DIY Giant Glitter Snowflakes
take the full holiday house tour here!
After I showed you part-one of my Christmas decorations, some of you said – wow, you really got your house cleaned up since you showed us the decorating war zone.
And I would like to say – Um. No. I have not. What I DID do was shove all of the piles of crap out of the picture.
I need one of those hotel-bellman trolleys. So I can just load it up and wheel all the junk out of whatever room I want to impress you with.
I guess I could also throw some of this stuff away, but for some reason the bellman trolley seems more practical.
The most tedious part is cutting out the snowflakes… I did it at the edge of the kitchen island. That way I could saw down through the cardboard with a razor knife.
TIP: If you do this on your husband’s free time, you will be amazed at how much faster it goes.
I used cardboard shipping boxes as the base for my snowflakes… But it is possible that if you are not hopped up on one pound of pure Bolivian cocaine German glass glitter that you will not want to stand at your kitchen island for an hour, sawing at boxes like a maniac.
It is also possible that you do not have my gift of foresight—where you hoard boxes for some yet-to-be-conceived project.
I did try to find some precut options, and these looked pretty good. They are large enough, and I did like the shapes, but I could not be sure about the weight of the paper… I do think this would work with cardstock, but I really don’t know how they would hold up over time.
Besides, I am a blogger. I am required to think of uselessly-intense, idiotic projects… Frankly, I am cutting corners by using pre-made cardboard.
I really should have made the cardboard myself, out of recycled leaves that I chewed into paste. Then I could have created a Pinterest-worthy, annotated-image promoting my DIY artisanal cardboard.
My snowflakes are 16 inches wide, but I had to figure out how to give you a template that you can print on regular-sized paper. The best option I came up with was to give you a section of snowflake… When you print it, it should almost fill the paper.
Once you print it out, (right click & open in new tab) you will need to make the whole template.
I think it will work best if you print out the section and glue it to a piece of cardboard before cutting it out… Then you will have a very sturdy template that you can trace repeatedly.
What you’ll need:
- cardboard or heavy card stock
- small sharp knife
- glitter (I used German glass glitter
which I think gives a nicer “silver” but it WILL tarnish over time)
- glue that is not water-based (I used spray glue) you can’t skimp on the glue or you will not get good coverage with the glitter, but at the same time you do not want the glue to take forever to dry. I let them set overnight for good measure.
see all my holiday decorating ideas
I will love you EVEN MORE… If you share me with your friends!
December 6, 2013 @ 10:12 am
I might try this with my daughter, although I can see myself cutting out, like, three and being done.
Your husband’s comment about Martha was hilarious. I heard her on NPR a few months ago, recounting (at the host’s request) how she had liked and dated Anthony Hopkins, but got too freaked out when she thought about him as Hannibal Lecter, so it never progressed further. She was actually really, really funny.
December 6, 2013 @ 10:13 am
yay!
December 6, 2013 @ 10:16 am
This is so far from my area of interest except I do gravitate to people who take the crazy road.
As for decorations – I have one neon xmas tree shape that I hang on the door and light up at 6.p.m.
December 6, 2013 @ 10:16 am
My fear is that I would have glitter throughout my home all year long. Did it get EVERYWHERE?!?
December 14, 2013 @ 10:52 am
Melissa, I’m still finding glitter in my house from THREE houses ago! Glitter just naturally multiplies! But, if you just think of the wonderful events from which said glitter was born, you won’t mind brushing it off once in a while!
December 6, 2013 @ 10:16 am
Victoria Elizabeth,
I love to read your posts but I feel like I must give you a heads up on Martha. I fell victim, when I was trying to be just like Martha, and found that I could not live up to the ideal. In fact, I was driving myself nuts one year when I did not have time to hand print all of my Christmas wrap and I decided that I needed an intervention with myself. I think Martha is wonderful and I would like to run a business empire like hers–but remember she has STAFF to help her! For those of us who do not have regular staff, remember not to fall into the Martha trap!
December 6, 2013 @ 3:53 pm
Victoria has staff. Named Paul. 🙂
December 18, 2013 @ 1:17 pm
Have followed Martha since she started. Still have her first VHS tape. But, I never leave a bookstore without moving a copy of one of her books from Crafts Section to the Fiction Section.
December 6, 2013 @ 10:17 am
PS I wish my Christmas decorations looked like yours!
December 6, 2013 @ 10:21 am
Hoarding of boxes, step right this way. Should you ever run out of boxes for a project, don’t worry, I have saved enough for both of us. Or perhaps next time you would like to make them out of old, retired metal cookie sheets instead? Seriously, it won’t do anything for your marriage but think how long the snowflakes would last!
December 14, 2013 @ 10:54 am
I have plenty of cleaned styrofoam meat trays at your disposal! 😉
December 6, 2013 @ 10:21 am
Dear Victoria,
Your post just popped up and I want you to know that it made my day and made me grin, and laugh, and hoot, and drool but probably not in that order. I will definitely share and pin and share. I was worried that you haven’t posted since your tutorial on making bows and that you had that breakdown/meltdown that Paul predicted……..glad all is well in your Christmas garland world! xoxox
December 6, 2013 @ 10:24 am
The snowflakes were worth driving your husband slightly insane. They look fabulous!
December 6, 2013 @ 10:24 am
Having had an attack of pitifulness lately….not my usual outlook since I’m actually a dedicated counter of blessings…..I needed this laugh today. I will get over the attack and know it is temporary due to being stretched too thin to do all I need to do, but the laugh will stay with me. True public service, young lady.
December 6, 2013 @ 10:27 am
Girl, love love love these! And esp love reading your posts!
December 6, 2013 @ 10:31 am
Victoria, I love your blog! However, I feel compelled to tell you (really, I feel compelled to tell Paul) that they have unpainted cardboard snowflake shapes , all sizes, at Michaels. They actually have ALREADY GLITTERED snowflakes, ready to hang, at lots of gift and Christmas stores. While I love making useless things, as you can see on my Instagram thing, I’ve never understood making things, ala Martha Stewart, that you can just go out and buy.
Just trying to help. (Paul).
By the way, your house is fabulous and your taste is impeccable!
December 9, 2013 @ 10:41 am
Oh my goodness. Mary! Love your work.
December 6, 2013 @ 10:31 am
You should know I only subscribe to one blog — yours! And this time you had me at:
“I really should have made the cardboard myself, out of recycled leaves that I chewed into paste.”
There are tears in my eyes!
Love ‘ya!, Elizabeth!
oxox!
December 6, 2013 @ 10:41 am
Silly me! Who knew that the mega pile of boxes in the garage had a bigger purpose in mind? All the while, I’ve been using them for our rolling move to New Orleans when I could be creating a veritable blizzard! Now I just need to get my husband to buy into this new and preferred method of “breaking down” the cardboard boxes;) Watch the weather reports for New Orleans for unexpected winter weather.
(P.S.- your posts, Victoria, make me weep from laughter! Not sure the general pop can relate, but obviously there are more than a few of us project junkies out here!)
December 6, 2013 @ 10:43 am
I just took a van load of saved-not-hoarded cardboard boxes in perfect condition to the transfer station yesterday. Along with an old grill and a broken hall tree which I not only did not repair and use in my house, but I did not even remove the hooks from it. My family sees this as ‘progress’ and a ‘good day’. I see it as weakness, but comfort myself with the idea that I may well be perfecting laziness. If only someone else could have cleaned the garage and hauled all the stuff off to the transfer station.
Martha Stewart is divorced. Probably because her husband didn’t want to cut out cardboard snowflakes. Or use the shop vac on decades-old hanging files while cleaning the garage.
December 6, 2013 @ 10:44 am
With the leaves in my yard I could make cardboard for the world….and maybe work off my double chin!! Love your posts. They always make me chuckle.
December 6, 2013 @ 10:47 am
I LOVE, LOVE Paul. He is awesome. Your house looks fabulous. Your snowflakes are so wonderful. I love that they are so large! 🙂
December 6, 2013 @ 10:52 am
How is it you don’t have a TV show yet?
Note for future cutting: try an electric knife, the kind used for carving turkey. It’s also the BEST way to cut out thick pieces of foam.
December 6, 2013 @ 10:56 am
You SHOULD have made the cardboard yourself. Next time. I’ll definitely pin that one.
December 6, 2013 @ 11:03 am
You totally need to open an etsy shop. I would absolutely by cardboard snowflakes made from leaves you chewed yourself that were cut out by St. Paul.
Come to think of it, I would absolutely buy St. Paul.
December 14, 2013 @ 10:59 am
I think we ALL would chip in to buy our very own St. Paul! Those of you who are lucky enough to already have one, my cardboard hat is off to you!