Here are my instructions on how to make a (rather beautiful imo) christmas cracker. These are a great way to package a lot of small gifts for someone who you want to make an extra effort. I made one of these for my girlfriend for christmas and she really loved it. She also insisted that because I had planned a few small items for valentines day that I make another. This time I decided to take photos and document it so others can do the same. Also she doesn't have christmas crackers in her home country so she may be a tad obsessed...

Note: I didn't stick bangers in so it is not strictly a cracker, but pulling it would ruin it.

Step 1: What You Will Need

For construction you will need:

Card - 50cm x 35cm
Scissors
Sticky tape
Craft knife
Ruler (This was free, feel free to shop for your glazing solutions elsewhere)
Pencil

For decoration you will need:

Wrapping paper
Ribbon
Scissors
Sticky tape

A solid surface to work on and longer ruler is also recommended.

I also guess I should remind you that if you are young you should ask a parent to help with any cutting, though I hope that you would need to ask them for a craft knife anyway. If you are old enough and should know better, I am not responsible for any severed limbs.

Step 2: Re-size the Card

If your card is too large, cut it down to a size of 50cm x 35cm. If you wish you can scale the dimensions and those on the next step.

Step 3: Mark Out the Dimensions

Mark out the card with a pencil according to the dimensions on the image, scaling them if you wish.

Step 4: Score the Card

Use the scissors and ruler to score the card along the lines shown for folding on the last step.

Fold the card width ways and then length ways. Do not make a fold greater than 90 degrees, you want the card to remain rigid.

Step 5: Cut to Shape

Use the craft knife to cut out the diamond shapes, shown in red on a previous step. Make sure this is done on a solid surface which you can scratch!

Next fold the cracker in to shape. Congratulations, construction is complete, now for decoration.

Step 6: Fit Wrapping Paper

Cut the wrapping paper to size, leaving around 4cm to fold along the length and 1cm along the width.

Stick down with the tape as shown and cut triangles to give an even edge where shown.

In the middle of the cracker on the length, make 2 2.5 cm cuts on the edge of both lengths. This should be done with a 10cm separation in the middle, 5cm either side. This allows the edges to slot together and form a hexagonal (prism) shape.

Step 7: Final Paper Fitting

The next step is to cut out the paper within the diamond shapes, so that the paper can be folded inside and stuck down.

I found this was best achieved by cutting a cross from the corners of the diamond first with the craft knife. Then using either a craft knife or scissors, cut a smaller diamond shape from the paper.

Next fold each 4 edges on all 12 diamonds and tape them securely. Yes sticking all of these down feels like an eternity...

Step 8: Finishing Touches

The cracker is now all but finished, the slow part is now complete. Fold in the triangle shapes at one end to allow a ribbon to be tied around in a bow. This will hold it in the cracker shape allowing items to be stored inside.