How to make your own handmade Christmas Crackers

HELP CHRISTMAS GO WITH A BANG...

If you have time to make your own Christmas Crackers it is well worth it to have something beautiful and unique to add to your table on Christmas Day..or any special day for that matter.

The beauty of making your own Crackers is that you get to choose the design to fit any décor and occasion and also to suit your guests. You can use the crackers as place setting too by adding a tag to write a name on.

And if you don't have the time or the motivation to make your own then you can always buy a box of my handmade crackers :... which as you will see have handmade stained glass gifts inside too. Every cracker is unique.

I have used little hand~painted stained glass gifts in my crackers.

Each one is different and made by me :)

If you'd like to order a box please email me:

rachael-3sisters@outlook.com

But if you want to make your own here's an idea of how to do it.

This is just the way I do it and you may have different ideas of your own. You will certainly have your own ideas on decoration and little gifts.

Here's what I used:

THE STUFF:

1. Small Gifts ( I have used stained glass danglies with animals on, that I make- & chocolate mints)

2. Cardboard Tubes (Kitchen Rolls cut in half - seemed more hygienic to me than toilet rolls)

one for each cracker

3.Crepe paper

( four different colours) cut into strips that will fit around the kitchen roll with a cm overlap for sticking. cut the strips the width of the tube length.

4. Tissue paper. Different colours. ( or paper that will 'break' easily when pulled)

Cut into lengths that will wrap around the cardboard tube and overhang the ends ( for pulling) by about the same length of the cardboard tube each side.

5. Thinner strips ( about 4cm ) of pretty paper for decoration. Mine is hand painted but you can use wrapping paper if you don't paint.

6. Scissors

7. Double sided sticky tape ( like all good BluePeter makes! :))

8. Raffia or ribbon for tie-ing the ends. I've used gold and green raffia cut into 30cm lengths.

9.tags for writing names on. I have used star shaped card and raffia for tie-ing.

10. Paper hats ( one for each cracker)

11. Snappers ( one for each cracker)

12. Terrible jokes ( one for each cracker)

13. paper glue ( I used pritt stick for ease of use)

14. Small guaze bags to put all the little things in to go inside crackers.

15. Ruler

16. Gold ink and stamp- for decorating tissue paper

I addition to this stuff I also had boxes with a label lined with tissue. I put four crackers in each. Nice to do if you giving a box as a gift.You could decorate lavishly to match your crackers :)

raffia ribbon

chocolate mints..be careful not to eat them all like I did and have to buy some more!

crepe paper

my hand painted strips

roll of double sided sticky tape- it's fiddly to use but still neater than using cellotape

HOW TO MAKE THE CRACKERS:

I'm assuming now that you have cut your tissue paper, crepe paper and decorative strips into the right size pieces to fit around your tube. And that you have cut your ribbon or raffia into 30 cm lengths...

and that you have filled your little gauze bags...

1. Decorate the edges of your tissue paper. I used gold ink and a snowflake stamp. This edge is the bit that will be held to pull the cracker. Give the ink time to dry...

2.Insert your gauze gift bags (full of your gifts, hat, joke and chocolate coin/mint)

and the snapper into the cardboard tube.

3. Glue on the tissue paper around the tube so that you have enough overhanging each end to tie and hold on to when you pull the cracker. You can use the double sided sticky tape if you prefer.

4. Tie the end with your ribbon, making sure you catch the snapper in the tie and that your gifts haven't fallen out and vanished under your settee...

Trust me it's much easier to tie the end up before you add the other decorative paper.

5. Now stick on your pretty stuff...crepe paper, patterned paper strips, tags...whatever you like..I found the double sided tape gave the neatest look and was strong enough to hold the thickest paper.
Have fun with this bit. It's what will give your crackers individuality and personality.

You can use decorated papers, beads and glitter and paper leaves, faux berries..gingerbread men..whatever the Christmas Elf in your Wonderland mind desires :)