Handmade Christmas Crackers - Inspiration/Ideas

I have created this collage to show you the Christmas crackers or bon bons as they are also called, that I made last Christmas and the ones I have just put the finishing touches on for my table this Christmas season.



I had decided on a gold theme for the table taking my inspiration from a gold tablecloth purchased in a pre-Christmas sale. I found the glittery gold paper at a department store - it certainly has lots of sparkle but it was quite difficult to work with - a little too stiff for tying and crimping off the ends and the glitter drops everywhere! After making four gold crackers I decided to return to making the rest with my paper of choice - white crepe paper. The white vintage inspired crackers are my personal favourite. They are trimmed with vintage lace and grandmother's brooches - yes they really are grandmother's brooches (they belonged to my daughter's great grandmother). Each year I use them in some way to embellish a gift - a personal touch for what has become a family tradition!

After making the crackers for my family table I decided to experiment with some more creative ideas for crackers - something a little different to what I usually create. I've seen old maps in frames so why not use them to create an unusual vintage style cracker? This, I feel would suit a more rustic or even a modern Christmas table setting.




They would also make a great personalized gift for a friend from overseas. The cracker on the right is for a Samoan friend. I chose a more tropical style of flower to trim the bow. I know she prefers pastel shades so opted for lilac ribbon. I am so looking forward to giving her this when I see her later this week! All my crackers for this year contain wrapped chocolates plus a little extra gift of pretty hair clips for my twin girls. If you need directions for making your own Christmas crackers check out my post from last year which gives step by step instructions.

A set of the Pacific style crackers could be used to decorate an outside Christmas table. I'm thinking shells on the table, candles in glass hurricane glasses surrounded by coloured sand, a fresh orchid on each napkin. A Christmas picnic at the beach perhaps? If you live in the Southern hemisphere that is!

Hope you have enjoyed seeing my crackers/ bon bons for 2010. I look forward to showing you my Christmas table for this year sometime after the event!

Wishing you a blessed and beautiful Christmas.

With Love and Joy,

Ann

Creative Recycling of Christmas Cards and Gift Bags

It is almost into the third week of January and I am still receiving Christmas cards from friends and family overseas. I love to hear from people at this time of year (I don't mind if they are late sending out their greetings!) and I am always grateful to those who pop their newsletters into a lovely card - not only can I create an attractive display for lighting my window in the evening (the pegs incorporate LED lights) but they provide me with a resource for creative Christmas crafts. So before you toss your cards into the recycling bin here are a few different ideas (aside from making new cards or gift tags) for reusing cards that will save you money next Christmas!

All you need to create these items are your stash of cards, brown paper bags and/or gift bags - (another item I always recycle!) scissors, craft glue, ribbon or string and self adhesive gold or silver letters.

Idea No 1 . Unique Gift Bags

Jazz up a plain paper bag with an unusual design. This quirky Pukeko adds a real touch of 'Kiwiana' to a brown paper bag. (Pukeko is the name New Zealanders use for swamp hens!) Match the size, colours and design of the card to the bag you are using - choose more 'rustic' designs printed on matte paper for brown paper bags and glossy modern designs for the foil gift bags which are popular choices for Christmas presents.

Simply use the front of the card and glue into place - what could be easier? I will add a coordinating tag when it comes time to reuse the bag next Christmas.

Idea No 2. A CD/DVD Gift Envelope.

This square card was a perfect match in size for an unused silver envelope, ideal for enclosing a CD or DVD disc, i tunes card or gift voucher - why waste money purchasing a special card or envelope for the gift card for that hard to buy for person, when it only takes a few minutes to make your own?

Disguise a rough edge with narrow adhesive foil tape if you need to

Reuse any extra embellishments attached to cards - this silver star makes the ideal seal.

Idea No 3 . Menu Cards

For an extra finishing touch for your Christmas table create a menu card. This is quite useful if you are having lots of guests, it adds an 'eating out at a classy restaurant' feel or it can simply be a special momento of the lovely dinner you enjoyed that year! Choose a card which coordinates with your table decor and add 'Menu' to the front using self adhesive gold or silver letters.


Type out your menu, print, cut to size and attach inside your card. You may wish to add in the year, guests attending and venue. This was the Christmas meal we enjoyed a few years ago, it reminds me of how thrilled I was to find freshly dug organic baby potatoes at the farmers' markets on Christmas Eve! A menu card with the dessert recipe inside could also be a lovely little gift to give to guests - I would attach the recipe to the facing page.

Idea No 4. Christmas Candy Cones

This is the third time I have reused these particular cones. I made several paper cones at Easter to hold chocolates, small gifts and eggs for my children. (Instructions for Easter Cones are at my main blog archives in 'The Craft Cupboard' section.) The card I used for these came from a picture frame box. I recycled these cones and made a lot more from old Christmas cards to create an Advent Calendar for Christmas 2009. I added a Christmas sticker to the front and attached ribbon for hanging the cones. This is a wonderful craft activity to do with children - the cones are very simple to make but look very effective!

Next year we will create a different Advent calendar ( making our own unique Advent calendar is a family tradition!) but reuse the cones as tree decorations - you could also fill them with wrapped candy or popcorn and enclose in cellophane. They could also be used to hold special treats such as biscotti or truffles to give as gifts to neighbours and friends.

I always find I am sent a card which I love which will not be rolled up, folded or cut. This 'nostalgic' card from my sister in England is my absolute favourite for this year. I like it so much, I might even frame it! It will certainly not be placed in the recycling bin where some of the boring santa and snow scenes do end up! I hope you have found some ideas at this post to creatively reuse and recycle your Christmas cards. How do you creatively reuse and recycle your cards? - let me know if you have any ideas!



With Love and Joy,
Ann

Design and make a Traditional Christmas Wreath

In my last post I showed you how I constructed my modern Christmas wreath. I have also created a more traditional wreath for my formal living room - it is my 'Joy of Family' garland which features in my post on inspiration for wreaths. As I put it together, I took some shots to give you an idea of the process involved in making a more elaborate wreath.

It is assembled on a faux conifer wreath purchased from a craft store. The first step was to wind around a length of glittery Christmas tree beads around the garland. Small, green 'Granny Smith' apples are attached at regular intervals using the hot glue gun. I have also used limes, red apples and pomegranates - all faux. Fresh fruit would simply be too heavy for this wreath and rot very quickly in this hot, humid climate!

At the base of the wreath I glued on long cinnamon sticks, one large gold poinsettia and alongside it, more fruit and faux succulents. Green wired leaves are glued in behind the fruit and I also used a stem of faux berries in a mulberry shade. I always place on the larger features first, followed by the prominent design elements - which for this wreath is the set of tiny 'gold' picture frames which display black and white childhood photos of all the members of our family.

Here are some of the design details which were glued around one of the frames. A silver pine cone rose, gold and green ivy, tiny roses, a red cherry and a small ceramic teddy bear next to the frame which is to hold a picture of my baby due this Christmas season!



This wreath illustrates that you do not have to restrict your design to fruit and flowers, the Christmas tree decoration aisle at the department store may have sets of decorations which will give you an idea for a decorating theme which sets your wreath apart from the usual store bought wreaths which I have noticed this year are quite costly and have very few features apart from a few faux flowers, glittery pine cones and plastic berries.



Even if you do not have time this year to make a more elaborate wreath I hope that this post has offered some inspiration. From Boxing day onwards, all those wreath bases and Christmas tree decorations will go on sale and you may consider purchasing some to construct a wreath for next year. Gather dried natural materials in other seasons - pine cones, seed heads, sea shells, gum nuts and store them in readiness for next year.

If you would like a wreath to display this Christmas but have limited time in my next post, I will show you a 5 minute design idea for a 'bookshelf' wreath.

With Love and Joy,
Ann

Design and make a Modern Christmas Wreath

The hot glue gun is plugged in. I am sitting at my dining room table surrounded by a variety of materials - silk and polyester leaves, flowers, cinnamon sticks, seashells, tiny pine cones and gum nuts, faux berries and stems of crystal beads. Bare twiggy garlands await embellishment. I have a design idea in my head and a colour scheme - pink roses teamed with mauve berries and silver leaves, a departure from the usual red, gold and green one associates with Christmas, it is a more modern interpretation of the festive garland. The finished wreath would look good in my girl's room or perhaps I should display it outside over the white garden bench which sits outside the front window of my home to welcome visitors who arrive at my home over the Christmas season. It may even look good on the door of my Indonesian cabinet. It will go where it looks best, not in the formal living room where my tree is located which has a more traditional atmosphere with the piano and rolled arm couches and is better suited to a more traditional decorating scheme. As a homemaker I do enjoy making these decorating decisions, especially at Christmas when I want my home to look extra special, when we will welcome others and extend gracious hospitality.

Please join me as I pick up the glue gun and learn how simple it is to create your own wreath to decorate your home!

The first step is to glue leaves onto the wreath base. The leaves I am using came from a long garland purchased from a discount store. I did not buy this to string over the top of a cabinet. I liked the variegated colours and different shades of the leaves which I ripped off and used as the background for building my design upon. They only need a dab of hot glue, overlapping them as I work around the perimeter, alternating the green leaves with the silvery, purple ones.

The other elements I have chosen to incorporate into my design are sitting in a little mound - I take different roses out of my 'flower box' - will I use cream or pink or both? I hold them up against the wreath and place them next to the other materials - I want to know whether the combination will be pleasing to the eye. I try different arrangements and when I am satisfied I start to attach the roses and cinnamon sticks which will be the main features of this wreath.

I have worked out what will feature on the top and base of the wreath and commenced my design. Dried moss and a pine cone are added in. I then start to build the design for the bottom of the wreath. Onto the moss I will glue an extra rose using the 'rule of threes' that many floral decorators use. Peeking out from under the roses are the smaller items that 'set the roses off' - green silk ivy leaves, tiny shells with pinkish tones, a star anise. Next I start to poke in the mauve twigs of berries which will partner the silvery leaves. These berries will work themselves up around the wreath, as if they were twining around a branch, a reflection of how climbing plants are seen in the natural setting. The berries are wired and I can place them into position and adjust them before I add a tiny dab of glue behind the berry to secure it.

I have also decided to use a few gold ivy leaves for contrast. They have silvery veins. If you do not have gold or silver leaves simply give plain green polyester leaves a sheen with gold or silver spray paint. Do not coat them completely with the paint - just a quick spray gives a very pleasing result. I have used silver paint on the leaf which peeks out from under the gold ivy.

I turn my attention to the top of the wreath. I have chosen a starfish to be the feature - this is a decorative element which works in well with the shells. A tiny wooden gold star is glued into its centre and self-adhesive silver letters spell out 'joy'. This is the finishing touch and is attached after I have added in the glittery silver leaves and ferns which add sparkle to this garland.



This is a close up the finished wreath. I have hung it from the door of my wooden cabinet to take this shot. If I was going to have the wreath on display here I would consider using silver sprays of leaves, silver pine cones and faux purple berries to surround purple glass candle holders to decorate the top of the cabinet. Can you imagine a table set with a white or silver tablecloth and sparkling purple glasses and matching napkins? As I have already decided upon a green, white and silver colour scheme for my table I will not be using this design - I just wanted to give you the idea if you are drawn to such colour schemes or perhaps your soft furnishings are berry shades. Choose Christmas decorations that work with, rather than against the overall scheme of your room.




If you want to add a little final flourish why not hang a decoration from the wreath? This sweet quirky little fairy (or is she an angel?) was a Christmas gift from my son, she is quite different from the other angels which are trimming the tree and I like to display her on her own. I thought her dress and bouquet complemented the wreath. A sheer purple ribbon is used to hang the wreath - on the inside of the door is a small hook, the wreath is attached here before closing the door.




For now, my modern wreath hangs outside over the white garden bench at the front entrance to my home. Its silvery green leaves complement the foliage of the cedar and cypress trees which frame the entrance. It is a smaller wreath and right now I am adding the finishing touches to a much bigger gold wreath which combines both modern and traditional design elements. I hope to have this completed soon and will show you the finished result. In the next post I will show you how I constructed my more traditional 'Joy of Family' garland and share some simple ideas for wreaths which will ensure you do not burn the ends of your fingers - the hazard of using a hot glue gun - ouch! But if you want to do some serious crafting and attach lots of heavier decorations this is a tool you cannot go without! Just a couple of tips, buy a heavier duty one from the hardware store and hide it from the man in your life or it may disappear into the recesses of his garage or workshop, never to be seen again - I must buy my husband his own glue gun sometime!

With Love and Joy,
Ann

Creative Christmas Wreaths - Inspiration

I have been making Christmas wreaths and garlands for many years, it is simply something I love to do - to decorate my home with boughs of greenery embellished with glittery leaves, ferns, flowers and berries to welcome friends but I want more than just a wreath hung on the front door which is only glimpsed as people enter. I like to have wreaths in different rooms and so each year I create not one but several wreaths for Christmas. Some are elaborate, a little flamboyant, even quirky, others are simple and adorned with only a few select items. I love them all because I created them!


I would love to show you the wreaths I have created for this Christmas season - to inspire you perhaps, not to race out to the store to purchase a pre-decorated wreath but to create one for yourself. A more personal expression than something which was mass produced in a factory. I will show you in my next post how to create a more elaborate wreath, then I have a 5 minute wreath idea for those of you who do not have the time or do not yet own a hot glue gun!

I should explain why I choose to use mainly faux greenery, flowers and berries. I used to make natural wreaths from vines, fresh leaves and berries but having come to live in a hot, humid climate I find the 'all natural' decorations do not last very long - in just a few days, the greenery starts to wilt. It also means I cannot create displays in advance - I still decorate my home with fresh greenery but I use it mainly to decorate the tops of shelves, to set around the bases of candles which will sit on coffee tables - these are my last minute displays which are created in the days before Christmas. I hope to be able to show you how I use the abundant greenery to decorate my home which I am blessed to have just outside my door from the forest garden at 'Eight Acres of Eden'.


To show you just what materials can be incorporated into a wreath, I would like to take you on a 'tour of a garland' - my traditional Christmas wreath which I have created for my formal sitting room. This is where my tree is located - yes, it is up and decorated in a traditional colour scheme of red, green and gold. This wreath is designed to co ordinate and it has a theme - the 'Joy of Family'.

It features silk leaves, faux fruit and berries, glittery tree decorations and tiny gold picture frames which display black and white childhood photos of each member of our family. The little girl in the jaunty hat and coat is me and the cute boy is my husband!




I have used hot glue to attach all the decorations - I always start with the leaves and larger decorative items, alternating colours. Smaller embellishments such as berries and tiny ferns are added in later. I glued on the family photos in order of birth. My oldest son is first, followed by his sister - close to her picture is a tiny starfish - a reminder of her love of the beach. The photo I selected to copy for the frame was taken at a beautiful beach close to where we lived in New Zealand.

As we travel down the garland we meet my third born, my daughter who has a vibrant, mischievous personality! The single, gold poinsettia is the largest item on the wreath. I like to place the larger decorative elements at the bottom of my wall hung wreaths.

Alongside are the other floral and nature inspired features - silk leaves, pine cones, long cinnamon sticks, faux fruit and sprigs of berries. I love to use dried, natural materials and combine them with the faux items. The green succulents are not real - they are also flexible and can be arranged into the shape you desire - wonderful when you are working around other materials. I found these at a garage sale! The faux berries were purchased at a market stall and the fruit was 'recycled' - detached from wreaths and garlands made in previous seasons. You cannot do this with fresh fruit! The little boy on this section is my first Christmas baby - he was born at home in the week before Christmas ten years ago and delivered by his father when the midwife did not arrive on time. It was one of my most memorable birth experiences - I decorated my tree during labour, hanging ornaments in between contractions! This explains why I have decorated my tree early this year, my next baby is due the week before Christmas!

My adorable twin girls have a close attachment, therefore I placed their pictures alongside each other in matching heart shaped frames. I love these ceramic rocking horse ornaments and thought they deserved a place on this wreath. My twins were also due the week before Christmas four years ago, they arrived two weeks early at the start of Advent on the first day of December - a very special early Christmas gift from God who knows how much I love Christmas that he chooses to bless me with babies at this special time of the year! In the month of December I will also celebrate my 20Th wedding anniversary! I am the girl who chose to get married at Christmas - my bridesmaids wore burgundy satin dresses and I had real holly and ivy in my bouquet surrounding white roses! I will post a picture at my family blog closer to the date. The final frame on my family garland is blank - it awaits a picture of my baby yet to be born - my gift from Heaven, number seven!

I hope you have enjoyed the tour of my garland and that it has given you some inspiration for what can be used to embellish a wreath. I found many of my decorations in the Christmas aisles at discount stores - they were not expensive. This season there are lots of unusual tree decorations in the stores and lots of glitter and sparkle for those who love their bling! Why opt for tinsel and plastic santas when you can have butterflies, snowflakes, tiaras, handbags and shoes!


In my next post I will show you in closer detail how I constructed both the 'Joy of Family' garland and the lilac and silver wreath which features as my link button to 'Christmas at Eden' from my main blog.

With Love and Joy,
Ann

Handmade Christmas Crackers

For as long as I can remember, crackers or bon bons have always been a feature of the Christmas table. As a child, it was the part of the family dinner on Christmas day that I looked forward to the most - pulling the cracker and hearing it go snap and then seeing who received the end with the surprise, joke and paper hat. Of course the plastic toy inside was always a disappointment and the jokes were lousy! Nothing much has changed. You can of course purchase 'upmarket' Christmas crackers from department stores but these are fairly expensive and even the better quality 'middle of the road' crackers have contents that compare with the budget crackers - you are paying for the packaging!

Have you ever considered making your own? I started making my own crackers over 18 years ago. It became my personal Christmas tradition - I would make them as my contribution for the Christmas table if we were spending Christmas day at a relatives home and when we started to celebrate Christmas at home with our children, every person seated at the table received a personal cracker. I always make a few extra for unexpected guests. One year my husband invited a single father and his four children to join us for Christmas dinner - on Christmas morning! That was the year I had made a bumper load of crackers and it was so lovely to be able to give each of his children a cracker to pull. I also make crackers as gifts for friends and neighbours - filling them with with sweet treats - so much more personal than a box of chocolates!

The beauty of making your own crackers is that you get to choose what goes inside! It is fun to shop for cracker gifts - they have to fit inside the tube of course but you can personalize the gift for the recipient - earrings for a daughter, a mini-torch for a son, it is entirely up to you!

These are the crackers I have made for this Christmas. I usually choose a different theme for each year. This year I have made several sets as I want to give you some more unusual ideas for making your own - yes, I am going to show you how - step by step. First of all I want to offer you some design inspiration by showing you the different crackers I have made for Christmas 2009.

These crackers in a green, white, silver and gold palette are for my Christmas table. Our home is surrounded by greenery at Eight Acres of Eden. When we sit down to dinner we look out through full length glass doors to a forest setting. Boughs of cedar frame our home and eucalyptus trees and palms fill the canvas. I take my inspiration for decorating my home's interior from outside and therefore, green is the accent colour for my table setting - I have green glasses, I sometimes use green napkins and it teams beautifully with white which is why I often make my crackers in white with accents of green, silver and gold. I also match them to my other hand crafted items - the crackers coordinate with my table wreath which surrounds a hurricane lamp which holds the candle. I have added the same green and silver trim to a napkin ring.

This is such a wonderful way to plan your Christmas decorating. Choose colours that work with your home - do you have dark timber and red velvet cushions? Perhaps a more traditional scheme of red, green and gold will suit or is your home modern - maybe you live in a beach house, you could opt for white, ecru and coastal blue and use shells to accessorize instead of flowers. If you live in a log cabin, cottage or mud brick home, a more rustic decorating scheme may appeal.

These are my flower fairy crackers. I was inspired to make these when one of my daughter's Flower Fairy books fell apart at the binding. She decided to cut out all the illustrations to use for crafts and scrap booking. There were so many to choose from, including the Christmas fairies. I love the Snowdrop fairy though! What characters do your children like? - perhaps you could make Winnie the Pooh crackers! The whimsical angel earrings that appear in the stores are also perfect for trimming a little girl's cracker. Why not 'Superhero' crackers for a young boy?

'Childhood' or 'Victoriana' is a theme you could use for adults too. Victorian scrapbook embellishments can be found in many craft stores. Before you race out to the store, check your stash of old birthday and Christmas cards - if you don't drop them in the card recycling bins - I always keep my favourite cards to recycle and reuse for crafting - making cards, tags and Christmas trims. These Victorian children at play were 'pop outs' from a birthday card my sister sent me one year. The pink crackers are for my girls and the blue one for my younger son. I also plan to make a 'Childhood' cracker for my new baby to hold a pair of bootees!

My youngest daughter - a twin, is excited to know she has a cracker made especially for her! She insisted on pink ribbons and lace for the trimming! As did her sister! She knows that there are chocolates inside and a surprise! Are you inspired yet? Ready for some practical help? Set aside some time for a cracker making session. Let's get started!



First of all, you need to gather your materials. I use cracker making kits to make the interiors, which can be found in many craft and discount stores. A set of six costs about $3! Before these kits appeared on the market I used to make crackers using cardboard tubes, this involved lots of measuring and cutting and it was rather fiddly. The kits come with everything you need (the tube, the snap, hats, paper ribbon ties and very corny jokes) to make a cardboard cracker but the designs are not to my liking so a cover-up job is required. I find crepe paper gives the best result, especially when it comes to tying and crimping the end. Thicker papers such as scrap booking papers tend to be harder to work with and beware - if you use brown paper for a rustic style cracker - it will be impossible to pull! I know this from experience. The brown paper looked lovely trimmed with raffia and sunflowers but they sure tested our muscle strength that year!


You will also need good strong craft glue, scissors, a ruler and tape.

Step 1 is to roll up the tube - it even comes with slots and tabs - so easy! I usually use tape over the tabs to ensure they stay in place


Step 2 Cut out a piece of crepe paper allowing for overlap at the ends and a sufficient width that can be rolled around the cardboard tube. If you are using a light colour such as white you may need several layers to prevent the design on the cardboard tube showing through. Fold a neat hem along the edge and run a thin seam of glue along this edge and press into place. Allow to dry. Use the glue sparingly, it is very strong and too much may turn your paper soggy!



Step 3 Cut the ends to size allowing a small overlap which needs to be turned in and secured with a dab of glue or you may wish to use pinking shears or fancy paper scissors to trim the edge. I will be using ribbon to trim my edges.

Step 4 Tie off one end. I use narrow ribbon which I pull tightly, secure and leave in place. You can also use thin wire to achieve a very tight crimped effect but be careful not to rip the paper. Remove the wire and tie off with ribbon. Check the hole - is it small enough to prevent the contents from slipping out the end? - remember children shake crackers and try to peek inside!

Now it is time to trim the end using ribbon in whatever colour you desire. Chiffon and sheer ribbons always look pretty, metallic ribbons give a sparkly effect. If you are not embellishing the end with extra trims take time to get your bow right. If you are adding trims it doesn't matter if you struggle to tie the perfect bow!


I did not buy any ribbon for my crackers this year or last year. I am still using ribbon and lace I purchased in a bulk lot at a garage sale in 2008 - a huge box cost me $8! Much of it was unused and still on complete reels - lots of gold ribbon too! It was one of my best garage sale finds of all time!

Step 5 Trim the end. I am using silk leaves, attached in pairs using craft glue, building up layers of colours which complement - I have metallic gold, sage green and for contrast a silk ivy leaf. All my leaves were ripped off cheap 'tacky' garlands or taken from bunches of cheap and garish silk and polyester flower arrangements - the ones I would never dream of putting in a vase but the leaves are very useful, especially if you can find realistic looking ones in suitable shades.



Next, comes the finishing touches. A tiny silver poinsettia taken from a 'plastic' Christmas flower arrangement. I glued the flower into place and then added in the tiny silver holly leaves underneath. The little finishing details are glued in to place last - maybe tiny faux berries or gum nuts, maybe a star anise or a little gold star. I just love this aspect of the cracker making process. Play around with different elements in your design before you glue everything down.
I then glue into place a ribbon or lace trim for the ends. This gives a neat edge and really does finish off your cracker.



Step 6 Fill your cracker! I had lots of willing volunteers ready to help at this stage! Resist the temptation to eat the chocolates and always use wrapped chocolates or candy! Do not leave your crackers in a warm place - on a sunny windowsill or close to the fireplace if you are in a cold climate - the consequences might be soft candy or melted chocolate! There are so many tiny gifts suitable for filling your crackers. Use your imagination but suggestions are jewelery, stickers, tiny pencils or pens, key rings, lip gloss and other make up items, hankies, tiny soaps or bath pearls. For boys and men - tiny tape measures, torches or other gadgets for key rings, fishing or golf accessories.




You may wish to choose contents in a colour that coordinates with the cracker. As my daughter loves purple, I have chosen gifts for her in suitable shades. I have replaced the joke with a little card offering inspiration. Each of my children are receiving a little card with words of hope from the Bible. You may wish to write out Scriptures or other words of encouragement. And as for the awful jokes - they are all in my husband's cracker for him to read aloud at the table!





Finally, you need to repeat the tying off and trimming steps for the other end of your cracker. Make sure it matches the opposite end! Glue into place in the centre of your cracker your chosen picture or embellishment. I absolutely love these faux fronds of silver fern which I have used on my daughter's 'purple' cracker and the 'All Black' masculine crackers for my husband and eldest son - very appropriate as they are New Zealanders and All Black supporters - as I am also a NZ citizen I will be joining them in front of the TV screen on Saturday night to cheer on the All Blacks in the Rugby when they play Australia! Now here's an idea for the mad keen sports men in your life - make them a cracker in the colours of their favorite team and add the team's logo. Just love that the All Blacks wear the Silver Fern - it goes so well with my Christmas decorating! Notice how these silver fronds are appearing in my other table decorations! I'm so glad it was not a Kangaroo a Bulldog or a Shark!



I hope you have been inspired - if you do not have the time to make your crackers from scratch, why not buy a set of plain foil crackers in silver or gold and add your own ribbons and embellishments in colours to tie in with your table setting. For those who want to make crackers in a similar fashion to mine here is the cost breakdown - remember this is in Australian dollars!

1 cracker kit (makes 6 crackers) $3 - that is 50 cents per cracker for the inner tube and snap!
Crepe paper 99 cents - $1.20 per pack, 2 packs used for a set of 6 crackers
Glue - I buy a 1 litre bottle for $20 at Bunnings, of course it will be used for lots of craft projects!
Ribbon and trim, minimal cost - from my stash of garage sale lace! Each year I recycle the silk leaves and trims to reuse the following year.
Silver Ferns - a stem cost $5 at Spotlight but I have used it on two garlands, as well as the crackers.
Gifts to go inside - I usually allow $3-$5 per person for 'gift crackers'. Spare crackers are filled with a handful of chocolates. I buy a big box from Big W for $10. This year I found earrings and necklaces for $3 reduced from $8 and $15 at Big W. Also packs of stationery for $3 which were split up between crackers.

It works out at around less than $3 for each cracker plus the gift - of course you can keep the cost down by recycling trims, cards and ribbon and just filling the crackers with candy or chocolate. It is entirely up to you but by creating your own crackers you are not only giving a special handmade gift (made with love!) but designing something beautiful to decorate your table this Christmas. I look forward to showing you my Christmas table with the crackers in their individual place settings.

Wishing you a very Creative Christmas Season. More inspiration coming soon!

With love and joy,
Ann