DIY Christmas Cracker - Free Printable Template
/Forget those boring store-bought crackers and make your own Christmas crackers this Holiday season using this FREE printable template.
Making your own DIY crackers is so much fun and you can easily personalise them with thoughtful gifts for your guests. No more generic plastic tat. This year, we’re going homemade!
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Christmas Cracker Template.
The Christmas countdown has begun and as Christmas crafts are pretty much my favourite things to make I thought it was about time I showed you how to make your own DIY crackers at home.
One thing we always have on the table at Christmas is crackers. Making your own homemade crackers is a great way to add a personal touch to your table, gifts or tree. If you’re bored of store-bought crackers then you’ll love this simple tutorial.
Homemade Christmas Crackers.
I have soft spot for a good Christmas craft and these homemade crackers are my second favourite thing to make (my 3D paper stars are the first in case you were wondering).
Now, I love a mini screwdriver or a fortune teller fish as much as the next person but making your own crackers is much more fun and personal. You can give them absolutely any design you want, pick your own corny jokes and fill them with your own hand-picked gift. They make fantastic place cards, gift toppers or even the gift wrapping itself.
DIY Christmas Crackers.
Making your own crackers isn't hard at all, in fact, I've made it super easy. All you need to do is download the template below. It’s a blank template so you can print it out on any patterned paper of your choosing. What's not to love?
Say goodbye to these ugly store-bought crackers and say hello to pretty, personalised DIY crackers made by hand.
SUPPLIES:
Printable Cracker Template (you can find it at the end of the post)
Scrapbook Paper / Cardstock
(I used The Night Before Christmas Designer Paper Pack which is sadly no longer available but you can get some fantastic alternatives like this Crate Paper - Busy Sidewalks Christmas Collection or this Crafter's Companion - Christmas Festive Favourites.
A Printer
Steel Ruler
Craft Knife or a pair of Scissors,
An Embossing Tool (a butter knife or an old ballpoint pen works well too)
Glue Stick or Adhesive Tape Runner
Optional extras:
Ribbon
Want more gift box templates? Get your hands on the Gift Box Template Bundle and you’ll be making your own gift boxes in minutes.
How to make Homemade Christmas Crackers.
1. Download and print our free printable Christmas cracker template (sign up below) onto the reverse of your paper.
If you're using scrapbook paper trim it down to A4 size first.
2. Cut out your cracker shape.
3. Use an embossing tool and a ruler and score along all the dotted score lines. If you don't have an embossing tool an old ballpoint pen will work just as well.
4. Use a craft knife or scissors to cut out the diamond shapes. This is the tricky part.
An easier (and quicker) way to do this is to fold along the score line at either end of your cracker and make two snips with a pair of scissors for each diamond.
5. Fold along all the score lines. You need to fold the diamond shapes in on themselves to make a valley fold.
6. If you want to add a cracker snap now is the time.
7. Overlap one of the sides and glue your cracker together.
I found it easier to glue and press my cracker flat before popping it back into shape rather than trying to glue it into place as a tube shape.
8. Bring one end together and tie with ribbon or string.
9. Pop in your paper crown, corny joke or personalised gift.
10. Tie ribbon or string to the other end to close.
The crackers do have a small hole about 1/2 inch across at each end so if you're filling them with a small gift, sweets or confetti you might want to wrap them in tissue paper first or cut out and stick a small circle sticker or circle of paper to cover each hole.
And that's it. Your crackers are ready to be pulled.
Don’t forget to get your hands on the FREE Cracker Template to make your own DIY Crackers.
I really love how these turned out. You could have so much fun swapping up the paper each year. I used quite traditional Christmas colours for my crackers but you could make them as quirky and as colourful as you want.
The best thing about making your own crackers is that you can design and fill them with whatever you want. No more bad jokes and tacky plastic toys.
