Thursday, December 8, 2011

Christmas Crackers the party version.

Required Supplies and Equipment

  • Wrapping paper (cut to 7.5 x 12 inches) -- crackers made with lighter weight papers will tear apart easier when pulled.
  • Stiffener ends (cut into 2.25 x 7 inches -- use 60-70 weight white card stock, such as 67# Exact Vellum Bristol.
  • Fortunes, jokes or riddles.
  • Cracker snaps.
  • Paper hats.
  • Small gifts or novelty items (at least one per cracker).
  • Cracker rollers (1 pair).
  • Cardboard tubes (2 x 4 inches).
  • Low temperature glue gun.
  • Scissors.
  • Curling ribbon.

Make Your Own Christmas Cracker


Step by Step Directions
1 -- Insert rollers into ends of cardboard tube (if fit between tube and roller is not snug enough, add a little masking tape to smaller (red) end of roller).

Make Your Own Christmas Cracker

Make Your Own Christmas Cracker

2 -- Lay roller-tube assembly on back of wrapping paper making certain tube is centered across length of paper. Apply a small drop of glue from glue gun to bottom middle edge of paper and roll tube back over glue.
Make Your Own Christmas Cracker
3 -- Place snap under front (leading) edge of roller-tube assembly, making certain snap is centered across length of paper.
Make Your Own Christmas Cracker
4 -- Roll paper onto roller-tube assembly to within a half inch or so of paper's end. Make certain paper rolls evenly (straight) onto tube.
Make Your Own Christmas Cracker
5 -- With glue gun, run a narrow bead of glue along back of paper about a quarter inch in from top edge. Roll paper over glue keeping glued seam pressed against work surface for several seconds to allow glue to harden (placement of glue bead may have to be adjusted slightly inward if glue flows out of seam onto outer surface of wrapping paper).
Make Your Own Christmas Cracker

6 -- While holding paper cylinder in middle (one hand grasping cardboard tube), remove roller from each end of cylinder.

Make Your Own Christmas Cracker

Make Your Own Christmas Cracker

7 -- Roll stiffener end into slightly smaller diameter cylinder than cracker and insert into end of cracker until even with outer edge. Do not cover snap during this procedure -- it must remain free in end of cracker.

Make Your Own Christmas Cracker

8 -- Spread stiffener out firmly against inside wall of cracker end and glue into place with glue gun.

9 -- Repeat step 8 on other end of cracker.

Make Your Own Christmas Cracker

10 -- Using thumb and forefinger, crimp (gather) one end of cracker between tube and reinforced (stiffened) end.

Make Your Own Christmas Cracker

11 -- Securely tie a 10 - 12 inch length of curling ribbon onto the gather of the cracker using a double knot. Then clip off the loose ribbon ends.

Make Your Own Christmas Cracker

12 -- Insert gifts/messages into open end of the cracker. The fillable central part of the cracker measures 2 inches in diameter by 4 inches in length. Your items must fit comfortably into this space in order for the cracker to be closed and finished. When filling your crackers, make certain you do not push the cracker snap into the center of the cracker.

13 -- Repeat steps 11 and 12 for open end of cracker.

Make Your Own Christmas Cracker
14 -- Check the finished end of the cracker to make certain the snap is located near the outer rim of the cracker and not too far down into the cylinder. Reposition with fingers as necessary.

Your cracker is now finished and ready to be shared with your party guests.

Make Your Own Christmas Cracker

Some practice is usually required to make a consistently well-wrapped and formed cracker. Techniques such as the one described above using solid core centers, rollers, and stiffened ends have been found by many people to be among the easiest methods for making nice looking crackers. Other techniques and directions for making your own party crackers can be found at the following web addresses:

http://www.oldenglishcrackers.com/make-your-own-crackers.htm

I found this site which explains very clearly how to make our English Crackers. Everyone who has ever gone to England at Christmas will be familiar with the good olde English Cracker. As a child many of us will remember getting a party hat and a joke. We even had little crackers on the tree. The gifts inside really are up to you.
Wishing you lots of Tasty English Delights
There's always room for one more.

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