There’s something so dreamy about tiny winter scenes captured in snow globes. The little snowflakes frozen mid-drift, evergreens dusted with white, and delicate foliage peeking through like a page from a Scandinavian storybook. In this tutorial, we’re creating neutral, Nordic snow globes with soft white, gentle grey, and subtle glaze tones that highlight every dainty leaf and snowflake. These little vignettes will become heirloom keepsakes you’ll treasure year after year.

We’ll walk you through each step from casting those teeny squirrels and frosty trees to painting, glazing, and finally setting them into clear resin that cures into the perfect wintry scene. The trick is letting your pieces settle naturally, babysitting just enough so your trees don’t topple and your deer don’t go rogue. 😉 Add a simple eyelet to the top, and suddenly your snow globes are ready to hang as handmade winter wonderland ornaments.

Grab your IOD goodies from your local stockist and follow along in the tutorial below! If you’re not sure where to find one, click here to use our store locator. 

IOD Products Needed: 

• Snow Globes Mould
• Christmas Joy Transfer
• Santa’s Hollow Transfer

Other Supplies: 

• Clear Resin
• White Fast-Curing Resin
• White Glaze
• UV Resin to Glue Snow Globes Together
• Resin Tools

A Few Tips Before We Begin

If you’re planning to use any of those teeny pieces (and honestly, who could resist? I want mini squirrels on everything), we highly recommend having pipettes handy. They make it so much easier to get resin into all those little nooks without spilling over. You can totally make it work without them, but it gets a bit fiddly, and it’s sooo much easier to just get it right the first time.

One more note: you might be able to do this with air dry clay once it’s completely dry. I haven’t personally tried suspending it in resin, so I can’t promise how well it would hold up, but it could be worth experimenting if you’re feeling adventurous. 😉

STEP ONE: CAST WITH RESIN

For the inside of our snow globe, we’ll be using fast-curing resin. First, pick out the pieces you want to cast and work in small batches. This resin sets quickly! You’ll want enough time to fill your pipette and get it into those tiny cavities without rushing.

Quick Tip: It’s always better to underfill than overfill — overflow can get messy fast. For larger pieces, you can pour directly as usual. Once everything has cured completely, just pop your castings out and they’re ready for paint!

STEP TWO: PAINT YOUR CASTINGS

We chose a mix of soft neutrals and some “true to life” colors using a little chalk paint here, and a little acrylic there. Honestly, just grab whatever paints you have on hand and make it your own. Be sure to let everything dry thoroughly before moving on.

For the trees, we started with a layer of green, then used a dry brush with white paint to dust the branches with a snowy effect. Let that dry, and you’ve got some darling wintery trees.

STEP THREE: SEAL AND GLAZE

If you used chalk paint, go ahead and seal them first. That way, you won’t risk rubbing off any pigment when you glaze or wash. If you used acrylic, there’s no need to seal ahead of adding a glaze.

For ours, we used a white glaze, but you can totally whip up your own with a chalk paint wash (four parts water to one part paint). Dab off the excess instead of wiping so it settles right into all those sweet little details. Then let everything dry completely before moving on.

STEP FOUR: CAST YOUR SNOW GLOBE & SET YOUR CASTINGS

Now for the snow globes! We’re using a 24-hour set clear resin for this step. Just follow the instructions on the box, mix it really well, and don’t forget your gloves.

Have your little inserts ready to go, then pour the clear resin into the globe. Gently drop your inserts in without pressing down! Let them settle naturally, and if they need a tiny nudge, use a popsicle stick or tool to ease them into place.

Quick Tip:The larger pieces (like the sweet little church tucked in the trees or the tree-lined path) tend to stay put on their own. Honestly, those are the easiest ones for this step. The smaller pieces, though? They can be a little more high-maintenance. 😉

As the resin cures (it’s a whole chemical process with bubbles rising up), those smaller elements will want to shift around. So don’t just pour it, walk away, and come back tomorrow. Trust us, you won’t be happy (ask us how we know 😅).

Instead, check in every so often to make sure everything’s still where you want it. If a tree starts leaning or a deer decides to take a nap mid-cure, just use a little tool to gently nudge them back into place. Once the bubbles settle and the resin really starts to set, they’ll stay put beautifully. 

STEP FIVE: REVEAL & PAINT SNOW GLOBE BASES

Now for the best part...the big reveal! Once your pieces are fully cured, pop them out of the mould. There’s no need to glaze for that gorgeous shine. Sally pushed hard to innovate these moulds so they’d come out with a glossy finish right from the start, and oh boy, was it worth it!

Next up, the snow globe bases. We gave ours two coats of a soft white chalk paint (letting them dry in between, of course). For the finishing touch, we accented one with a gold paint pen and the other with silver. They both turned out so darling!

STEP SIX: APPLY YOUR TRANSFERS

Now it’s time for transfers! For this step, you’ll want to do two rounds of moulds since you’ll be gluing them back-to-back. That way, you’ll end up with a matching “pair” for each snow globe.

Next, grab your transfers and cut them to size. We lightly marked the shape on the backing with a pencil, then trimmed to fit the globe perfectly. Apply your transfer to the back of one globe, then repeat the process for your second globe.

STEP SEVEN: GLUE THE SNOW GLOBES TOGETHER

Now let’s glue these beauties together! You can totally use regular glue, but we love the quick convenience of UV resin. 90 seconds under the light and you’re all set. If UV resin isn’t handy, no worries at all, regular glue will work just fine.

Don’t apply glue to the clear globe portion itself. You don’t want cloudy glue covering up your gorgeous transfer! Instead, stick to the edges of the snow globe bases, then cure with your UV light.

For finishing touches, we painted one base in a beautiful sage green to complement the greens with our buck, then dry-brushed with soft white to bring out the details. For the second, we did two coats of a soft white chalk paint and accented the details with a silver paint pen. 

If you're just kicking off your creative journey, have no fear — our Product 101 pages are packed with straightforward techniques to set you up for success. We're thrilled to accompany you as you explore and create. For more how-tos and creative inspo, make sure to browse through the rest of our blog.

Once you've crafted your final piece, share it with our Facebook Creative Tribe! This community is not just a showcase but also a supportive hub for when you hit those creative roadblocks. And remember, your local stockist is always ready to assist with IOD supplies and expert advice. We're excited to see what you'll bring to life!