Christmas Poppers

If you have paper, an envelope punch board and Nugget or Treasure candies, you are ready to make these cute poppers. You could cut the notches without the punch board, but having one and also having a scoring board makes this project really easy.

Here is the popper. While it doesn't actually  * Pop! *  it is reminiscent of them and makes a cute item to add to a stocking or use at place settings.

Begin with paper that is 6.5 by 4.5 inches. This is the size in many pads of paper sold in the scrapbook paper aisles of craft stores and what I used today.

Begin by scoring the paper at 1", 1.5", 2", 4.5", 5" and 5.5"

Turn your paper so that the shorter width is at the top of your scoring board and score at 1", 2", 3" and 4".

Now to the envelope punch board. With the 6.5" side of the paper parallel to the top of the punch board, you are going to punch each folded edge at the 1.5 mark on the envelope punch board, where my finger is pointing.

Turn the paper over and repeat this at the other edge. 

You will repeat this on each fold, at each side.

You will also punch this notch on the unfolded side of the last panel that is one inch wide. This is what you will have when done with the envelope punch board.

The plain side might be easier to see

I bought the variety pack of Hershey nuggets to fill the poppers. Four fit in each one, nestled as shown by that old lady's hand my hand. (when did my hand get so wrinkly?) I used a tape runner on the narrow edge (the bottom edge in the above photo) on the print (right) side of the paper, and closed the tube with that edge fitting under the full one inch panel at the top. 

Once the candies are inside, the creases on either end of this tube will nicely squish down into a popper shape. I used 10" lengths of ribbon to tie off each end.

Aren't they cute? Wouldn't they be nice on a table with names added to use as place cards? Maybe the Christmas Elf that visits so many children every morning in December could surprise a child with one of these.