As a child I loved snow globes. It's like a little magical place inside of a jar. To this day, I have an admiration for anything glass with something cute or beautiful inside it. And it's not only the glass and the scene inside. . . if it's lit, it's even more magical.
Today I'm going to show you how you can make your very own illuminated snow scene right inside of a mason jar. I have to say that when I thought of this, I thought it was pretty brilliant and I bought some ice cream that day to celebrate. I've never seen a tealight used this way in a DIY project. Maybe you have. If you have, don't let me know about it. It will completely burst my bubble.
Here's what you need to make your own magical scene inside of a jar:
- Wide mouth mason jar with lid and cover (Kerr brand is the best because one of the sides of the jar is clear)
- Battery-operated tealight
- Button magnet
- Glue
- Faux snow
- Ribbon
- Whatever you'd like to place in your jar (I found the snowman and tree in the Christmas section at Walmart and both were under $1)
Karen Crenshaw
Love this! Such a great present for my children's teachers!
Sara
Karen, hope your childrens' teachers enjoyed the gift! They're so fun to make!
sylwia chamera
Such a wonderful idea! Do you also know how to preparea snow scene like this in the jar with liquid? As a child I loved to collect them.
Angela Beattie
I love this illuminated scene in a jar, I'm definitely going to be making some this coming Christmas, thanks for the idea.x
Sara
You're going to love them Angela! Good luck!
Tina Maria Ratzke
Wow, this is so simple and cute. When I was a kid my mom would have us do a version in a baby food jar with distilled water and glitter. This is so much better. Thanks for posting. Happy Holidays!
Sara
Tina, I love the DIY snow globes, too, but what I love about this project is that it's lit. Happy Holidays to you as well!
Susan Boop
Love this project and I'm still giggling about celebrating your brilliance with ice cream!
Sara
Susan, thanks! LOL I celebrate the little things in life. Honestly, any excuse to have cake or ice cream. . .I'm in.
Sarah
I love this idea? Quick question - what size mason jar did you use??
Sara
Hi Sarah! I used a quart size mason jar with a wide mouth.
Bonnie
Thank you for the clever craft idea!
Barbara
How clever, cute and simple! Not to mention magical! As one who has become addicted to faerie gardening of late, this is a perfect extention of that hobby for me, especially since I've been looking for a way to add some soft lighting to our sunporch. I can scatter these little vingettes here and there, add a touch of whimsy and still have soft lighting in the evening hours = all i n all, a great idea, thanks for sharing this.
Linda
This is brilliant. I made ones at Christmas with little lights in it but always struggled to make the battery box hidden Since you still need to be able to turn them on and off I would leave it outside the jar and try to hide it behind the jar. This is a much better solution!
Sara
I hope you try it, Linda!
margaret colby
Hi having trouble getting magnets to stick to tea light any ideas
Sara
Hi Margaret! You may need a stronger glue. Are you using a super glue?
Erin
How tall are the trees and figurines?
Sara
Erin, maybe 2-3 inches or so? They were just mini figurines I found at Walmart in the Christmas section. I bet you could find some there today since all of the Christmas stuff is already coming out!
Amber
I think I will begin a tradition of letting each child choose a trinket and make one of these each year. I love "yearly" crafts that can be displayed like this!
Sara
What a great idea, Amber!!
Iris
What size button magnets did you use, half an inch or 3/4 of an inch?
Sara
I believe they were 3/4 of an inch, Iris!
Pam
I absolutely love this idea!!!! I have a ton of mason jars sitting around. Now I have a neat idea of something really awesome to make for my Grand kids!!!! Thanks!!!
Sara
I hope you have fun making them!!
Sharon Bedard
I love the luminaries. I'm going to try it with angels as a table decoration for our church Christmas party.
Thank you for the great idea.
Sara
I love the idea of angels!! Good luck!
Colleen McGaughey
This is such a cute idea. I would like to make these as gifts for co-workers, but I wouldn't want to glue the figure into the jar. Is there a way to keep it from toppling over if the jar has to be transported?
Sara
You could maybe try rubber cement? Rubber cement could be removed whereas glue could not.
Robyn
I was thinking of using "blue tac" or something similar to secure the decorations and unless they pick up the jar and look underneath it, the snow would hide it. Also wouldn't wreck the ornaments.
Marlene
Hi Sarah,
I love your idea for this snowglobe! I tried making some last year and they really needed some light but I could not figure out how to get the tealight in the jar to turn it on. A magnet is perfect! I am usually very crafty, but I missed on that one lol! Thank you for this!
Sara
You are so welcome, Marlene! Good luck with your snow globes!
Ruth Atkins
Would a hot glue gun work for adhering the magnet or does it have to be Super Glue?
Sara
I bet hot glue would work just fine!
Terry
Wonderful decor for the holidays, cute gift idea also. Thank you.
Rhonda
Great idea with magnet! Thank you
Sara
Thanks, Rhonda!
Sherry Laemmle
Use the tea lights that have the timer switch ! Set them so they come on at 6pm!
Sara
I love that idea, Sherry!
Martha
I pick.ed up this idea from Pinterest just this year. I've been looking for some lighting ideas for my holiday table that will delight my grandboys and I think this is it! Thank you!
Jade Edwards
Hi. Awesome craft! Are these 8 or 16 oz jars?
Sara
This was a quart jar.
Carmen
I love your snow scene idea! I think I have all the materials to make my snow scene except the faux snow. Where would I find faux snow? I think I’ll make them and gift them to the ladies on my women’s ministry team! Thank you!
Sara
Faux snow you'll be able to find in any craft supply store starting in the late fall season!
Juli-Ann
Got some ideas from this. First time trying to make Christmas jay crafts. I am struggling with how to use the wired mini-strand lights because of the battery pack. I don't want it to show, but I don't know how to hide them.
Sara
Hi Juli-Ann! Read through the entire post again and take a look at the photos. I used a tea light with a magnet adhered to the back and it sticks to the inside lid of the mason jar. Good luck making your own!