DIY Snow Globe | How to Make a Snow Globe (2024)

November 7, 2023 by Debbie Chapman

Jump to Instructions

This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.

Make a DIY snow globe using simple, dollar store supplies! They’re so pretty and SO EASY to make! This is such a fun winter craft for both kids and adults.

Follow our simple step by step tutorial below to learn how to make a snow globe. Choose your figurine and create your own wintry scene. These DIY snow globes are so magical and charming that you’ll want to keep them on display all winter long!

This post contains affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something we may earn a small commission which helps us run this website.

How to Make a Snow Globe

Make your own DIY snow globe by filling a dollar store snow globe with glitter and Christmas decorations. It's such a fun winter craft for both kids and adults!

Author: Debbie Chapman

Materials:

Equipment:

Check Out The Video Tutorial:

Looking for more Christmas crafts? Here's a few of our favourites:

DIY Felt Ornaments

Instructions:

Step 1: Find what you need

Gather your supplies and materials.

Step 2: Add your figurine to the snow globe

Pull apart your snow globe. There should be the clear plastic globe, a seal, and an outside lid.
Choose what you'll add to your snowglobe. We used a Christmas village snowman for ours.
Add hot glue to the bottom of the figurine.
Place the figurine on the top center of the inside seal (the side that goes into the globe).
If you're worried about the figurine staying in place you can sand the bottom of the figurine and the plastic (just enough to add a rough texture) before gluing them together.

Step 3: Add liquid to the globe

Add 1 Tablespoon of glycerin to the globe part of the snow globe. The more glycerin you add, the slower the glitter will fall.
Pour in a generous amount of glitter -- approximately 1/2 a teaspoon, but it doesn't need to be exact.
Fill the snow globe with water, almost all the way to the top. Leave room so that when you insert your figurine the water won't overflow.

Step 4: Close the snow globe

Place the interior seal onto the globe, inserting the figurine in the liquid.
Do this slowly and carefully, applying firm pressure. You don't want to bend the plastic lid, or else the figurine might become unglued.
Rotate the lid slowly as you push down on it -- this will help remove any trapped air from the globe.
Make sure the seal is completely inserted all the way around the globe.
Screw on the outside lid tightly.
Give your snow globe a really good shake. You'll be able to see the glycerin mixing with the water.
At first the snow globe will be cloudy, but as the two liquids mix you'll be able to see your figurine clearly through the "snow".
Your DIY snow globe is complete!

Helpful Tips:

Use distilled wateror bottled water, to prevent the water from becoming cloudy over time.
You can glue the snow globe lid shut with hot glue or super glue, if you like, to reduce the risk of spills.

What liquid do you use to make a DIY snow globe?

The liquids used to make a DIY snowglobe are water and a little bit of glycerin. We recommend using distilled water, since it doesn’t have any impurities or minerals that regular water has.

You can use tap water, but there is a chance the water might go cloudy in the snow globe as time passes.

Do I have to add glycerin to my DIY snow globe?

It isn’t 100% necessary to add glycerin to your snow globe, but we do recommend it. Glycerin makes the water thicker, which makes the glitter snow fall more slowly and realistically.

If you don’t have glycerin, you can also fill the globe with baby oil or a mixture of clear glue and water (1 part glue to 4 parts water). You can also substitute the glycerin with 1 Tablespoon of clear dish soap.

Where to get figurines for a DIY snow globe?

We used Christmas village figurines from the dollar store and Walmart for our snow globes, but you can buy even nicer ones at the craft store or online. Make sure you double check that your figure is small enough to fit inside your globe.

If you don’t want to use a Christmas figurine inside your snowglobe you can also use plastic toys (like dinosaurs, cars, or animals) or even Lego minifigures. Bottle brush trees and laminated photos also look great inside these snow globes.

What kind of fake snow do you use for a DIY snow globe?

We used iridescent glitter as the fake snow in our DIY snow globe. Iridescent glitter is clear glitter that shimmers in many colours. We tried silver glitter at first, but it didn’t look enough like snow. White glitter would also work if you can find it.

Where to get a snow globe?

We bought our plastic snow globes at the dollar store. You can also buy them at craft stores, or online. Try searching “DIY snow globe” or “snow globe kit” online.

If you don’t want to buy a special snow globe you can also use a mason jar or any clean jar from your recycling, like a jam jar.

This DIY snow globe is such a fun craft for the whole family, and they’re soooo mesmerizing to watch! It’s really beautiful to watch the glitter snow swirl and fall, dancing around the winter wonderland that you created yourself.

Here’s even more Christmas craft ideas:

DIY Felt Ornaments

Reindeer Food

Sock Snowman

Our bookLow-Mess Crafts for Kids is loaded with 72 fun and simple craft ideas for kids! The projects are fun, easy and most importantly low-mess, so the clean up is simple!