Let It Snow: Make a Wee Winter Wonderland
As a child, I loved snow globes. L-O-V-E-D. Lovey loved loved. I still do actually.
My first globe was a simple one: a little snowman with a delicate blue balloon floating in a sea of water and plastic snow sheathed by a very, extremely, thin layer of glass. Super delicate and super easy to break. Also a mess to clean up. As a child, I was also insanely clumsy and prone to breaking things and falling up stairs. You can see where this was problematic. Not much has changed.
Want a wee winter wonderland that’s more forgiving and fun for the family? You’re in luck because I think some flurries are in the forecast for the Rocket City this weekend.
SUPPLIES NEEDED
Glass jars—any sizes will do. You can buy them or use jars from jelly and sauces.
Glitter “snow”
Floral foam or Styrofoam
Ribbons, trims, sequins, etc.
Glue, super glue, hot glue, scissors
Tiny treasures
– There are lots of great sources for tiny treasures. Hobby Lobby and Michael’s have little Christmas trees that you can decorate using Mardi Gras beads (taken apart) to make Christmas balls. Tiny Things Are Cute is a fabulous online store with anything little, plastic and retro you can imagine. If you want to do a whole snowy scene, Southerland Station is a great resource for model train figures and accessories.
Once you’ve decided what you want in your jar you need to make a base.
I like floral foam because it’s moldable and cheap at the Dollar Tree (another great source for little trinkets.) To make sure your scene will fit in your jar, it needs to fit in your lid. I “screwed” my lid into the floral foam so I knew how deep it had to be. Then I hacked away around it with scissors and carved it out. This will make a mess. You’ve been warned. I glued the base into the center of the jar lid with super glue and began gluing “snow” and trinkets to the base as well. I periodically tested placement to make sure they were going to fit inside the jar.
After everything dries, dump some snow in your jar. How much you use is up to you. Personally I don’t know that you can ever overdo it on the glitter but if you create too much of a blizzard, your little lovelies will be buried under. While keeping the jar upside down, carefully screw in the lid. Accent the outside with some tinsel or ribbon and voila; you’ve made it snow in Alabama!
I think these are perfect for homemade Christmas gifts and easily tailored to the likes of the giftee. I’m thinking of making some for family and friends with little cardstock replicas of their homes inside them with tiny snowmen made from faux pearls.
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