Christmas Crackers 2013

I have finally got my Christmas crackers made, with just one week to go before the Big Day. As my oldest blogging friends know I make my own crackers every year from scratch. A few years ago I wrote a tutorial, which if you would like to have a go, is here. Crackers are such a British tradition and I am surprised that lots of my blogging friends abroad have never seen them. They were invented by Tom Smith in England in 1847 and the firm still exists today and still makes the majority of Christmas Crackers sold every year.

I knew that I wanted to use my wonderful Vintage Santa images from Nicecrane Designs for this year's set. I also wanted to make this a GD post for Ignacio. They are just the perfect images to use...they are ready coloured sheets ACEO size but I reduced them on my computer. I used the Mega Vintage Santa set available here. They are available in single sheets but the set is a real bargain. I also wanted to use red and green crepe paper and found some tree design wrapping paper for the centre of the crackers.

People often ask me what I put inside; I can't give away any secrets from this year but in the past I have put in hand creams, lip balms, small handmade jewellery items, Lotto tickets, sweets etc. I also use a kitchen roll for the inside tubing as this is slightly fatter in diameter than toilet rolls and gives you more choice of the gifts which fit inside. The jokes always make me smile as I slip them inside with a paper hat and the banger.

So without further delay here are a selection of them;

as well as a few close up showing the wonderful Vintage Nicecrane images...

I stamped some LOTV Christmas tags onto red, green and Kraft card, which I added to each cracker

I would like to enter my crackers into the following challenges;

Crafting for all season's anything Christmas but a card

County View Crafts Bah, Humbug!

The Inky Chicks Christmas

Crafty Hazelnut anything Christmas related whatever is urgent to make

Crafty Catz Merry Christmas

Sweet Stampin Last minute Christmas

Pile it on P is for ......presents 

The Cupboard Trilogy Christmas

Love to Create anything goes

Make it Monday linky party #171

Loves Rubberstamps anything goes

Papertake Weekly last Christmas...last Christmas projects

Addicted to stamps and more anything goes

Bearly Mine anything goes

Polkadoodles anything goes

Little Claire's Designs make a gift

Whimsy stamps party time

Now that the crackers are made I just have one more of my Funkie Junkie challenge cards to make and that will be the end of my crafting until the Christmas break as I need to concentrate on getting those gifts wrapped and the food sorted for the Big Day. There are only 6 of us this year for dinner as my daughter is at her In-Laws this year so I will have to wait until Boxing day to see my Daisy Jane. We had a wonderful weekend with them and as I know how much you all love seeing photos here is my darling granddaughter...as photographed by my darling daughter...;0)

Yes at the grand age of 5 weeks she is smiling, cooing and reaching out...I just adore this sweetheart...and she now weighs 9lbs ;0)

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x