I don't know about you, but by the 7th December I am either panicking because nothing has been bought, or panicking as I have spent too much money. That's when I start to get grumpy, and nothing makes me grumpier than crackers, and it is so horrible to feel grumpy as a Grinch. They look lovely on the table, but to have anything even half decent inside, they can cost an absolute fortune, and when I say "half decent", just how many pairs of nail clippers does a guy/girl need?
So quite often I make my own crackers, and as I couldn't find quite what I wanted in the Silhouette design shop, I whipped up a file for you and me, to make them super quick. It could be made from thin card, but I used copier paper, as it is so easy to tear apart to get to the inside treat!
N.B. When cutting copier paper with your Silhouette, it is best to use a mat that is hardly sticky at all, or else it can tear even before you make the cracker!
Download the free Christmas cracker file here.
EQUIPMENT:
Silhouette Cameo + colour printer
Copier paper
Card
Ribbon - about 100 cm
Snap banger if wanted - available from most craft outlets
Presents for the inside
Make paper hats and jokes if wanted
FILES:
To make the supportive inside tube, cut some card 16.5 x 7.5 cm. Overlap the ends by about a centimetre and secure with sticky tape.
Download my free file as given above. Open it within your software. This is what it looks like. The green lines are perforated lines to help with the tearing action!
Ideas for the main rectangle
- Fill it with colour
- Use a pattern fill
- Use a sticker file and cut out the pattern you like using the knife tool. You can then enlarge the pattern as I show below.
Print your sheet out and then place on the carrier mat. Check that your cut settings are for the card or copier paper that you are using. Adjust the blade depth if needed. Registration marks should be on. Send to cut.
Remove the paper from the Silhouette.
I use a Scotch Advanced Tape Glider to apply glue along one side of the large sheet, and wrap it around the card core. It is easy to squeeze the "necks" and then decorate to your heart's content.
I used the Lori Whitlock design to cut a band of coloured card to go around the middle, and a skunk as it matched the design so well.
What I love about this is the versatility. You can make crackers to suit your colour or theme. I want to print out paper with foxes for me, mushrooms for my son and stags for my daughter. I want to write their names all over the base paper in gold Silhouette pen ink. I could make crackers with 2017 all over them for New Year. Imagine personalised wedding crackers. The list just goes on and on. I would LOVE to see your creations!
PRODUCTS USED:
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These are lovely Hilary, your Christmas table is going to look beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThese are really fab and a lovely project to make with kids :)
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