Wednesday, December 3, 2014

DIY Snowglobes

diy snowglobes
These DIY Snowglobes kick off what I hope to be an overambitious overextension of my time and talents this holiday season.  EVERY year I tell myself that I'm not attempting crafts and then every year I go on Pinterest and immediately betray myself by selecting a crafted gift for every person I've ever met in my life.  

So this year we're starting with snowglobes.  Good news though!  These are actually simple.  And quick.  I'm one for one so far!  

diy snowglobes
Let's start with the basics.  Here's what you need:

  • Jars with tight-fitting lids (I think mason jars are your best bet here)
  • Distilled water
  • glycerin 
  • super glue 
  • desired figurines 
  • glitter (I chose white and blue for snow)
I found everything except the distilled water at my local Michael's, even the glycerin (in the baking aisle).  I bet you could even find much of these things at the dollar store too.  


diy snowglobes



Ok now for assembly.  It hardly needs any instructions.  

  1. Super glue your figurines to the inside of the lids of your jars.  Allow to cure for about 12-24 hours (though some glues may differ).  
  2. Fill your jars nearly to the top with distilled water.  Keep in mind, your water will be displaced a little when you submerge the figurine so leave a little space.  
  3. Pour about a teaspoon or so of glycerin into the water.  The glycerin will allow the glitter to fall more freely and avoid clumping together.  I used a little less than half the bottle for a total of 3 snowglobes.  
  4.  Pour about a teaspoon or so of glitter into the water.  Really though, you can use as much or as little as you like.   
  5. Next, submerge your lid with the figure into the water and be sure to seal the lid really tight.
  6. Shake and enjoy!  Christmas!
diy snowglobes

A few tips I learned along the way:
  • I'd suggest using a ceramic, plastic or glass figurine.  My cute little trees are mostly made of metal wire but they had some foamy-type stuff on the leaves that came loose in the water.  If I were to make another snowglobe (and I plan to!) I'd likely just use a full ceramic or plastic piece.  
  • Don't be afraid really fill the water nearly to the top.  I actually overfilled mine so it overflowed a bit when I put the lid on.  But once the lid was on, I had almost no water bubble sitting at the top of the globe.  
  • It might be tempting to use regular water but make the effort to use distilled.  I've made the shortcut for other projects in the past and the results were.... less than favorable.  
  • The potential for customizing these is limitless!  Of course they're great for Christmas but you could easily make one for a baby shower, birthday gift, bridal shower, or whatevs.  Aside from switching up the figurine, you can choose different colored glitter and paint the lid to match.  I've got big plans.  

Happy crafting!  

post signature

No comments:

Post a Comment