Tutorial: Creating a Snow Globe Christmas Card with Natalie Elphinstone

I seem to find inspiration everywhere at Christmas time and recently I was inspired by the classic snow-globe to create a fun shaker card. My techniques are simple and don’t require any fancy techniques but the end result is really quite special. You’ll be surprised how easy something like this can come together – let me show you how.

Step 1. To start off with I prepare my card base. I commonly cut and fold my own out of sheets of cardstock. For this card I’ve folded a 4.5 x 12” strip in half to create the card, as well as cutting a panel to sit on the front. This is slightly smaller than the front of card, so lets call it 4.25 x 5.75” And to begin building the image I’ve cut half a circle out of patterned paper, it’s just smaller than 2” but it doesn’t need to be exact.


Step 2. The half circle gets adhered to the front panel towards the bottom, but I make sure there’s enough space to stamp a sentiment underneath which I do with Staz On ink. Then I use a large circle die to cut straight through both layers of paper and cardstock to create the look of the snow globe. I take some recycled plastic packaging and glue it to the back of the front panel so it’s no longer just a hole but rather a ‘window’.


Step 3. Here comes the fun part! I stamp the polar bear onto a scrap of white cardstock, making sure to use Staz On for the black outline and his facial features. Next I colour him in with a light wash of Clean Slate ink (applying it with my waterbrush) and when it’s dry I add the stamped hat, scarf and rosy cheeks.


Step 4. Now I’m back to working on the front of the folded card. I stick down the triangle paper to create a background to my snowy scene and I cut out the polar bear. I’ve also cut two wavy lengths of white cardstock and inked the top edge with Clear Blue ink.


Step 5. Here’s where it starts to come together as I build up my little scene but adhering the white strips on top of one another, and tucking the polar bear in behind them. The stitching that you see is non-essential – you can’t see it at the end, it’s just how I like to make sure everything is going to stay put!


Step 6. On the back of the front panel I add bunches of foam tape. It needs to completely enclose the circle so that the sequins can’t fall out, and the trick to that is to cut crossways into a long strip of foam tape repeatedly, almost all the way across but not quite. Then you can bend the long strip around the edge of the circle, and the backing will come off in one piece rather than having to fiddle with a thousand tiny squares!


Step 7. Now dump a heap of sequins onto the centre of the polar bear image. I’m using all white ones, but they’re a mixture of circles, stars and beads. Keeping them in the centre now allows you to adhere the front panel on top without sticking the foam tape on top of any of them.


Step 8. Press down on all those foam bits to make sure it’s stuck down well, and now you’re ready to shake it up!!

Supplies: Lollipop Guild Scrapbook Kit, Toto Add On Kit, Polar Bear Thank You Stamp, Staz On Ink Black, Color Theory Inks: Mint Hint, Blush Crush, Well Red, Deja Blue, Clean Slate, Clear Blue, Waterbrush (medium), Sequins, Foam Tape, Circle Die

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4 comments

  1. Carson says…
    12/04/2015

    That is super cute, and the step by step is really helpful. Love it!

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  2. terriblygreat says…
    12/04/2015

    Love this tutorial!!! The tip about cutting the foam tape is ingenious!

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  3. Fivepops says…
    12/04/2015

    So cute! Thanks for the step by step!

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  4. PamBaldwin says…
    12/05/2015

    Oh my goodness!! I really want to try this! Thank you so much for the tutorial Natalie :)

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