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How to Make Your Own Photo Snow Globe

Dec 12, 2011 09:31 AM

Dec 15, 2014 09:38 PM

As the holidays draw closer and closer, stores are getting more and more crowded, and of course, many have put off their Christmas shopping until the very last minute. Why not avoid the mall rush this holiday season and make a personalized do-it-yourself snow globe to gift to those closest to you? This is also a perfect opportunity to put of those cell phone photos that you've been snapping to use!

Three glass containers with images embedded inside, featuring a dog, a person laughing, and various colorful pictures.

What You'll Need

Photo or transparency—you'll want to print it in a size that is half an inch smaller than your bottle or jar's width/diameter and height.
A glass jar or bottle (I used spaghetti sauce and baby food jars for mine).
Glitter and/or sequins.
Light/clear corn syrup.
Water.
Packaging tape.

Various jars and containers with colorful contents, a bottle of Karo syrup, and crafting supplies on a black surface.

Prepare Your Photo

For mine, I used a photo printed onto a transparency and trimmed the borders off the edges.

If you used a regular printer to print your photo, you'll want to waterproof your photo by laying it onto pieces of packaging tape on both sides. Make sure the entire surface is covered and that there are no air bubbles, so that the water will not be able to enter. Leave at least ¼ of an inch of tape around the borders. (Don't worry about this step if you are using a transparency.)

A person holding a piece of paper over a printed image on a surface.

If your photo is extra wide like the one shown above, you'll want to roll it up into a tube and tape it together.

A coffee mug featuring a dog's face next to a glass jar on a table.

Insert the Photo

Roll up the photo and slip it into your bottle or jar. Do this quickly to ensure that your photo does not stay rolled up. If you are using a jar, be sure that to insert the photo upside down.

Person placing a photo inside a glass jar on a table.

Make final adjustments before you pour in the water and corn syrup. The photo should fit nice and snug inside the bottle or jar.

A hand holding a glass jar with a colorful background featuring two smiling individuals.

Time for the Magic Concoction

Fill over half the jar or bottle with water and the rest with corn syrup. Add glitter and/or sequins as desired.

A clear liquid being poured from a bottle into a glass jar.

Colorful decorative gems in a clear plastic package.

Hand pouring purple glitter from a container into a jar of water.

Tighten the lid on the jar as much as you possibly can. We don't want your snow globe leaking water and glitter all over the place!

Admire Your Snow Globe

Flip your jar upside down to activate your new snow globe! If you used a bottle, just shake it up a bit and watch the glittery goodness fall over your photo. Enjoy!

A snow globe featuring two smiling individuals inside.

If you made one of these, make sure to share a picture of it below in the comments to give everyone else some more inspiration!

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