STENCILLED CRACKERS
Make your own printed papers in your favourite colours (and to suit your Christmas table) to turn into original crackers that can be filled with personalised novelties.
YOU WILL NEED
A3 white card Metal ruler Pencil Craft knife Cutting mat A4 ivory premium smooth paper Newspaper Acrylic paint (I used medium red, cerulean blue and light green) Old plate (for rolling out paint) Small sponge roller 12mm double-sided tape Cracker fillings – snaps, sweets, charms, jokes and hats (available from hobbycraft.co.uk) Toilet roll tubes Coloured twine or ribbon
1 Divide an A3 sheet of card into three strips horizontally with a ruler and pencil.
2 In the first section, starting at the bottom, draw and cut out a repeated design (Christmas trees, triangles, half stars, doves, scallops) to make a stencil. If you do this neatly you will be able to use both parts, as a positive and negative design.
3 Repeat with the other two sections to make two more stencils.
4 Place a sheet of ivory paper horizontally on newspaper with the stencil positioned vertically on the edge of the paper.
5 Squeeze a blob of paint onto an old plate, cover the roller evenly in paint until it makes a wispy sound.
6 Hold the straight edge of the stencil in place at the edge of the paper (so you work your way along), and roll over it gently with paint. Move the stencil and repeat until the paper is covered. Experiment with this process, working out the best spacing between patterns and the pressure on the roller to create different effects (the lighter the pressure, the more faint the design will be).
7 Continue to stencil as many pieces of paper as you need and leave to dry.
8 To make a cracker, place a sheet of decorated paper face down and trim it to measure 29.7cm x 18cm.
9 With the piece of paper landscape, still right-side down, measure and draw a vertical line 5.2cm in from either end.
10 Measure and mark another vertical line 5cm in (closer to the middle) from these lines, at both ends.
11 Turn the paper around upright and measure and cut vertical lines 1cm apart between the two lines you have just made. These will make it easier to scrunch up the ends to close the crackers.
12 With the paper back to landscape, cut and stick a 10cm piece of double-sided tape in the middle of the paper’s edge that is nearest to you. Peel off the tape backing. 13 Feed a snap though a toilet roll, and stick down with tape to each end of the roll. Place hat and chosen gift inside.
14 Lay the toilet roll down onto the edge of the paper sticking it to the tape.
15 Cut a 29cm piece of double-sided tape, stick it along the remaining long edge and remove backing.
16 Roll up the paper and secure with the strip of tape already in place.
17 Cut two 30cm pieces of twine or ribbon. Place a piece around each end of the cracker (at the end of the toilet roll) and pull tightly to close with a bow.