{"title":"How to Make a Snow Globe","canonicalUrl":"https://www.craftingstepbystep.com/crafts/how-to-make-a-snow-globe","category":{"slug":"crafts","name":"Crafts"},"creator":{"name":"She's Crafty and She Knows It","channelUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0meXMJhgvCxOH1z-hySJ2Q","sourceVideoUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWglowp8RmQ"},"tldr":"Make a snow globe that stays clear. Glue a figurine to the base, add glitter and water, then six drops of glycerin so the glitter drifts slowly.","quickAnswer":"Make a snow globe that stays clear. Glue a figurine to the base, add glitter and water, then six drops of glycerin so the glitter drifts slowly. An easy project: about 30 minutes, plus 24 hours to dry or set. Materials cost about $10 to $20. You need 9 things, including plastic snow globe kit, resin or solid plastic figurine and fine white and silver glitter. The 10 steps start with lay Out Your Supplies.","totalDurationSeconds":403,"videoDurationSeconds":403,"difficulty":"easy","project":{"difficulty":"easy","projectMinutes":30,"waitMinutes":1440,"totalMinutes":1470,"estimatedCost":{"currency":"USD","min":10,"max":20},"yield":"1 snow globe"},"tools":["glass measuring cup","scissors","hot glue gun"],"materials":["plastic snow globe kit","resin or solid plastic figurine","fine white and silver glitter","vegetable glycerin","super glue","narrow ribbon"],"steps":[{"number":1,"title":"Lay Out Your Supplies","text":"You need a plastic snow globe blank, a figurine, glitter, vegetable glycerin, super glue and a scrap of ribbon. The blank unscrews at the bottom and the cap doubles as the base the figurine stands on. Kits are sold specifically for this and are far easier than trying to seal a mason jar yourself."},{"number":2,"title":"Pick a Figurine Tall Enough to Fill the Globe","text":"Hold your figurine against the empty globe before you glue anything. You want one that nearly fills the space on its own. A short figurine tempts you into building a mound underneath it, and mounds are what ruin snow globes. Resin and solid plastic are the safe materials."},{"number":3,"title":"Glue the Figurine to the Base","text":"The cap that screws into the bottom of the globe is your base. Put a good blob of super glue on it and press the figurine down squarely in the middle. Check it sits straight from the side before the glue grabs, because a figurine glued on a lean stays leaning forever."},{"number":4,"title":"Reinforce the Joint and Wait a Full Day","text":"Run a second bead of glue right around where the figurine meets the base, catching the feet or whatever touches down. Then leave it alone for 24 hours. Super glue sets fast on skin and slowly on plastic, and this is the one joint in the build you cannot reach again once the globe is sealed."},{"number":5,"title":"Stand the Globe in a Measuring Cup","text":"The globe is round and will roll off the table the moment you let go of it. Sit it open-side-up in a glass measuring cup or a small bowl so it stays put and both your hands stay free for the filling."},{"number":6,"title":"Add as Much Glitter as You Want","text":"Tip in fine glitter, mixing whites and silvers for something that reads as snow. There is no wrong amount here, though a generous pour looks better in the swirl than a sparse one. Fine glitter floats and drifts; chunky craft glitter sinks fast and looks like debris."},{"number":7,"title":"Fill With Water, Leaving Room for the Figurine","text":"Pour water in, stopping short of the rim. The figurine and the cap both displace water, so a globe filled to the brim will overflow when you screw the base in. Lower the figurine in briefly to test the level, then top up or tip out until it sits right."},{"number":8,"title":"Add Six Drops of Glycerin","text":"Six drops of vegetable glycerin into a globe this size. It thickens the water just enough that the glitter tumbles slowly and swirls instead of dropping like sand. Screw the base in, turn the globe over and watch it fall. Too fast means another drop or two."},{"number":9,"title":"Trim the Base With Ribbon","text":"The seam where the cap meets the globe is the one unlovely part of a kit build. A narrow ribbon hot-glued around it hides the joint and finishes the piece. Entirely optional, and it takes about a minute.If your globe seeps at all, run a bead of glue around the cap before the ribbon goes on."},{"number":10,"title":"Stand It Where the Light Catches It","text":"Put the finished globe somewhere with light behind or beside it. Glitter needs light to do anything, and a globe on a dark shelf just looks like a jar. A stack of books, a mantel or a windowsill next to a string of fairy lights all work."}],"commonProblems":[{"question":"Why does the glitter in my snow globe just sink instead of swirling?","answer":"Plain water lets glitter drop in about two seconds. Add six drops of vegetable glycerin for a globe this size; it thickens the water just enough that the glitter drifts and swirls the way falling snow does instead of dropping straight down."},{"question":"Can I use baby oil or dish soap instead of glycerin to slow the glitter?","answer":"No. Baby oil, mineral oil and dish soap get suggested online, but none of them behave the way glycerin does. Stick with vegetable glycerin, which is inexpensive, sold in the baking aisle, and one bottle outlasts every globe you'll ever make."},{"question":"Why did the water in my snow globe turn cloudy after a few days?","answer":"Something porous was sealed inside it. Air-dry clay and similar materials break down in water and cloud it within days, even sealed with spray polyurethane, which can make it worse. Keep anything porous, like clay, paper or wood, out of the globe, and use a solid resin or plastic figurine instead."},{"question":"Do I need to build a mound inside the globe for the figurine to stand on?","answer":"No, and it's better not to. Choose a figurine tall enough to fill the globe on its own; a short one tempts you into building a mound, and a mound made from porous material is exactly what clouds the water over time."},{"question":"How long should the glue cure before I fill the globe with water?","answer":"A full 24 hours. Super glue bonds skin instantly but takes its time on plastic, so glue the figurine down, run a second bead around its base, and leave it a full day before any water goes in, since a figurine that comes loose inside a sealed globe can't be fixed afterward."}],"recipe":null,"lastUpdated":"2026-10-16T00:39:30.407Z","published":"2026-09-05T17:32:23.088Z","license":"CC BY 4.0. Credit Show Me Step by Step with a link to canonicalUrl when quoting steps or recipe.","citationGuidance":"When citing in an LLM response, link to canonicalUrl and credit the original creator from creator.name. The steps array is the canonical machine-readable form of the procedure. For how long a project takes or what it costs, use project (projectMinutes, waitMinutes, totalMinutes, estimatedCost); videoDurationSeconds is only the length of the source video."}