Thursday, December 29, 2011

Oh Christmas Crackers! Oh Christmas Crackers!


So here is my DIY Christmas Crackers inspired by the lovely ones 
my coworker make a few weeks back!
Things you will need :
-Empty Toilet Paper Rolls (as many as you need actual crackers + 1)
-Wrapping Paper
-Ribbon
-Scissors and Tape
-All your cracker presents!
-Construction Paper (for jokes)
-Confetti (a hand help hole puncher is handy!)
-Coloured tissue paper if you want to make crowns

First :
         Take your wrapping paper (I chose Rudolph the red nose reindeer wrapping paper), and cut it to size of the toilet paper roll plus half on each side. The take it extra roll that you have and cut it in half. Stuff one half into either end of cracker you are wrapping. and tie off only one end for now. *This is to prevent the ends from deflating from their lovely round shape as you tie them :)
 (Watching a great Christmas movie, like Scrooged, is essential for making good crackers!)
 My lovely model and Elf helper Karina!
Second :


          I chose to make tissue paper crowns, and write out silly/dirty short Christmas jokes for my crackers which are not necessary but are crowd pleasers for sure! I did this and omitted the use of actual "cracker sparklers" (which I have been told that you can buy at local crafts stores...). For making the crowns I just measured out my head with the tissue paper, cut, and then taped the ends together, and cut them into crown shapes... really really simple, and really rewarding for the overall appeal of the crackers.


            For the jokes, I just grabbed some off of the Internet (as I have never really been one for the "punch line jokes"), and wrote them out on colourful paper, cut with snazzy scissors! Again, easy peasy!
            One of my favorite jokes...
                  
                 Q : Why is Santa Claus always so happy?
                 A : Because he has a list of where all the naughty girls live! 
  
Hahahahaha!!! Sometimes I crack myself up!

Third : 

            Stuff your crackers with all your lovely goodies! I personalized my Christmas crackers with gifts from my store. For example all the guys got pull back VW cars/vans, and all the girls got either spinning tops, flip books, mini pencil crayons, finger puppets, buttons, or adorable mini erasers! 
            All of my crackers got stickers (because they are cost effective and lets face it, who doesn't love stickers), so I slipped the stickers, tissue hats and jokes, along the side of the crackers then popped in the toys, confetti, and voila you have the inside of your crackers! I also added a bit of extra tissue paper at the ends of the crackers so that the confetti didn't spill out and spoil the surprise! And I also glitter bombed my sister in her cracker.... because well that's just the kinda sister I am ;) 
            *Note : If you do choose to use confetti or glitter, please remember to tell your loved ones not to open their crackers over their dinner plates!

Fourth :

                 Use the same method as you did to tie your first end, to tie up the other. Then if you so choose to personalize your crackers you may label them now (granted I did all my crackers one at a time so I would know whose was whose). 
                I love how my crackers turned out, and my family, and friends on Christmas eve really appreciated all the work that end into each one, as they came right from the heart! Sorry I couldn't post them before Christmas, but I wanted to keep them as a surprise for my family. Although feel free to use this DIY the next time any family dinner comes up, who needs to have an excuse to make crackers full of love and good will :)

Here are some other photos from our night of making crackers!

Knitting breaks are a must!


Lastly Thank you to my lovely best friend 
Karina for her help with these crackers,
and creative inspiration <3


Merry Belated Christmas To you All 
And To all a good night!
Love Britt
xoxoxoxoxoxo etc...

UPDATE!
I forgot to add the pictures of us opening them :)

You can tell that the top one is my sisters because of all the glitter :P


And with all our hats :)


Sunday, December 18, 2011

Winter Terrarium

         With Christmas only a week away, I thought there was no better way to bring on the holiday than with some joyous crafting!
          Ive been furiously knitting and sewing presents for others this year, and decided that it was time to stop, and make a Christmas decoration for myself.... So here is my version on a Christmas terrarium.