Recently the lovely folks at CartridgeSave have produced a great range of ‘How To’ guides to help you get crafty this Christmas. Head over here to find instructions and templates for making your own Christmas crackers or angels, tree decorations or wreaths and see what you can rustle up with the kids now school is out. They are also running a competition to win £500 of Amazon vouchers for sharing your homemade crackers so I thought I’d take you through the ones I have made this year.
The first step is to cut your toilet rolls to size. I suggest a whole one for the middle and one cut in half for each end. Lay them on the edge of your paper (I suggest Christmas wrapping paper as it is thin enough to tear easily) and secure with a little sticky tape.
Roll up your cracker and gently start to crease the paper between the rolls adding any prizes, hats etc after twisting the first side.
Secure the twists with some coordinating string or wool. I love this festive coloured bakers twine but I’ve also used some pretty green wool.
Poke the ‘snap’ all the way through and secure with a little bit of tape at each end.
Decorate the outside of the cracker with whatever you fancy. For this one I’ve used a rectangle of fairly heavy craft card in the middle with a little stick on dove embellishment and then a length of coordinating ribbon on each end. Obviously, you can go mad at this point with whatever crafty bits and pieces you have around. You could use tinsel or add name labels to mark everyone’s place at the table. Don’t feel they all have to be identical, a variety based around a colour them looks particularly nice.
Here’s a close up of a couple I have made. The other used used a different paper round the middle and white punched snowflakes on the edges. Making them has definitely got me feeling festive so I’m off to CartridgeSave to check out their decoration tutorial. Care to join me?
anna says
they came out so well! looks like a fun craft, i have never tried making my own!
Cat Parrott says
Thanks Anna, it was fun. I’d definitely recommend giving it a go as I think they’ll be a lovely personal touch on the dinner table.
Sarah - Boo Roo and Tigger Too says
You wouldn’t believe the moaning I was doing about crackers the other day. Why do they come with complete tat inside? These look so straightforward to make I must give them a go this weekend.
Cat Parrott says
Absolutley, so much nicer to pick some little treats and sweets yourself.
Emma says
They are lovely… A useful post for those of us that can’t buy them where they live! We made them one year, but couldn’t find any snaps, so just had to shout bang when we pulled them. Not quite the same… 😀
Cat Parrott says
Ha ha, but full marks for effort Emma!
Actually Mummy... says
Love these – get so fed up of all the tat that comes out of crackers – I’d much rather fill them myself
Cat Parrott says
Yes much nicer than a pile of random bits of plastic bits that just hang around the house afterwards. Making them means you can make the gift fit the person as well. I notice miniature bottles of spirits fit nicely…just a thought…
Sonya Cisco says
Oooh! Will get the kids on this next week!
Cat Parrott says
Great, it’s a fab way to pass a chilly winter afternoon.
becky says
fab post. where are the snaps from?
Cat Parrott says
Thanks Becky, mine came in a craft pack I was sent but there are lots here: Snaps