Bid farewell to tacky crackers and design your own stylish creations

What you need...

• Crackers, make your own pack, assorted metallic
  Paper, My Mind’s Eye, lush: turquoise, fuchsia, flock
  Card: doodlebug daisy, pink, purple, turquoise, white plain
  Felt: pink, purple, red, turquoise
  Ribbon, 9mm, red, pink, 1m
  Glue, PVA
  Tape, double-sided, foam
  Scissors, zigzag, normal
  Knife, craft
  Compass
  Transfers, alphabet
  Gifts

instructions

1. Use a craft knife to cut two panels of patterned paper, 6.5cm x 18.5cm, for the cracker ends. Cut a co-ordinating piece, 10.5cm x 18.5cm, to decorate the middle section. Use double-sided tape to attach the papers to the flat cracker. Add narrow strips of velvet ribbon or felt to the edges, as shown.

2. To make the cracker topper, cut a circle from patterned paper, 6cm in diameter, using zigzag scissors. Trim two smaller concentric circles, one from felt and one from white card. Cut a small Christmas tree shape from coloured paper. Assemble and glue all the pieces together.

3. Glue the snap in the middle of the cracker on the reverse. Roll the cracker into a cylinder and secure the three sections with double-sided tape. Tie up one end of the cracker with the silver ribbon provided in the pack. Add a hat, joke and small gift. Tie the open end up with silver ribbon. To finish, attach the cracker topper.