How to Make a Snow Globe

Co-authored by Florisa-Leila Ramos

Last Updated: November 11, 2024

Are you looking for a fun, holiday-themed project to make with your kids (or parents)? One solution is to create a snow globe! A snow globe is a cute, traditional decoration which is easy to make using everyday items from around your home. Alternatively, you can buy a ready-made kit online or in craft stores to create a more professional-looking snow globe you can enjoy year after year. Whichever option you choose, see Step 1 below to get started.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Making a Snow Globe From Household Items

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1
Find a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid. Any size will do, as long as you have figurines that will fit inside them.
- Pimiento jars, olive jars, artichoke heart jars, and baby food jars are all good choices, but anything with a tight-fitting lid will do the trick - just take a look in your fridge.
- Wash the jars inside and out. If you're having trouble removing the label, try rubbing it with hot soapy water and using a plastic card or knife to scrape it off. Dry thoroughly.
2
Decide what you want to put inside. You can put anything you like inside your snow globe. Small children's toys are a good option, as are winter-themed figurines or cake-toppers (think snowmen, Santa Clauses and Christmas trees) from thrift and craft stores.
- Just make sure the figurines are plastic or ceramic, as other materials (like metal) may start to rust or turn funny after being submerged in water.
- If you want to get a little more creative, try making your own figurines from clay. You can buy clay from a craft store, shape it into any form you want (snowmen are really easy) and bake them in the oven. Paint them with water-proof paint and they're ready to use.
- Another idea is to take pictures of yourself, your family or your pets and laminate them. You can then cut around the outline of each person and place their photo in the snow globe, for a really personalized touch!
- Even though it's called a snow globe you don't need to limit yourself to creating a winter scene. You could create a beach scene using seashells and sand, or something playful and fun like a dinosaur or a ballerina.
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3
Create the scene on the underside of the jar lid. Take the lid of your jar and cover the underside with a layer of hot glue, super glue or epoxy. If you like, you can sand the lid with some sandpaper first - this will create a rougher surface which helps the glue to stick better.
- While the glue is still wet, build your scene on the underside of the jar. Stick in your figurines, your laminated photos, your clay sculptures, or anything else you want to put in there.
- If the item you're sticking has a narrow base (such as the laminated photos, or a snipping from a garland or plastic Christmas tree) it might be helpful to stick a few colored pebbles to the underside of the lid. Then you can just wedge the item between the pebbles.
- Keep in mind that the scene you create will need to fit inside the jar opening, so don't make it too wide. Keep your figurines in the center of the lid.
- Once you have created your scene, set the jar lid aside for a while to dry. The glue needs to be completely set before you can submerge it in water.
4
Fill the jar with water, glycerin, and glitter. Fill your jar almost to the brim with water and add 2 to 3 teaspoons of glycerin (which can be found in the baking section at the supermarket). The glycerin "thickens" the water, allowing the glitter to fall more slowly. You can achieve a similar effect with baby oil.
- Next, add the glitter. How much will depend on the size of the jar and personal preference. You want to add enough to make up for the fact that some will get stuck to the bottom of the jar, but not so much that it obscures the scene you've created.
- Silver and gold glitter are good options for winter or Christmas scenes, but really you can choose any color you like. You can also buy special snow globe "snow" online and in craft stores.
- If you have no glitter on hand, you can make pretty convincing snow from crushed up eggshell. Just use a rolling pin to crush up the shell nice and fine.
5
Carefully put the lid on. Take the lid and carefully screw it onto the jar. Close it as tightly as you can, and wipe up any displaced water with some paper towel.
- If you're worried about the lid coming loose, you can place a ring of glue around the rim of the jar before you close it. Alternatively, you can wrap some colored tape around the lid.
- However, sometimes you will need to reopen the jar to fix something that's come loose or to add fresh water or more glitter, so think about that before you seal it up.
6
Decorate the lid (optional). If you want, you can finish off your snow globe by decorating the lid.
- You can paint it a bright color, wrap a decorative ribbon around it, cover it in felt, or stick festive berries, holly or jingle bells to it.
- Once that's done, all that's left is to give your snow globe a good shake and watch the glitter fall gently around the beautiful scene you've created!

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Making a Snow Globe From a Store-Bought Kit

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There are many different kits available, some which allow you to simply slot in a photograph, some which require you to sculpt your own clay figurines, and others which provide you with a water globe, base and other materials for making a professional-looking snow globe.
Once you have your kit, follow the instructions on the packaging to put it together. Some will require you to paint the parts and glue the figurines to the base. Once the scene is set, you will usually need to glue the glass (or plastic) dome to the base and then fill the dome with water (and snow or glitter) from a hole in the base. You will then use the stopper provided to seal the snow globe.

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Question

Do you have to put glycerin in the snow globe?

Community Answer

Glycerin is not required in a snow globe, but because it has a higher density than water, it will slow the falling of the snow a little bit, making the "snowing" effect last longer.

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What else can I use apart from glitter?

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You can use Orbeez as long as you enlarge them first to be sure they will fit, or you can use confetti if it's not made from paper. I also like the look of cut cellophane.

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How do I pick materials for a snow globe?

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It depends on what "theme" you want for your snow globe. Most people put in glitter.

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Tips

Add glitter, beads, or other small items to the water. Anything will work so long as the objects don't interfere with your main object!

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Some fun things to have as your main object are small plastic dolls, plastic animals, and/or pieces from board games such as Monopoly or from model train sets.

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For a fun twist to the snow globe, try adding a few drops of food coloring to the water before adding glitter, beads, etc.

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Warnings

It's possible that your homemade snow globe may start to leak, so make sure to place it on a surface you don't mind getting wet!

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If you choose to dye the water with food coloring, make sure you use light colors, not blue, green or black/navy blue or you won't be able to see into your snow globe. Also, make sure that the object will not be stained by the food coloring!

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