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Linda is back again with her annual extravagant Chinese New Year decorations.

Since 2017, the Bedok resident's yearly festive decorations have spreading a lot of festive joy among her neighbours.

Year of the Ox

This year is extra special to Linda as it is her zodiac year.

Her chosen theme revolves around the year of the ox and mountain pomegranate ("Shan Shi Liu").

Linda decided to feature grass to match with the ox theme, and chose mountain pomegranates for their symbolism of good luck in the Chinese culture.

Visitors are greeted by two large boards adorned with auspicious greetings, cow motifs, and flowers upon reaching the lift lobby.

In addition, Linda has also stuck decorative stickers of cows, flowers, ornaments, and 福 (fú, symbolising good luck) on the walls near the stairwell.

Cow standees and cow plushies sitting on wood stumps greet visitors from every corner with branches of mountain pomegranate fruits and flowers sprouting along the walls.

You may recognise the 12 brown cow plushies along her corridor from Ikea.

The fairy lights further enhance the viewing experience at night.

The ceiling is not neglected either, displaying red lanterns, flowers, and fairy lights.

Preparation

In a phone interview with Mothership,  Linda shared that she had started her preparations since December 2020.

She had placed orders for some decorations on Taobao with her son's help.

Due to the pandemic, she had chosen not to go to Chinatown to source for materials.

Instead, she searched for the materials she needed from a wide range of places including Ikea, Art Friend, Spotlight, Daiso, Japan Home, and an Yishun warehouse.

She also incorporated recycled items in her design this year.

Relying strongly on her handicraft skills, Linda had to cut and stick the grass mats manually and sustained a small cut on her hand in the process.

Linda disclosed that she spent two weeks setting up, even engaging the help of someone to install the lights.

As finishing touches, she purchased fresh flowers yesterday (Feb. 10) for her masterpiece that was finally completed last evening.

According to Linda, she had spent around S$700 to S$800 in total on the decorations, with the most expensive components being the flowers and grass that amounted to over S$200.

This year was a bit challenging for Linda as she disclosed that she struggled to come up with the theme and ideas for this year.

Motivation

Linda's decorations have received much praise from her friends and neighbours around her such that they often encouraged her to submit pictures of her work in competitions.

However, that is not the main motivation behind her dedication to her craft.

Linda shared that she truly enjoys the process of decorating and feels heartened knowing that everyone around her also appreciates her efforts.

A memorable incident that she recalled from 2017 was a visit paid by an Indian man who had travelled all the way from Jurong to her flat in Bedok just to admire the decorations.

Despite the expenses, hard work, and risk of injury, hearing that her decorations bring joy to others fuels her motivation to continue to deck out her corridor area every year.

Top images by Linda.