Make a Peanut Butter Jar Snow Globe

By Marge Snow

Here's a really fun project you can do with your kids. We're going to make a wonderful snow globe out of a peanut butter jar. Before we start here some things you're going to need:

Supplies You'll need

• Empty Peanut Butter Jar with Lid
• Glue gun
• Small Stones
• Plastic Decoration
• Ribbon or Craft Tape
• Glitter

First Steps - Clean Your Jar

Ok, now that you've got everything together, the first thing we're going to do is clean the peanut butter jar. That should be easy enough. You'll want to pull the label off and thoroughly clean all the label glue. If you're having a hard time with that, try a plastic scouring pad and gently rub the glue off. Don't use a metal pad or you might scratch up the jar. I keep talking about a peanut butter jar, but you can use any type of jar you like. Mason jars are great for this project because they are designed to be airtight and you won't have to seal them. If you get one without any raised writing on it, that would be perfect. But we're doing this project on the cheep, so we're using a jar that would otherwise just be thrown away.

Design Your Inside Scene

Now that you've got your clean jar, it's time to have some fun. Take the lid and turn it upside down. Here's where you'll design the scene for your snow globe. Start by using your glue gun to affix your stones to the inside bottom of the lid. Build it up so that the lid won't obscure the scene. Now if you're doing this project with your kids, remember that the glue gun gets very hot and can seriously burn little hands (even not so little hands), so you may want to handle the gun yourself. Let your kids tell you where to put the stones.

Once you have your base built up, it's time to design the actual scene. Let your imagination run wild. You've seen all sorts of snow globes, so you should have a good idea of what you want to make. If it's Christmas time, you can find lots of little displays at your local craft store. A small Christmas house, or a Santa Clause, or maybe even a little Christmas tree would all be wonderful. Whatever will fit inside your jar. You could even use one of your child's toys that they don't play with anymore. Or pick up a small decorative carousel horse. Taking your kids with you to the craft store to pick out what will go in the snow globe will be almost as much fun as making it.

Add Water and Glitter

Now that you have your scene glued onto the lid, it's time to finish your project. Put the lid to the side and let the glue cool. While we're waiting, lets get the jar ready. Fill it almost all the way up with water. Leave about a half-inch at the top. Depending on the size of your display, you may need to leave more. Now we add the snow. For that we'll use about a teaspoon of glitter. Here's another chance for you to be creative, think about the colors in your display and choose a color glitter to match. Or you could go the traditional route and use white glitter.

Final Steps - Sealing Your Globe

Now that the jar is ready, lets move back to your display in the lid. Check that it's completely dry and that you don't have any loose pieces. Remember you'll be shaking the snow globe up, so everything needs to be secure. Go ahead and screw the lid back on the jar and see how it looks. You may need to add more water (but remember to leave a little air in the top of the jar) or more glitter. Once everything is the way you want it, it's time to seal your snow globe. There are a couple ways to do this. One is to remove the lid (and of course dry it off) and apply a thin coat of glue from your glue gun to the inside rim then quickly screwing the lid back on the jar. If you do it this way, be sure to wear gloves or you might end up burning yourself. Or you could use a little silicone sealer you can get from any hardware store. This is much safer, but you'll need to allow plenty of time for it to harden. Alternately, you could put a thin stream of glue around the outside of the lid where it meets the jar. Do this after you've closed it. If going this route, you'll definitely want to use some ribbon or craft tape to hide the lid.

There you have it, a quick and easy project that the whole family can enjoy.