Design your own glass snow globe

A custom glass snow globe with three-dimensional content is the high art of the personalized snow globe. With the craft kits from the Snow Globe House, it's quite simple. Here, we show you how it's done. A do-it-yourself set includes: The glass globe with the matching rubber seal, as well as the matching porcelain or cast stone base. In this post, we show exactly how it works. Additionally, you will need:

  • The object to be placed inside the globe, as well as the shaking material (snow, glitter, hearts, etc.)

  • Water clarifier or a ready-made mixture from Snowglobe-for-you with glitter and/or snow (already contains water clarifier)

  • Distilled water

  • Waterproof high-strength adhesive, transparent/neutral (or aquarium sealant)

  • A drop of dish soap, if no ready-made mixture is used


It all begins with the interior figure

First, you must create the figure that will go inside the globe. This can be a ready-made figure (a Schleich animal or similar) or a figure you've made yourself with Fimo. If individual parts need to be glued together, a high-strength or superglue is best (depending on the material—model-making glue is good for plastic parts). Always keep in mind that the figure will appear slightly larger inside the globe due to the water. This figure must then be firmly bonded to the rubber seal. To attach it, you need an adhesive that is not water-soluble. My best experiences so far have been with high-strength adhesive, superglue, marine glue (used for sailboats), or aquarium sealant. Please note that the figure should be as wide as possible at the bottom. Assemble individual figures onto a base plate first, which is then glued to the rubber—otherwise, the figures may detach from the rubber when being pushed in.

The filling makes the difference

Once the glue used to attach the figure to the rubber has dried, pour the snow or glitter into the glass globe and fill it with distilled water. To do this, place the globe upside down in a cup. Add a drop of dish soap and a few drops of water clarifier. The drop of dish soap prevents the snow from clumping, and the water clarifier prevents the water from spoiling. Alternatively, you can use one of the ready-made mixtures from Snowglobe-for-you; these already contain the water clarifier, and the snow/glitter is pre-treated so that the surface tension of the water is already broken. Then, press the rubber seal firmly into the globe from above. Please push the rubber down bit by bit. The ridges of the rubber must fully align with the ridges of the glass; otherwise, the snow globe will not be airtight!

Don't glue the globe to the base too quickly!

You can then use a syringe to refill a little water at the edge so that there is no air left in the globe at the end; otherwise, an air bubble will appear when the globe is tilted. Observe whether an air bubble forms later. Inject more water if necessary. In the meantime, you can start designing the base. There are no limits to your creativity here: you can paint the base with acrylic paints or decorate it with pictures or stones. Finally, the globe is turned over and glued into the base from above. Here again, you can use a silicone adhesive or another glue suitable for glass and porcelain. If you have a craft set that also allows for a music box to be installed, please let the glued globe-base formation stand for a day so that the moisture from the glue can evaporate. Otherwise, the music box could rust.


 

And here is a video tutorial featuring the most common mistakes and how to avoid them. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JA1cuhcdotk