Gone Crackers

Aurora Wings

Holiday Spirit #74 - Holiday Spirit

Time for a new challenge at Aurora Wings and this month we know you will be in the Holiday Spirit with Christmas just round the corner.

Oh so much fun with this challenge.  I try to make my own crackers each Christmas to give to family either with their gift in the post of with us at lunch time, which ever fits and this was the perfect theme for my crackers this year.  I decided to use 9 of the Christmas Sprites Mitzi has over at the Aurora Wings store, they are just darlings to adorn the crackers aren't they :) :) :) I started by hunting for a cracker die cut template and found a great in Monica's Craft Room which is what I have used.  Monica is a very generous designer who has lots of free cutting files on her site so thank you so very much Monica, you are a superstar.  I made the crackers as big as I could with the template, each on fitting onto a piece of A4 card (similar size to letter) and used cream linen card.  Next I coloured 18 white doilies with gold paint and let them dry while I sorted the printing of the images, adding the sentiment along with the recipients name, sorting the correct size to fit my chosen gold die cut which they will be placed on etc..  Each of the Aurora Wings sprites was coloured using Promarkers in reds and greens (and brown for the reindeer guy) and then it was out with green, gold and red Stickles, I so love my Stickles lol.  With all the colouring done I assembled the crackers, mounted the toppers and used remnants of gold lace stuff to tie the two end sections.  There is no bang in these crackers so you just remove one of the ties and open the cracker box to reveal a wee gift, shhhhhhh don't tell, but this year they will be filled with Ferrero Rocher chocolates, partly because they have gold wrappers but mainly because they are yummy.

and here are some clearer pics of each of the crackers

I will let you into a little secret now, one I feel really bad about.  After all my planning and making sure I had things correct ready for the production line I must have lost the plot.  I had a cracker for everybody and two spare so I decided my lovely fur baby cats could have one each, they won't be getting Ferrero Rocher in theirs but probably a nice salmon stick.  Anyway, back to my little secret.  Crackers made and time to photography, still I did not see the problem.  Then to edit the photos and what do I notice, I have not made a cracker for my best friend, my hubby - how on earth did I make such a huge error and with the crackers having names on I could not hide this from him.  Yep, I feel bad.  Alan's response was he was not bothered (he is not a fan of Christmas) so I think I will buy him a whole box of Ferrero Rocher to say sorry and I know there are to many in a box to fit into a cracker hahaha.  

Items Used:-
Images:- 

• Aurora Wings Store Wine Sprite   Poinsettia Sprite  Holly Sprite  Mistletoe Sprite  Garland Sprite  Christmas Cactus Sprite   Christmas Tree Sprite   Winter Sprite   Reindeer Sprite

• Etsy Store   Wine Sprite  Poinsettia Sprite   Holly Sprite   Mistletoe Sprite   Garland Sprite    Christmas Cactus Sprite   Christmas Tree Sprite    Winter Sprite   Reindeer Sprite

• Die Cut - Monica's Craft Room
• Colouring :- gold paint, Promarkers
• Other items:- Stickles, doilies, gold lace 

Aurora Wings Digital Images Store

I am entering this creation in the following challenges:-

• Christmas with the Cuties - M last Monday, 3E, must be cute Christmas - #22 ANYTHING BUT A CARD (WEEK 2)
• Crafty Cardmakers - 2W, C15 - #223 ANYTHING BUT A CARD (Week 2)
• Dragonfly Journeys - 2W, monthly Nov & Dec, E5 - #130 Handmade Holiday Magic (deadline December 31)
• Crafty Calendar M,3E December -  It's Christmas Time
• Inkspirational 2W,C10  #175 - Anything Christmas Goes (W1 of 2)
• ABC Christmas Challenge M, 1st Wed,- W for Wishes/X for Xmas
• Christmas at Sweet Stampin' M, 2nd Wed, 2E, Anything Goes Christmas
• I love Promarkers  2W,3E Must use Promarkers, #369 - Anything Goes/Option  of Christmas (W1 of 2)