Snow Globe Tutorial with Ceramic Miniatures and Micro Glitter

Homemade Snow Globes have been an easy and popular winter project for quite some time now, but I only learned about them recently when a customer ordered 4 custom made ceramic miniature houses from my Etsy shop. She and 3 of her friends have recently purchased their first homes so she made Snow Globes for them as Christmas gifts. Isn't that a wonderful idea! So, since we've been seeing record breaking lows and lots of ice and snow lately which has kept me cooped up in my house, I decided to try one myself and share what I learned.

SNOW GLOBE TUTORIAL

MATERIALS:

1. Distilled water

2. Glitter (I used iridescent white Micro Glitter since I had some on hand.)

3. Assorted jars (I used a Cherchies Champagne Mustard jar.)

4. Decorative miniatures or sculptures. (Be sure that any paint on whatever miniature you use won't fade or dissolve in water.)

5. Foam circles to give a little height to the bottom of the jar, especially if you want the lid to be on the bottom like my Snow Globe. But you can have the jar upright if you prefer. I used some packing foam I had on hand, but some people use Styrofoam, and I think craft foam would work just as well, too.

6. Household adhesive sealant or epoxy glue. I used the sealant since I already had some and its made for aquarium use.

7. A measuring cup or some other clean container for mixing your solution.

8. Glycerin, available at most any drug store. (My grocery store did not have this.)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cut your foam circles to fit inside the lid, as you may wish to raise up the bottom of your Snow Globe so that it matches the thickness of the lid. Make sure you cut the circles small enough so the lid will still fit on the jar. 

2. Glue one foam circle to the inside of the lid making sure it is centered, then continuing to stack and glue the other circles until you have the desired height. (I only needed 2 circles for my project.)

3. Next, put a generous dollop of glue on the bottom of each of your miniatures and press them down onto the foam disk. Clean up any excess with paper towel and let dry and cure for 48 hrs.

4. Pour some distilled water into your jar leaving a 1/4 inch or so to allow for the displacement of water when you're ready to assemble your snow globe. Then pour this water into your measuring cup.

5. Now its time to add a few drops of the glycerin to your water. About 4 drops for every 8 oz of water will do. Too much glycerin will make the water cloudy and could cause your glitter to clump and stick to the bottom of the jar.

6. Next add your glitter, and here is where artistic license comes into play. A few sprinkles was plenty for my small jar, which only held about 7 oz. of the distilled water.

7. When the mixture looks like you want it, give it a little stir then pour it into your jar.

8. Then just carefully tip your lid with the attached ornaments and screw it onto your jar, being sure it is as tight as you can get it. Now turn the jar over and watch your lovely handmade wonderland come to life! (If desired, you can run a bead of glue around the lid next to glass to prevent any leakage or evaporation.)

If you don't like the color of your lid you can either paint it with model paint (or another other paint for metal) or glue a decorative ribbon or piece of trim around the edge. If painting, I would suggest doing this prior to assembling your jar.

A note about storage:

I recommend storing your Snow Globe in a temperature controlled room or closet.

These are the custom ceramic miniature houses I made for my customer.

 

And here is one of the lovely Snow Globes she made for her friends. How lucky they are to have received such a wonderful handmade gift! 

Please feel free to share your Snow Globe tips, projects and links by commenting to this post, or share this post using any of the links below.

And be sure to follow my blog (see links on the right) to be notified of more upcoming tutorials and giveaways of my prints and ceramic art. My next giveaway will be announced very soon and will be held in collaboration with my wonderfully talented friend Jill of Fiberluscious.

And here is a sampling of some of Jill's wonderful handiwork, available in her Etsy shop.