High Heels and Training Wheels: Holiday DIY: Snow Globes From Glass Jars

I say it all the time, it's like my personal preface to every post, but I love "inexpensive" and I love "easy". They're my two favorites. And when you put them together, well, that's just an all around win isn't it? My favorite kind of decorations, holiday included, are DIY projects because they are usually both of these things. I also love the unique quality of making something for yourself; you personalize it and make it your own. And alright, alright, I love the bragging power you get out of making something yourself too! Don't act like you're not just a little bit proud when your project turns out awesome too!

I'm sure you've seen these DIY snow globes all over Pinterest. Or on Anthropologie. I've been eyeing them for a couple years and admired them immensely, I just never got around to trying it myself. So boo hoo for not being on point with the innovation skills. But I'm still going to share it anyway because I just love how easy and incredibly cheap they are to make!

I'm a frugal person, you already know this. But why? Honestly, I take a really sick pleasure out of "under spending" on things. Some people like to "out spend" others, I like to under spend. And I'd be lying if I said I was blameless when it comes to rubbing someone's nose in just how cheap I got something either. Hey, we all have our vices. But I'm also frugal out of necessity. And the holidays can get a little hairy in the gift giving department. So these globes are a great, last minute, inexpensive gift you can give to just about anyone. Just how inexpensive depends on what you already have on hand. We literally already had everything so for me, it was $0. But even if you're starting from scratch, everything could easily be found for less than $10.

We (and by we, I mean me) have all kinds of glass jars already saved away. If your a compulsive "Pinner" as I am, you know the golden rule of never throwing anything away because you never know what Pinterest project you might need it for. My husband accidentally threw out a jelly jar and I seriously made him go retrieve it. So I have a garage full of what some people might consider garbage. But for the average Pinterest junkie, you know it's really treasure! So for this project, hack into your Pinterest treasure trove for your jars. You will also need

various ornaments or wire trees
glue gun or craft glue
Styrofoam or other fake "snow"
ribbon or paint
scissors

Now I'm no stranger to DIY projects, but I am a newbie when it comes to turning those projects into tutorials and documenting every step. So there are a couple pictures missing. You'll have cut me some slack and use your imagination, but it's pretty self explanatory anyway. If you find it lacking, there are literally a million others on Pinterest who did this way better than me.

First, if you haven't already, clean out your jars. This is assuming you're using food jars as opposed to decorative jars or something like that. I used both. They were easy to clean but getting those labels off are a beast! I need to stock up on some Goo Gone. If you don't have any either, AJAX, a scouring pad and some elbow grease will do the trick....after about an hour. Seriously, go get some Goo Gone.

Next, if you're using Styrofoam like I did, start breaking it up into a million bajillion pieces. This is where you enlist the kids. Every time, every time, those kids come across Styrofoam, they want to crumble it up. So needless to say, they loved this job...and it was a win-win for me because Styrofoam gives me the willies. But if you want a traditional snow globe with water, Styrofoam won't do ya. It floats. So filling your jar won't give you that softly fallen snow that drifts slowly to the ground, it will just give you floaters. Styrofoam wasn't like a personal choice I made for aesthetic purposes, it was just what I happened to have on hand that would work as our "snow". They sell fake snow for these that you could use. Or there's a pin floating around on Pinterest that tells you how to make some. Hindsight.

After you've prepared your snow, start choosing and arranging your "doodads" on the lid of the jar. Test your lid by screwing it back on your jar before gluing your ornament down. See how I put that in bold? I had this adorable gingerbread girl glued down on a lid she fit perfectly on. I was starting to congratulate myself and pat myself on the back for how cute it was looking when reality snacked me in the face and the jar wouldn't fit back onto the lid....and then her peppermint was ripped off of her in the process. Poor gal. You have to be careful not to interfere with the threads on the lid and consider the diameter of the jar may be smaller than the lid. So even if it looks like it fits, test it out and screw it onto your jar before gluing. Word to the wise.

Glue that puppy down! Assuming you've tested it first, of course. If you are doing a "dry" snow globe like I've done, a craft glue or super glue will work just fine. If you are choosing to add water or glycerin or any liquid to your globe, use a hot glue gun. Said gingerbread girl was adhered perfectly to her (new) lid with craft glue until I added water and she came sliiiiiding right off. More words to the wise.

Now here's where the pictures are missing. Shame. You want to funnel your snow into your jar and, if you're using a glitter or liquid, add that as well. Then, turning your fabulously decorated lid upside down, dunk your poor little gingerbread girl into the snow-filled jar and screw it down tight. If you've added water, slowly turn it right side up over the sink to make sure your seal is tight. If it is not, remove the lid and add a ring of hot glue into your threads and screw the lid back on. The glue acts like a seal and keeps any water from leaking. It's not ideal if you ever planned on changing anything out, but I only needed to do this on one, so test it, you might not need the glue.

This is an optional step that you can choose to do however you want. I've seen some leave the lids plain and it had a really cute rustic look. Some have painted or spray painted the lids different colors or metallics. Super cute as well. But I was too impatient to wait on paint to dry and leaving my Vlasic Pickle lid as-is was nonnegotiable, so I hot glued some ribbon around the edge.

Ta-da!

This little guy is really nontraditional and not really a "globe", but I think he might be my favorite. I did it the exact same as the others, I just glued the tree to the bottom rather than the lid.