Description
Story ~
Yūrei (幽霊) are figures in Japanese folklore analogous to the Western model of ghosts. The name consists of two kanji, 幽 (yū), meaning "faint" or "dim" and 霊 (rei), meaning "soul" or "spirit".
According to traditional Japanese beliefs, all humans have a spirit or soul called a 霊魂 (reikon). When a person dies, the reikon leaves the body and enters a form of purgatory, where it waits for the proper funeral and post-funeral rites to be performed so that it may join its ancestors. If this is done correctly, the reikon is believed to be a protector of the living family and to return yearly in August during the Obon Festival to receive thanks.
Difficulty
Type
Build Time
- Access to a printer
- Colored cardstock:
Option A: Print directly on cardstock *
Colored cardstock (US letter-size or A4), 4 white sheets and 1 red sheet (or any 2 colors of your choosing).
Option B: The transfer method **
- 5 sheets of US letter-size or A4 printer paper.
- Sheets of large colored cardstock or chipboard *
- A glue stick or spray adhesive. - Glue: (A strong glue stick, i.e. Pritt or Double Sides Adhesive Roller/Tap Runner) ***
- Ruler, Craft Knife, and 2mm Embossing Stylus (scoring tool)
- Substitutes for the Embossing Stylus: A bone folder, butter knife, or a non-working ballpoint pen. - Hole puncher and one 10" elastic string (or two 18" ribbons)
* Recommend: 80 lb to 100 lb (216 - 271 gsm) cardstock on templates and 65 lb (176 gsm) cardstock on decoration.
** The Transfer Method
Print all templates on regular printer paper. Trim the templates to the approximate size, and then glue the trimmed templates to the heavy cardstock paper (or thin chipboard). Your printed templates will end up on the inside of the finished item. Make sure the templates are well bonded to the card.
***
Use glue with a fast curing time so you don’t have to wait for parts to dry before continuing.