firecracker shrimp were my mains and I have to say so myself, my almond cookies from scratch were pretty good. The guests braved inclement weather, and there was much joy and laughter.
Our local library was the location for my first 2025 public event with Lucky Bamboo Crafts. We had a cozy nook right in the children’s area to make snake crafts and share the holiday traditions with preschoolers, homeschoolers, and the after-school crowd. Paiten, their fantastic librarian is always so enthusiastic and full of (craft-addicted) talent! We are a great collab.
On to Chinatown, Boston where I always know I need to level-up the make-and-takes, with both projects offered and quantity. We were hit with a New England heavy snowstorm the evening before, into the morning so I definitely felt like a Lunar New Year warrior to make it to the China Trade Center and get set up. But the people did come out, and it was a festive day to ring in the Snake. And as always, the couple of hours spent walking around Chinatown in the early evening after packing up the crafts were so very fun and delicious.
Back to Maine for the local CAFAM Lunar New Year celebration. I spent the day in the Cultural Village overseeing the numerous craft tables I prepared and also sharing Lucky Bamboo Book of Crafts with some new customers! I guess if you stick around long enough, kids grow up and new kids move in, looking for creativity and culture. Yay! The CAFAM Board did a tremendous job planning and carrying out the event, and I felt lucky to be a part of it, even as just a volunteer member. This year the program included numerous Bates College student performers offering everything from traditional dance and instrumental performances to Chinese rap! I have such a long history with CAFAM, I never want to miss being a part of the action each year with my many friends 朋友们.
I don’t feel compelled to do a Spring dance quite yet with the snow piled high and several weeks to go before the true thaw. But these mostly indoor days are good for introspection, planning, resetting, being with friends, enjoying time with my daughter, and starting to carve out my next creative inspiration and new venture. I have recently left my longtime project manager position so like the snake, I am shedding some skin. I try and lean into these cycles of life as an opportunity to realign my priorities while getting caught up on the essentials. I know there is always down time and up time and do have some really fun adventures planned. It all can be equally fulfilling. Let’s fill our cups.
I know it’s been a minute but Lucky Bamboo Crafts is still alive and well! I’ve just had several life pivots that have pulled me away from focusing on my maker side. The biggest of which is I am leaving my longtime project manager job at the end of the year. That will certainly shake things up and offer me a reset.
My mind is already popping with creative ideas and plans for the extra bandwidth I will have of time and energy. I can put many more events and workshops on my calendar, including visiting schools during the week. You know by now that teaching kids about Chinese culture is my jam! I can also create more Chinese craft designs. And I will freshen up this site for sure, with new content, media, tutorials, etc…. it’s an exciting shift.
Self-marketing has never been my strong suit, but my ask is to please help me celebrate this leap by continuing to share my book and website. You can still pick it up from this site or Amazon, and my fulfillment co., Nataraj Books is selling it at a huge discount! It’s a great holiday gift.
Lunar New Year falls on January 29th, 2025 and is the Year of the Snake. I look forward to slithering into lots of celebrations and hope you’ll watch my calendar and come along!
As I approach every Maine winter, I ponder how to “make the best of it”, knowing there are several frosty months ahead. Since the Lunar New Year doesn’t arrive until late January or February, making goals keeps me motivated and gives me some glimmers of enjoyment. I typically convince myself I will learn how to knit, make creative meals in my slow cooker, learn Mandarin, and do some cross-country skiing, just to name a few. It’s a similar list every single winter.
And then as we approach Lunar New Year, I start preparing for my Lucky Bamboo Crafts events and celebrations with friends. Life gets increasingly busy and my efforts are all focused around Chinese culture, food and crafts. These rituals warm my soul even while needing to bundle up, and bring me joy during what can be a long, bleak season in Maine when you stay put.
This lunar year’s mythical dragon is a wood element, and is identified with strength and good fortune, rising above all the other zodiac animals. Thanks, perhaps, to the dragon’s unleashed power I had a string of experiences and occasions with an especially auspicious quality. Schedule, weather, friendship, and fun all seemed to be in my favor. And my craft designs fell into place easily, with so much dragon-themed art already in my illustration archive.
I kicked it all off by hosting my annual little dinner party on Lunar New Year’s Eve. I think my hospitality was probably more notable than my cooking abilities, but having friends around my table, and my home festooned in red and gold was a perfect way to launch the holiday. And guests went home with a lantern garland gift along with their hongbao.
My first seasonal craft date was Love Weekend in the MakerSpace at Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine where we had a dual celebration of crafts for Lunar New Year and Valentine’s Day. As always, the staff was beautifully prepared, and such great company. Every time I visit that museum, I pinch myself at what a stunning, tremendous addition it is in the Portland Thompson’s Point area for young and old visitors.
Our local Falmouth Middle School holds an annual school-wide cultural celebration and I was so pleased to be invited by the library staff this year to give an author talk. I shared some Lunar New Year traditions while guiding crafts (of course!). I felt a little rusty since my classroom teaching days were so long ago, and now I had all those 6th-grader sets of eyes on me. But it was the last period before their winter vacation, so although I could take no credit for the amiable mood, it worked to my benefit and I could do no wrong.
Boston Chinatown was my next destination, and the excitement was in the air. I’ve been attending this Chinatown Main Street event in the China Trade Center for enough years now that I have annual families who come looking for me! It’s a great feeling and motivates me to bring a good array of different crafts each year. Nothing compares with being in Chinatown, and on the sparkling, mild day with Mayor Wu making the remarks, the crowds seemed the largest in several years, enjoying the events, lion dances, restaurants, and fireworks.
I wrapped up my event schedule with the CAFAM Lunar New Year celebration in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. It fell on the Lantern Festival holiday, always the last day of Lunar New Year, which offered a perfect bookend with the full day of speakers, food, crafts, activities and (yet another) stunning performance by Chinese Folk Art Workshop. The kids loved being invited on stage after the show to meet the performers almost as much as the performance, itself!
So circling back, I can report I did end up finding some winter diversions…. no knitting but I constructed those cute aforementioned lantern garlands. No winter slow cooker (although better-late-than-never corned beef and cabbage is simmering now), but I’ve been testing the new air fryer that my family gave me for Christmas. No great Mandarin progress, but I was able to enjoy social environments where Mandarin was spoken and I could hope for osmosis, and no skiing (well, surely the lack of New England snow this year is not my fault), but I did skate a few blissful loops on our local ice.
Now we are talking spring. My beautiful daughter will celebrate her 22nd birthday soon and will be graduating from college. I am meeting wonderful people through my advocacy work to help get through these tough months of national politics and increasing world conflict. And yes, I will continue to feed my creativity by designing more cultural crafts, while also getting my hand back with some painting in gouache. Art has always been a soothing antidote for stress and worry, and I feel I have some ideas I need to bring to life. The full symphony of the new season will not arrive in Maine for a few more weeks but I’ve seen some green nubs and a couple of bright crocuses poking up in my yard. A tiny whisper that there are good things to come.
What an enjoyable and fulfilling season (or two) it has been for Lucky Bamboo Crafts! Back when the warm breezes were still blowing, I learned how to paddle with a dragon boat team. Yes, you heard me right, and it was special for many reasons; the expert instruction, the group of “learners” I got to paddle with, and the stunning day we took to Lake Pennesseewassee in Norway Maine. Best of all, we were in our own Maine dragon boat, the first ever to “live” in this state thanks to the Maine Dragon Boat Club.
Dragon boat new paddlers, Norway, MaineDragon boat – lots of laughs and exercise
Common Ground Fair was a September highlight. So, what does it have to do with Chinese crafts? Well along with it being my favorite day of the year, it is a celebration of community, diversity, sustainability, and most of all, makers! Whether it’s growing vegetables, spinning yarn, fermenting cabbage, carving a wooden spoon, singing an original song, or painting a landscape, this celebration of the creative spirit is a special gift here in Maine. I always come home inspired by the craft exhibitors and demos and am reminded of how proud I am to be a maker.
Common Ground Fair 2023, Unity, MaineMerrill Memorial Library, Yarmouth, Maine
On to Mid-Autumn Moon Festival! I offered a lantern workshop at our local Merrill Memorial Library, one of my very favorite places. The children’s program staff was so supportive and excited to host Lucky Bamboo Crafts and the kids had so many great ideas for adding their own touches and bling to their lanterns! Some of the visitors did not know about the Chinese Mid-Autumn Moon Festival and we enjoyed educating them and sharing the legends since our event actually fell on this year’s holiday, September 29th.
Merrill Memorial Library busy crafterMerrill Memorial Library activity atrium
Seems lanterns were big at my recent events. I even coined them a lantern “flight”, just like the microbreweries offer with their samplings. (Hopefully this comparison will classify me as not completely unhip?) One positive of having been “around” for a while, is I’ve worked with so many different designs and can offer something for everyone. Lanterns never go out of fashion in Chinese culture since they are the anchor for so many historical celebrations and are a great vehicle for creative expression so it was fun to offer many variations.
Next up, the CAFAM Mid-Autumn Moon Festival was a lovely opportunity to connect with the community over delicious food, and of course, lots of mooncakes! We heard remarks from the energized, new CAFAM president, Bob Poole, and we even enjoyed a performance from a professional Chinese opera singer in our organization.
Traditional mooncakes offered at CAFAM eventChang’e and Jade Rabbit puppets
The Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine was my next stop for Moon Festival activities. If anyone local has not yet visited their amazing new site, go! The education staff there is engaged, warm, and wonderful and I had so much fun sharing Chang’e and Jade Rabbit puppets in the MakerSpace with my new designs.
Jen DeCristoforo sharing puppet-making at CMTMNolan – CMTM educator extraordinaire
I capped off my Fall events with the Maine Chinese Conference. The Bangor Chinese teaching and learning community is as active as ever, and this year they were having a special ribbon-cutting ceremony for their new early learner institute. I was invited to give a lantern-making demo session to the teens and kids that were attending which was fun and lively. The conference speakers’ messages of unity and peace while forging increased friendship and collaboration between the US and China were certainly timely and inspirational.
Ribbon-cutting at Maine Chinese ConferenceJen DeCristoforo at Maine Chinese Conference
No sooner did I pack up my Moon Festival crafts but I started planning for Lunar New Year 2024. I’ve already scheduled some crafting events for ‘Year ofthe Dragon’, and although I’ve stepped down from CAFAM leadership I will likely be a guest author, crafter and help organize one of the most popular activity areas. The CAFAM organization is still the biggest Chinese cultural org in Maine, and I have so many good friends through my long association with them.
So enough about me. How are you? Amidst a world of difficult crises and a country teetering, are you finding a safe space for yourself, your family, and your friends to live beautifully? It’s a balance and a constant challenge, I know, but I find if I stay creative, remember kindness, surround myself with good people, and speak up (and do actual work) for positive solutions, I can achieve daily calm and happiness. And when it all gets to be too much, we can always take a break and make a lantern. Stay in touch!
I am so pleased to share the news of reaching 10 years (young) with my book and Lucky Bamboo Crafts activities and events. Many told me when I first published it, that one of the attributes was being “evergreen” for the user with the projects and information between the covers. Of course, that also applies to the strength and longevity of bamboo. When I originally started gathering ideas and testing crafts, my daughter was a young child. Now she is a rising senior in college, which seems inconceivable, but here we are. She continues to be my biggest source of inspiration, even if as a young adult, her world is so much wider than Chinese culture. But my theme remains evergreen… learning about and experiencing all world cultures is a wonderful way to spend our time and allows us to be the best citizens and stewards of this planet we call home.
I hope you will continue to keep Lucky Bamboo Book of Crafts in your thoughts and tell others about the book. It is still available on Amazon, Nataraj Books (my fulfillment partner), and of course directly from me off my website. I also continue to schedule crafting dates at events, educational settings, and workshops.
Most of all, I want to thank YOU for being on this publishing journey with me. The people I’ve met and the experiences I have had along the way have enriched my life. And seeing a child’s face light up as a little maker….. well, you know…. it constantly recharges my passion for crafting and teaching.
As I look to Fall, the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival will be a busy time for events, friends, and celebrating the harvest season. Please check back to the calendar for details and remember to also keep Chinese crafts and culture on your radar for the upcoming school year.
For now, enjoy every drop of summer that you can. That’s certainly my game plan.
Well, here we go into the Year of the Rabbit. I’ve celebrated with a New Year’s dinner I hosted for some cherished friends, and participated in wonderful Lunar New Year festivals from Maine to Boston. I decorated my home in red and gold and auspicious displays. Now it’s time to ease into a more tranquil time with the cold, overcast skies and bare trees of winter. It’s peaceful and nice. I’ve taken down the decorations and put away the craft bins. The rabbit is a year of yin, emphasizing the importance of rest. We are encouraged to tread softly, touch our emotions gently, and make decisions and actions with slow deliberation, not haste, to bring long-term success. I can get on board with that.
Our Maine organization CAFAM put on a great event after the covid hiatus of previous years. We could have done without a (-40) degree wind chill the eve and day of, but since here in Maine, we are either insane or hardy (probably a bit of both), we went ahead with plans. The highlight was a dazzling performance by Chinese Folk Art Workshop, a group of young performers and their volunteer mentors. They were exquisite. We also offered demos, Chinese food, workshops and exhibitors. I had to dust off my bins and get crafting, and was pleased to not only share Lucky Bamboo Book of Crafts, but design and organize all the craft make-and-takes. Lots of rabbit fun!
There is nothing that compares to being in Chinatown during the Lunar New Year. I traveled to Boston to oversee the craft station at the China Trade Center. I had wonderful volunteer teens from the area that put in a long day of paper and glue, and I loved being part of the noise and festivities as the lion dancers game through with their clatter and shake. Afterward, I packed up my crafts and had a stroll all around Chinatown in the late afternoon, watching storefronts still being blessed, firecrackers igniting with their sparks and fragrant smoke, and lions doing their ceremonial munching on lettuce heads. The perfect end to the day was a steaming soup noodle bowl at a cozy little Taiwanese restaurant. Then I headed back up north with a happy heart and warm belly.
Now I shift to other projects and plans, but the glow of the Lunar New Year is sure to sustain me with a positive spirit. And I hope to find tranquility in each late winter day.
Hello to my crafty friends and Chinese culture devotees. The Maine foliage is turning golden brown, and the mornings are frosty. But the summer and autumn have been productive and pretty darn nice. I attended lots of fairs and festivals, saw many people at long last, and started shoring up plans for Lucky Bamboo Crafts 2023. Armed with my millionth covid vaccine, I’m enjoying a somewhat more normal life while being still saddened by the losses so many have encountered.
I participated in the CAFAM Mid-Autumn Moon Festival wearing both my board member hat and Lucky Bamboo Crafts hat. We gathered with friends old and new, sang, ate moon cakes, and enjoyed the stunning location overlooking the iconic Portland Headlight. I brought an array of make-and-take crafts including lanterns and chopstick cases.
I also exhibited with Lucky Bamboo Crafts at the Maine Chinese Conference in Bangor last week. I had not gathered with this robust Chinese culture org and language school since 2019 and they offered a day of language immersion lectures and strategy workshops to educators. It was lovely chatting about integrating craft projects with language learning, and there was a delicious chef-prepared lunch in the program. I was glad to get Lucky Bamboo Book of Crafts into some new hands, and educators are my favorites!
Jing Zhang & Jen DeCristoforo
With the current tense climate between the US and China fueled by business interests, security, and the ongoing struggle regarding Taiwan, the conference was a lovely respite. It focused on collaboration, shared international interests, and strengthening our friendship and bond between the two countries. Bangor Chinese School also continues to send local American students to China on scholarship and runs a Dragon Camp every summer.
So where are my efforts pointing now? At these Fall events, I was reminded of how creativity and multiculturalism touch everything we do. There is so much that can be taught and so much to learn. I will of course start planning for Lunar New Year on January 22, 2023, as we welcome the Year of the Rabbit. But I’m also looking for smaller ways to connect with great people and exciting projects that promote Chinese culture and help my creative energies to flourish. That sounds vague, and it is. But the wide open space feels good right now.
Spring has sprung! We are waking up in Maine as the weather gradually gets milder, the grass gets greener, and we look ahead to a busy summer. Lucky Bamboo Crafts has been waking up as well.
This was a big month for our local organization, Chinese & American Friendship Association of Maine, especially after the two years of curtailed activity and events. We had a lovely Dragon Boat Festival (端午节) Potluck recently at Portland Headlight. It was a foggy, cool day but our site was perfect for old and new friends to gather, connect and take part in a delicious Chinese meal. We also had authentic zongzi (粽子) to celebrate the occasion which was a special treat.
For crafts, I brought dragon boats with paddles and also incense sachets which was a new design. I loved seeing crafters young and old wearing the sachets around their necks following the tradition of keeping evil away and protecting health. This was also my last CAFAM event as president which felt impactful, but I know it is time, and was lucky to have personal friends and family attend to share the day with me. My daughter is back home from college for the summer and I am giddy with happiness to have her underfoot.
I plan on bringing Lucky Bamboo Crafts to the Riverfront Recapture Dragon Boat and Asian Festival in August in Hartford which is always a wonderful cultural event. My crafts array at the recent Portland event gives me a good head start for coming up with some fun ideas for the Hartford festival which is on a much larger scale. And the races will be back. Paddles up!
Beyond daily life, I find myself looking for hope on a lot of fronts. Since I started penning this post, tragedy has been on all our minds as gun violence over and over robs us of peace and happiness and communities across this country are destroyed in the blink of an eye. As always, I am committed with intense determination to work toward common sense gun laws. Even when it feels hopeless I need to have hope. And other top-of-mind issues of our basic rights being stripped away weigh heavily. Having a 20-year old daughter starting her adulthood in this mess is painful.
Let’s all do what we can. There are so many ways to help, join an org, be a voice, or just pass along some kindness. Yes, the darkness takes over a lot these days but I try to let hope have the main stage. Wishing you a great season ahead, exploring your creativity, embracing many cultures, and don’t forget the fun.
