Peek-a-boo Cracker

 

Make a cracker and decorate with the Crafters Companion 'Peek-a-Boo Snowman' stamp and die set

This week I have made a decorative band to fit a cracker using a Peek-a-boo stamp and die set. Thought I had better start preparing my Christmas items as the time is just flying!

The instructions below are to make the decorative wrapper that is sitting around the middle of the cracker. To make the cracker itself, follow my instructions here to make the longer cracker. I used a sheet of 12" card from Let It Snow scrapbooking paper pack by artstudio to make the cracker base and some thin white ribbon to tie the ends.

You can get several different Peek-a-boo character sets such as Elf, Deer or Santa and they would all work in the same way I have used the snowman. You can make these crackers as table decorations and fill with hat, motto and sweets or to wrap a gift. 

Follow the below link to find out how the cracker wrapper was made

You will need

• White and blue card
• Peek-a-Boo Snowman stamp and die set by Crafters Companion
• Black ink pad
• Versamark ink pad
• Small greeting (I used 'Tis the Season from 'Itty Bitty Greetings' stamp set by Stampin Up)
• White Embossing powder
• Heat Gun
• Small square die measuring about 3 cm wide (If you do not have a die this size, just cut it using your guillotine)
• Colouring medium of your choice (I used Promarker pens - sandstone, cool grey1, cornflower, ruby and honeycomb)
• Snowflake die (mine measured about 4 cm in diameter. It doesn't really matter on the size as if you have a smaller die, just add more snowflakes)
• Stamping aid (not essential but helps lining up the stamps)
• Craft knife and metal ruler
• Glue and double sided foam pads
• Guillotine with cutting and scoring blades
• Die cutting machine

1. Make the large base cracker using a sheet of decorative card and my instructions that can be found here in this previous blog page


2. Cut a piece of white card to 6 inches wide by 8 cm high


3. Score the white card along the 6" length at the following intervals - 3 . 5 cm, 7 cm, 10 . 5 cm and 14 cm
   
   
   


4. Line the stamps up as per the following photo so the top of the stamps line up with the top of the card. (Note - The photo shows them upside down). It's best to stamp the snowman head in the section after the smallest section and the snowman body on the 4th section.
   
   
   


5. Stamp the snowmen using a black ink pad.
   
   
   


6. Use the snowman die to cut around the top of the heads of the snowmen
   
   
   
   
   
   


7. Use the metal ruler to line up the cuts on either side of the snowmen heads. Use a craft knife to cut the band at the same height - don't cut through the snowmen's heads
   
   
   
   
   
   


8. Colour in the snowmen. I used a very light grey to go around the inside edge of the snowmen - it just gives them a little shape.
   
   
   


9. Stamp a snowman head on a piece of white card. Colour it in and cut it out using the die. Use a craft knife or scissors to cut around the lower half of the snowman
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   


10. Use the snowflake die to cut 4 snowflakes out of blue card
    
    
    


11. Stamp the greeting using versamark onto the blue card. Cover with white embossing powder, knock off the excess and use the heat gun to melt the powder so the letters become visible.


12. Use the small square die to cut out the greeting - make sure the greeting is in the lower half of the square
    
    
    


13. Glue the blue square with the greeting to the white band just below the snowman's head
    
    
    


14. Use double sided foam pads to stick the snoman head above the snowman head on the white band
    
    
    


15. Put a small amount of glue in the centre of each snowflake and glue to the white band as follows:
    
    
    


16. Glue the band around the cracker
    
    
    

That's your beautiful cracker all ready to be filled with treats. It gives the receiver a surprise when they can see the snowman on the reverse too!