Crackers! Finally, Finals are Over!

We had finals THIS WEEK!  Can you believe?  I took a final on Tuesday and was finally DONE for the semester.  Also got the Class Project from the netherworld done and turned in on Monday.



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Caveat: It was actually quite an interesting project.  I just didn't enjoy working on it so LATE in the year when I had better things to do!

Then I cleaned upstairs for two (yes, two! 2!) whole days.  One bedroom, one den and one teensy bathroom.  It's been the dumping ground for son #2 (with a bit of assistance in dumping stuff from son #3) and needed a ton of work.



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So now it's time for Christmas!

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Here's quick last-minute project: Christmas Crackers.



These beautiful crackers are from "Old English Crackers" online store,
where you can buy all sorts of cracker supplies (to make your own)
or ready-made crackers.

Not having enough time to order the "cracker snaps" that go POP when you tug open the cracker, I settled for the basic, non-popping cracker.

BTW, for great instructions on making crackers with the snaps, see "Not Martha"'s post on the subject.

Supplies I used:
Cardboard tubes (I used wrapping-paper tubes--you can use toilet paper tubes also)
Wrapping paper (already purchased)
Cellophane paper $1
Shreds $1
Little tiny gifts/candies/items $5
Jokes (printed out and cut apart)
Ribbon ($1)
Tape
Scissors

I went to the dollar store and purchased my supplies for less than $10!

Here's the little gifts (and sorry for the lousy photos!):

Fake mustaches

Little bubbles (found in wedding stuff)

Party horns (found in the New Year's decorations)

Kisses!

 Remember these?

 Hair clips for the ladies

Dumb jokes....

I cut the cardboard tubes 10" long to accomodate all the "gifts", using a serrated knife so I wouldn't crush the cardboard.

I cut the wrapping paper a couple of inches longer than the tube and wide enough to go around the tube and overlap. Then I cut the cellophane even longer than the wrapping paper.

Stuff the gifts and jokes inside, and then stuff some of the shreds into each end of the tube, letting some of it stick out the ends:

Wrap in cellophane first:

Then in the wrapping paper.  See how I let the shreds show through the cellophane? I gave it a bit of a haircut:

And tie off---I curled the ribbon:

Next...
Oh, no, one of the cats is eating the shreds! 
I'll be back in a minute.......