Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Tutorial: Glowing Snowglobe

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This pretty thing is a joint project between WBH and myself. It's an entry for Iron Craft's Winter competition, and I'm really psyched about it!
This is my second tutorial here on the blog, and it's long. The process of making this, though, doesn't take long. You're going to love it, promise.

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You'll need:
a wide-mouthed quart mason jar and lid
tall baby food jar
battery-operated twinkle lights OR flameless tea light
JB Weld J-B Kwik adhesive
iridescent confetti
glass frosting spray or glass etching medium (optional)

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Combine equal parts of JB Weld and spread evenly over the top of the baby food lid.

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Place on the bottom of the mason jar lid and center. Allow to set for 5 minutes

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If desired, tape the threads of the baby food jar (it's important for getting a proper seal) and frost with spray, or etching medium. Etching will take longer, and should be done beforehand, refer to the etching medium's directions. Or don't, that's fine, too.


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While frosting sets, drill a hole through the lids, centered.

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Disconnect light wires from battery posts. Add lights to small jar and thread wires through hole. Reconnect wires to battery posts.


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Add water to large jar, leaving 2 inches for water displacement. Add 2-3 tablespoons of confetti.

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Screw lids on both jars- small, then large. Then flip it over and switch on the lights!

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Magic!

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Alternately, a flameless tealight works, it's just a different color light - kind of fire-and-icey.

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Things to know:
  • Some of the confetti floats, some sinks. Some gets all over your house. Believe it.
  • Taping over the threads is really important. I learned this the hard way.
  • Dollar store battery operated lights are cheap pieces of crap.
  • Some glass frosting spray paint will come off in the water, but it looks cool that way, too. Etching will be better for a permanent frost, or try spraying the inside.
  • WBH rocks the party that rocks the party for a partner in craft (and everything else).
I think these would be beautiful at Christmas, New Year's Eve or as centerpieces.
Hope you enjoyed and found this useful- let us know if you try it out!




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6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Super cool! I don't know if I'm ambitious enough to try it (at least anytime soon) but it is SUCH a great idea and turned out beautifully!

kat said...

They'd be really pretty as outdoor light too!

Elizabeth said...

Nifty! Very cool.

balloongal said...

That is awesome.

kristy.lynn @ kristy.makes said...

very cool updated idea for a snowglobe! thanks for sharing! :)

Art Chick said...

What a fun and creative lighting idea. This would be great for a party, especially a patio party in the summer or something. Neat!