The hot and balmy weather in KL right now is certainly a sign that Chinese New Year 2016 is just around the corner. In the stifling heat, it is also the time to start up our ovens to make peanut cookies, or make kuih kapit in the backyard, or heat up the oil to deep fry kuih bunga. Times to enjoy with family and friends as we get ready for the big reunion.

As a creative, we’re always trying to give something unique and cool, something that is out of the traditional CNY hampers or boring red packets, so I thought I would round up some special CNY items our local artists in KL are doing.

1. Prosperity Bunch Personalized Tees

Image by Black Milk Project

You could order the tees for your whole family, inclusive of matching angpow envelopes! Hurry though, their closing date for CNY purchases is 29th January.

2. Cherrie’s Bake Pineapple Square With Salted Egg Yolk 

Image by Cherrie’s Bake

What a brilliant idea, Cherrie’s Bake came up with the idea of pineapple squares with salted egg yolk, the perfect balance between saltiness and sweetness. Now available at The Red Cherry for a limited time. We also cannot help but notice the amazing packaging they offer, certainly a far cry from those typical hampers you see in supermarkets. Delivery service is available as well.

3. Sereni & Shentel Lucky Red Collection

Image by Sereni & Shentel

Sereni & Shentel‘s Lucky Red Collection this year features unique gold headbands and red fascinators if you feel like making a statement at the reunion this year. These are made by a team of best friends Sereni Linggi and Shentel Lee who makes whimsical hair accessories for the playful and brave at heart. I could see myself in one of these for Melbourne Cup!

4. Tinypinc Miniature CNY Cookies

How can you not squeal with delight every time you see Hooi Yin‘s designs, so tiny, and yet so much detail! She has made some cool cookie platters for CNY, but do check out her Etsy store or better, visit her pop-up shop in Publika. I’m eyeing the ice kacang necklace!

5. The Alphabet Press Artisanal Angpow

Image by The Alphabet Press

Trust The Alphabet Press to come up with something cool for their CNY packets. You can also customize your names onto it, the ultimate luxury of personalized angpow packets.

6. Twenty3 CNY Lin Collection

Images by Twenty3

Local fashion label Twenty3, started by Sherlyn Tan when she was just 23 boasts an enviable collection of CNY outfits. I’m talking about modern CNY outfits, check out the culotte jumpsuit!

7. Angpow Organizer By Midnight Seamstress

Image by Midnight Seamstress

The last thing you want to do at CNY is to give the wrong angpow to the wrong kid. Rubber bands are unsightly, and talk about the pressure when those little eyes are looking up at you expectantly! Midnight Seamstress is to the rescue with an angpow organizer, fret no more and be the cool aunty (cough, sister I mean). She does customization too, just PM her fore more details!

There we go, Happy Chinese New Year 2016! If you have found any other Chinese New Year items that are creative, feel free to share!