Snow Globe Shadow Box Tutorial

So far, this is definitely my favorite tutorial of The 25 Projects of Christmas. Maybe it's not just a coincidence that these Snow Globe Shadow Boxes happen to be my lucky number eight! It's vintage-y, pretty, wintery, and cute. Really, there is nothing you won't love about these. 

If you're around these parts often, you probably realized that I prefer very traditional and rustic decor at Christmastime and these are not that at all. Still, I adore them. The boxes turned out so whimsical and retro due in major part to the color scheme. I was inspired by the layout of Cocalores and I must say, Anja knows what she's doing with the blue and pink combo because it worked like a charm.  Read on for the full tutorial!

Boxes with clear/glass lid (mine are plain jewelry boxes from A.C. Moore -- $2.99 & $4.99 each)

White acrylic paint

Tacky glue

Paint brushes

Scrapbook paper in pattern/color of your choice

Paper cutter / scissors

Ruler

Clear glitter

Epsom salts

Small amount of poly-fill

Hot glue gun & glue

Fake snow

Miniature figures (animals, snowman, buildings, etc)

Plastic snowflakes

Sisal trees in various shapes/colors

Go, go, go! I'll wait here while you gather everything. 

....Okay, ready? Let's get this started.

1. Gather all of your supplies and figure out what kind of color scheme or wintery scene you want to depict. 

2. Squirt quite a bit of paint inside the box -- including around the glass on the back of the lid

3. Paint the entire inside area. This helps lighten up the inside of the box since there is only one clear side. You could also paint the outside, but I liked the natural pine color.

4. While the paint is drying, measure the opening of the box (mine were perfect squares) and cut out a piece of scrapbook paper to line the back
5. Squirt a generous amount of tacky glue inside and spread it into a thin layer with the paintbrush
6. Press the paper to the back of the box and smooth it down

7. While the glue is still wet, pour a tablespoon or so of clear glitter into the box.

8. Close the box and shake it vigorously so the glitter adheres in random spots around the inside of the walls

9. LET EVERYTHING DRY. You can't start gluing until the paint and glue are completely dry.

10. Now that everything has dried, begin assembling the contents. Use hot glue to glue down the base of the sisal tree

11. Insert some animals if you'd like. You'll see that my deer's one foot isn't even on the wall and that's because the lid has about 3/4 of an inch of a lip and this created further dimension. I simply glued down the back three feet.

12. Get enough poly-fill to just barely fill in the base of the shadow box. Pull the piece apart and fill in around the figurines. This helps to ensure more even coverage of "snow" later on. This would also be the time to hot glue on any snowflakes to the back wall if you're using them. (forgot to take a picture of that step... whoops!)

13. Now the fun part... adding snow! Use equal parts of epsom salts and plastic flakes. Pour them directly onto the back
14. Close it up (mine are tightly secured with a latch), turn it right side up and bask in the glory of what you just created.

How darling is that little doe? I had a bit too much fun in the animal aisles at Michaels trying to figure out which to use. I wish I could've gotten my hands on some vintage hand painted toys! Then again, I'm not sure I would've had the guts to hot glue them to anything. 

To go along with the pair of shadow boxes, I made an easy baby food jar snow globe {glue mini sisal trees to the inside of the lid, pour snow into the jar, connect and turn right side up and VOILA!} This collection turned out just as lovely as I had imagined and that rarely happens. Spoiler Alert: A tutorial for how to create that spool tree is just around the corner!

See! I told you they were fantastic. Ahhhh I just love them. Well, you know how I feel about them, what do you think?! I'm eager to hear what you have to say!

I'm linking to:

DIY Showoff | S3 | Classy Clutter | A Little Tipsy | I Heart Nap Time | Mine for the Making | Flamingo Toes | Craftomaniac | Shabby Creek Cottage | Somewhat Simple | My Simple Home Life | My Girlish Whims | Stone Gable | Young and Crafty | Nifty Thrifty Things

Just a heads up --You won't want to miss out on the very first Spool and Spoon giveaway, coming Friday! Like us on Facebook or follow via email so you don't miss any of the fun.