Learn how to make your own DIY Christmas poppers to surprise your family and friends this holiday!
While cruising around HomeGoods I caught a glimpse of some absolutely adorable Christmas crackers which were almost tempting enough for me to toss into my cart. Then, I remembered that I had made my own a few years ago, and still had some extra ‘cracker’ strips and decided to do a little tutorial for you guys!
The thing about making your own is that you have to be sure to grip onto the cracker strip very firmly when you break them, or else you will have a very anti-climactic experience (trust me on that one). You’re actually better off just pulling the strip so that it pops, then breaking into the package. The upside to making your own Christmas poppers is that you can fill em with whatever your little heart desires!
Generally they are stuffed with a joke or note, and a paper crown. If you’d like to keep up with that tradition, here is a printable for some sweet love notes, and here is a tutorial for paper crowns. Have fun and If you happen to snap an Instagram shot, be sure to tag me!
more DIY Christmas ideas
DIY Christmas Poppers
Supplies needed:
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Cardboard Tubes (empty toilet paper rolls work well too!)
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Special Cracker Rollers (or just use extra tubes/TP rolls)
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Glue (hot or tacky)
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Wrapping Paper cut to 6″ x 12″
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Ribbon
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Card Stock for your love notes —> printable here!
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Fillers (candies, jokes, notes, confetti, etc…) I used up a ton of birchbox samples in mine!
Step 1: Gather all of your supplies. Place a roll/tube in the middle of your paper. Use glue or double sided tape to secure one side of your paper to the roll, then roll her on up and secure the other side so that the roll is completely covered in paper. Make sure you glue all the way down the strip of paper.
Step 2: Slide your cracker strip into the tube, and use either hot glue or tacky glue to secure the strip into place so that it is very taunt.
Step 3: Use an extra roll and slide it into one side. Where the two rolls come together use your ribbon to start to squeeze the loose end shut. I skipped the extra roll and just gently pinched it together (I was using very malleable paper).
Step 4: Add your goodies into the cracker and repeat step 3 to secure the other side.
And there ya have it! An easy little project to do yourself this Christmas or New Years.
I don’t understand why you don’t glue on the cracker strip first and then proceed with the rest. Also, is the second roll inserted into the first one really necessary to make the cracker work? A video might really help the reader understand all this more clearly.