The Garlic Tree at Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year is next Friday, so I've decorated for the occasion, with the update on 8th January providing a great selection of items for celebrating the year of the horse. Further to this, I've also used up a lot of gems to formulate two completely new sections to my restaurant. So let me give you a tour of The Garlic Tree in it's current guise...

So as I did for Halloween and Christmas, I gave my foyer area a makeover for Chinese New Year:

Chinese New Year themed section of The Garlic Tree

The Dragon Dance was the final prize in the goals, and quite a prize at that. As ever I love having characters placed in the diner, and the dragon is so well designed. Plus the shadow underneath it really helps make it feel substantial. The fact it's 3x3 in size is ideal for me too, as this meant I didn't have to increase the width of my foyer to accomodate it.

The same goes for the 3x1 sized Chinese Archway. By comparison this floor decoration is a bit small. You'd expect it to be towering over the punters, but instead they could probably hurdle it. When next to the Dragon Dance this proportional irregularity is emphasised further. It's a shame because it could be a classic piece, but instead it's kind of lost.

But have no fear because the Good Fortune Floor Tiles are perfect. Their use of red and yellow like the rest of the content allows a smooth blend, and thus I'm able to get a perfectly matching section. So often I find that a good floor tile can make all the difference in turning a good theme into a great one.

Since the Chinese table also makes use of red and yellow I felt obliged to drop a couple of them in the vacant space against the wall, even though I don't usually include tables in my foyer. And this also helped cover up the bottom of the Fireworks Celebration wallpaper. The reason I needed to do this is because the Red Curtains I used on either side to create a window effect don't come all the way down to the floor whereas the wallpaper obviously does. That probably doesn't make any sense to you, but it does to me!

To round off my foyer, I've brought out the Red Pattern wallpaper as it is the only red wallpaper we have for coins. With some Chinese Lanterns draped around the walls, the whole section looks well dressed to see in Chinese New Year.

And I've also made some subtle alterations to my centerpiece in the main eating area:

Jade Dragon as the centerpiece of The Garlic Tree

The Jade Dragon was the final goal prize in the Asian goals last year, and seemed a good choice to complement the Dragon Dance. I'll let you decide if the two dragons are friends, siblings, love interests or rivals! Since this dragon is also 3x3, I had to fill the gap on the front two sides of the 4x4 space, so purchased some Chinese Lantern Plants, a decoration which is readily available. At 15,000 coins each, those set me back a lot of coins on their own!

And to burn an even greater hole in my pocket, I decided to exchange my Wooden Pillars for Modern Asian Columns. These cost 42,000 coins each, so he who was saving for an expansion is no longer!

As alluded to already, I've not only decked out for Chinese New Year but also introduced some new themed sections. The Steampunk and Retro Diner areas (two of my favourites) have been wheeled out for a stay, while two new sections have popped up, mainly as a result of lots of leftover gems from the Christmas sale that never was. Here's the first:

New musical section of The Garlic Tree

I've pondered a Musical theme for a long time since there is a wide range of relevant content. The Musical update in September added to my temptation and I've finally decided to compose a symphony. Most of the items here are from said update, with the chart topper being the gigantic Instrument Display.

Award of Instrument Display from Melody Box

As an exceptionally detailed second prize in the Melody Box (only the second time I've ever won a second prize), I should be delighted to get my hands on such an imposing decoration for 24 gems, yet I've got a couple of gripes. The first is that the display is truly colossal. As you can see it is actually taller than my walls! This means that I'm a bit limited on where I can place it as if I'm not careful it will obscure other parts of the restaurant.

The second problem is that it doesn't match the rest of my Musical content. Everything else is black and white and combines brilliantly. The Musical Couch is a great buy for coins while the Note Statue fits the corner nicely. Then there's the Musical Tables and Musical Chairs. The tables were 2 gems each, but were absolutely necessary to achieve the matching decor. And to have it all on a Musical Notes floor of the same tone brings everything together, except the Instrument Display...

Moving on from my frankly appalling complaints about getting a second prize in a box, I've also installed a Beach section:

New Beach section of The Garlic Tree

Once again this is a theme I've craved for a long time. I really shook out my gem bag for this area with plenty of quality items as possibilities for inclusion. The Zen Sand costs 1 gem per tile, and I've bought 24 of them, but it was really the only option to truly capture the seaside experience. Just like with the Good Fortune Floor Tiles, the right flooring can enhance an area so much.

Another 24 gems were naturally exchanged for a dip in a box. I had the choice of either the Island Chest or the Beach Resort Box. As much as I liked the first and second prizes for the latter, I wasn't keen on the lower prizes, which inevitably I was more likely win. So the Island Chest it was, and here was the result:

Award of Parrot Tree from Island Chest

The Parrot Tree is a world away from the Instrument Display! I was disheartened at first to get a 1x1 item, but this fella has grown on me. Adding a little sister perched on the Rainforest Vines has helped make the Parrot Tree feel at home. He overlooks the Hawaiian Tables and Coconut Chairs, all of which were gem purchases but are pieces that I really love. In all honesty I was dreaming of obtaining the Tropical Fruit Bar from the Island Chest (a second prize) as it is the perfect match for the Hawaiian Tables, so maybe I'll take another gamble at some point...

Elsewhere the Potted Palm at 10 gems completes my premium buys, while the Anchor Sign and Coral Flowers fill out the other corners of the area. My one problem is with the wallpaper - currently the Sunflower wallpaper is providing the backdrop, but it doesn't really remind me of the beach. What I'd really like is something along the lines of the Boardwalk Sunset wallpaper in Bakery Story, for coins of course!

That wraps up the tour. But I'll be packing up the Chinese New Year decorations next week, so no doubt there'll be something else to show off before too long - hopefully something very romantic...