Fox in the Forest Snow Globe Clay Craft

Snow globes are a nostalgic holiday decoration: from the characters inside to the color of the falling snow. And you can’t just have one, snow globes are better in groups. So that just means you have to continue adding to your collection, and what better way than creating your own?!

In this tutorial I will show you how to create a fox and forest scene snow globe, using the Kid Made Modern DIY Snow Globe Kit. It only requires the kit and a couple supplies that you probably have laying around your house.

Materials Needed:

• Kid Made Modern DIY Snow Globe Kit
• Piece of Parchment Paper (about 15” long to put on your table while you work with the clay, the clay will not stick to it)
• Oven
• Paperclip

Instructions:

Step 1.1

Take out all your supplies from the box and put your parchment paper down on the table.

Step 1.2

Unwrap your clay and have the adult read over the instructions for safety and the oven usage.

Step 1.3

There are a couple of the tools I want you to get familiar with: the smoothing tool, the cutting and the scoring tool. When you connect two pieces of clay together that are medium to large size you want to make sure they stick together and do not fall apart. So to make sure the pieces don’t fall off you need to do something called “scoring.” You use the scoring tool to create a bunch of lines in the clay then stick the two pieces together and use your smoothing tool and fingers to smooth everything out. For example, when you attach the head of the fox to the body of the fox you have to score both the bottom of the head and the top of the body then push them together and smooth everything out. I will be telling you to score pretty often in this project.

The cutting tool you can use to cut the clay in pieces and you can also use your hands if you prefer.

Step 2.1

Starting with the red clay, break off half a stick and roll it with your fingers into the shape of a football (wide in the middle, pointy on the ends)

Step 2.2

Use the smoothing tool to pull the clay down the right and left sides of the head, to form the fox head shape.

Step 2.3

Break off two smaller pieces for the ears. Use the tool that looks like the end of a hockey stick to smooth out the clay into a triangular shape. Then score the bottom of the two ears and the top of the fox head. Stick the ears on top of the head and use the smoothing tool and your fingers to smooth everything out.

Step 3.1

Break off half of a red clay stick and use it to shape the first part of the body of the fox. The bottom of the body is a little wider than the top. Score the top of the body and the bottom of the head. Then press them together and smooth everything out.

Step 3.2

To finish the body, use the other half of the red stick and break it in half, to have two smaller pieces. Use your hands to roll each into a skinny long shape that hugs each side of the fox body. The bottom of these two pieces should be wider than the top and curved into the fox’s body. Once you have a shape you like, score both pieces and then score both sides of the fox’s body. Press them together and smooth everything out.

Step 4

Let’s move on to the front legs. Roll out two small balls of red clay and then use your fingers to roll those pieces a little thinner, to form the legs. Score the legs and fox body then press the legs down on the body. Smooth everything out with your fingers.Then flatten the legs a little more by lightly pressing down on them with the side of your tool.

Step 5

To make the feet, break off smaller pieces of blue clay and roll them into mini balls. For two of the balls use your finger to create an indent in the middle, so it looks like a heart. These two pieces will be the feet that are sticking out of the fox’s body. Score and put them on the bottom edges of the fox’s body. Then squish the other two balls and flatten them with your fingers a little bit. Then press them on the bottom of the orange fox legs. Smooth everything out.

Step 6.1

To make the tail, use about half of a red clay stick. Shape it with your fingers so that it is wider at the bottom and curves into a thinner shape at the top. Play with the shape for a minute to get something you like. Even put it up against the left side of the fox’s body to see if you like it before attaching it. Put that piece to the side for a minute, don’t attach it just yet.

Step 6.2

Grab about ¼ of a stick of white and shape into a long triangular shape and curve the top of the triangle to the left. Then use the end of the “hockey stick” smoothing tool and create two indents into the bottom of the triangle. Then press it on top of the orange tail you previously made. Smooth it all out with your finger. Then score the right side of the full tail and the left side of the fox body. Press them together and smooth out.

Step 7.1

Next you want to add some more details to your fox. Using small pieces of white, roll them into small balls then flatten them out with your fingers. Use your fingers then to shape them into the fur piece on the stomach and the two white pieces on the face. Because they are so thin you don’t need to score them. Just lightly press them onto the body and face of the fox.

Step 7.2

Roll two very small green balls of clay and two even smaller balls of white clay. Use the thin end of your clay tool to apply the green to the fox’s face and do the same with the white balls, for the eyes. Then apply a tiny thin piece of white to the nose. The white is a “highlight” for the eyes and nose, to give the fox more life!

Your Fox is Finished! Set it to the side and let’s get started on creating some fun things to put in the snow globe with the fox!

Step 8

Let’s start with making a tree! Break apart the green sticks and put them to the side. Then grab some red clay and blue clay ( a ratio of about 70% red, 30 % blue, it doesn’t have to be perfect! Just use more red than blue) and squish them together with your fingers and melt them into each other by rolling and squishing it over and over again. By doing this you are creating another color that is close to brown, for the trunk of the tree! Once the color is all even, roll it into a thick tree trunk like shape, then slightly twist it. Twisting it gives it a more fun texture! Then press it down on your parchment paper and flatten the top.

Step 9

To make the leaves, roll out some green and light blue balls, make different sizes. Then start stacking the balls into a rounded shape to form the top of the tree. Score the pieces as you attach them together. Add in the light blue balls randomly in between the green balls, to give the tree some more dimension. You don’t need to smooth them out. Once the top of the tree is formed, score the bottom of it and the top of the tree trunk, and attach them. Smooth everything out.

Step 10

To add some height to the tree, so it is taller than the fox, take a full stick of yellow clay and bend it into a circle. Smooth it out then squish it down a little bit to flatten it. Then score and attach it to the bottom of the tree trunk.

Step 11

Use the light blue and white clay to make mini mushrooms to add to the snow globe.

Step 12

CAUTION: Do this step with an Adult. Set the pieces on a piece of parchment paper and bake it in the oven according to the instructions. Let them cool completely before handling for the next steps. Baking the pieces will make the clay hard.

Step 13

Situate where you want the pieces to go on the base of the snow globe. Once you like where they are set, use your glue to apply a good amount of it to the bottom of each piece then push them on to the base. Let the glue dry for 24 hrs before moving on to the next step.

Note: if the glue is hard to get out, use a paperclip  to push through the hole in case it is clogged, also if you want a bigger hole, you can cut the tip to your desired size.

Step 14

Grab the dome of the snow globe and pour in the confetti and glitter. To make it easier, pop off the top of the glitter viles and dump them right in. Then grab your glue and quickly apply glue to the bottom of the edging of the clear dome.

Step 15

Go back to the base of your snow globe, and again check that the pieces are securely glued down before moving on with this step. Take your glue and apply it along the inner edge of the base. Fill it with a nice amount of glue so the snow globe top and base stick well together with no holes. Flip the base of the snow globe on top of the clear dome and push them together really well. Then flip it back right side up. Let it dry for another 24hrs.

Step 16

Now that the snow globe is super glued and dry, the last step is to add water! You can mix it with some glycerin to make the glitter float more in the water, this is optional. Use the pipette to add the water to the snow globe by pulling out the plug on the bottom of the base . If you have a hard time getting the plug out, use a paperclip. Add a little water to begin with, to check for leaks in the snow globe. If you find a leak, pour out the water as best as you can and apply more glue to the area that is leaking. Let it dry completely before moving forward.

Fill it to the top with water. It is best to hold the globe upside down while filling it with water. Once full, push the plug back in and shake away!

The project is complete.Now you have a new beautiful holiday decoration to add some festivity to your home!

Rachel is the artist and founder of Pink Puddle Studio LLC. Her mural work has been televised on CNBC’s Cash Pad. Her work has been featured in HGTV Magazine, Phoenix New Times, Phoenix Home & Garden, Arizona Highways Magazine and College Times.

Connect with Rachel on instagram @pinkpuddlestudio and www.pinkpuddlestudio.com