DIY Christmas Snow Globe Project – Handmade Holiday Magic!

August 6, 2025

DIY Christmas Snow Globe Project – Handmade Holiday Magic!

I love Christmas and everything about this magical time of year! Every year, I make it my goal to design and craft my Christmas gifts for family and friends. I feel that creating personalized gifts brings out the true meaning of holiday cheer and love. Plus, I get to be my most creative during Christmas time by putting up the tree, decorating the house, and diving into fun holiday crafts and sewing projects.

One thing that seems to always creep up on me is making time to create my special personalized gifts for family and friends. I found that I have to craft earlier in the year since, between work and other obligations, the holidays sneak up on me! One minute it's Halloween, and the next thing I know, I'm hustling to finish DIY Christmas gifts for the family. AHHH!!

I decided to take on a handmade Christmas craft I've never done before - DIY snow globes! Not just any kind... I am talking about professional-looking, round snow globes with sturdy wooden bases - not mason jars.

Snow Globe Kit from National Artcraft

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Where I Got My Snow Globe Kits

After some research, I found a great supplier called National Artcraft Company, which offers a variety of snow globe materials and accessories. They also give discounts for bulk orders! Which is perfect since I required 24 snow globe kits! The snow globe size I ordered was the 2-3/8 inch diameter size, which is their second smallest. If I were to do this project again, I would go with the 3-1/8 or 4-inch sizes so I could fit larger figurines. But hey, lesson learned. Don't worry, I still loved how these snow globes turned out in the end.

Materials You Will Need for DIY Snow Globes

Snow Globe Kit (any size works, I used a 2-3/8 inch diameter size)
E6000 Glue or other waterproof/flexible adhesive
Silicon Adhesive (optional)
Deionized Water or Distilled Water
Propylene Glycol or Glycerin
Small Figurines and/or decorations that are non-metal
Snow Globe Snowflakes and/or Glitter
Fine Mesh Strainer or Tulle Fabric
Zip Ties or some type of string (optional)
Toothpicks (optional)

Choosing Figurines and Decorations

Picking decorations for inside the snow globes was honestly the hardest part. You have to avoid anything metal, as it can rust or corrode inside the globe over time. I opted for plastic, resin, or acrylic small figurines. Not only do you have to pay attention to the material type of the figurines, but you also have to pay attention to the size of the figurines, as you do not want them to be too big or too small for the size snow globe you are using.

For this project, I bought my figurines from Factory Direct Crafts. Below is what I purchased to experiment with for my snow globes:

(12) 1.5-inch penguins
(10) 1.5-inch snowmen
(4) 1.75-inch deer
(24) fir trees
(24) mini gift boxes
(24) ball ornaments
(24) candy canes

Now I have plenty of creative options!

Penguin Figurines, Snowman Figurines, Deer Figurines, Gift boxes, and Fir Tree Figurines

Test Before You Go Big

I highly recommend starting with a test snow globe before making multiples. I ran into a few issues that were easy to fix once I knew what to expect.

For the tester snow globe, I used a penguin, a fir tree, and a gift box figurine. I had to trim the tree to make it fit and learned to cut off about 1/4-inch from the white base post to fit the rest properly.

How the Fir tree looks when you receive it.

Fir tree figurines I bought can be separated in the middle, so I took them apart and removed the white post from the bottom piece. Next, place the white post on the top piece of the fir tree.

This is how it will turn out.

Clean Everything First

Before assembly, I rinsed all parts—figurines, gaskets, snowflakes, and globes—to remove dust or loose particles. If you are adding snow or glitter to the snow globe, rinse it using a fine mesh strainer or tulle fabric. If you do not have a fine mesh strainer, an alternative method is to soak the snow and/or glitter overnight in water to help remove unwanted dust and particles.

Gluing Figurines to the Gasket

To attach the figurines to the rubber gasket, I used E6000 adhesive because it's waterproof and flexible. A toothpick helped apply glue to the small pieces. I placed everything on layers of newspaper for easy cleanup.

Pro tip: Zip-tie your decorations together while the glue dries! This helped my trees stand upright. Just remember to leave about 1/4 inch from the edge of the gasket for proper sealing and alignment. Trust me, if you do not leave that amount of space, you will not get the full effect of the snow globe.

zip tying the snowman and fir tree together

Example of me using a zip tie to hold the snowman and fir tree together, since the tree will not stand up right without support.

I discovered when doing my tester globe that the items were glued too close to the edge. You will see later on in the post that it makes a huge difference in the snow globe's appearance.

Best placement of figurines on snow globe gasket - at least 1/4-inch from the edge of the gasket

Here you can see that the items are at least 1/4-inch from the edge of the gasket.

Once you complete your gluing, let everything dry for at least 24 hours before handling further. After everything is dried, do not forget to remove the zip-ties (if you used them) and rinse the figurines off with some water.

Adding Snow and Inserting the Gasket

Once everything is dry, it's time to add the snow! Below is the amount of snow and glitter I placed in the snow globe:

1/2 teaspoon of snowflakes
1/8 teaspoon of glitter

Adding the glitter and snow to the DIY snow globe

Adding the glitter and snow to the snow globe.

Insert the gasket carefully. A little water around the gasket edge helps, or you can chill the gasket in the freezer for 4 to 5 minutes to shrink it slightly.

plate of snow globe gaskets with glued figurines to place in freezer for 4 to 5 minutes

Hubby and I placed the gaskets with the figurines on a plate and placed them in the freezer for 4 to 5 minutes.

Place the rubber gasket at the top of the neck opening of the globe. Slightly squeeze the gasket inward and gently push down on the gasket while turning it in a clockwise direction.

Here is what it looks like so far.

Now, go slowly and do not exert too much pressure, or you might accidentally push the gasket all the way inside the globe. Let's say my husband and I made this mistake a few times... woops... The key is to be very gentle and patient. Once the gasket is flushed to the bottom edge of the globe, you will know the gasket is seated properly.

working in the snow globe gasket inside the snow globe glass

An example of inserting the gasket carefully into the snow globe.

What it looks like when the gasket is flush to the bottom edge of the snow globe.

Once the gasket is inserted and flush with the globe's bottom, you're good to go for the next step!

Filling the Snow Globe with Water

When performing this step of the process, it is easier to complete with a helper. My husband held the globe and lifted the gasket edge, while I poured in the 1 tablespoon of propylene glycol (or glycerin) and then filled the rest of the globe with deionized water to the brim.

Propylene glycol and deionized water we used.

Here is my husband holding the globe and lifting the gasket so I can pour the propylene glycol and deionized water.

We slightly overfilled the snow globe to push out air pockets before reseating the gasket. Tiny air bubbles may still occur, but they are usually not noticeable.

Important: Propylene glycol or glycerin are safe alternatives to antifreeze, which is used in most snow globes manufactured. Antifreeze is toxic to pets. Please avoid snow globes with antifreeze if you have fur babies!

TIP: If some snow or glitter floats to the top, give it a few days to settle. If it doesn't, gently tilt the globe, pull back the gasket, and top it off with deionized water to "burp" out the excess snow or glitter.

DIY Christmas snow globes with some snow floating at the top

Here are my snow globes with some snow floating at the top.

Sealing the Globe

Once the gasket area is completely dry, seal it with E6000 or silicone adhesive. Then, attach the globe to its base using the same glue. Let everything dry for at least 24 hours.

Lessons Learned

Don't glue the decorations near the edge of the gasket, since it causes leaning against the globe
Center everything and keep it simple
Avoid metallic elements (my tester gift box darkened due to hidden foil)
- Note: At the beginning of this blog post, I updated the link for the gift boxes to a version that is made of resin, so you will not use what I did for the tester globe.

The tester globe is on the left, and the best globe is on the right. As you can see in the above image, the tester globe isn't as refined as the best globe. You can clearly see the figurines look larger in the best globe vs the tester globe, where the figurines look smaller.

Final Results - Finished DIY Snow Globes!

The finished snow globes turned out beautifully! They look so much more polished than the test version, and the floating snow effect is magical. These handmade Christmas gifts are sure to bring smiles to everyone on my list.

Time to Celebrate! I'm so proud of how these DIY snow globes turned out. This project was fun, creative, and full of holiday cheer. If you love crafting or need a unique handmade Christmas gift idea, I highly recommend trying it out!

Don't forget to pin this post so you can refer back to it anytime and share with your crafty friends who love to craft!

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