Creating Winter Magic: A Snowy Tutorial

Faux snow it’s popular for Winter decorating. Over the past several weeks you’ve seen it used in many different ways and places … on many different blogs. From tablescapes to snowman scenes to Christmas villages. I’ve shown it to you myself. (Just click the pictures to see the original post.)

 

 

 

 

My earliest memory of faux snow involved something like this …


My Grandma (who I told you about HERE) decorated her front door with spray-on snow and stencils. One year she hand-cut scenes from the Twelve Days of Christmas and stenciled them on the 12 window panes in her door. Oh, how I wish I had a picture of that! Even more, how I wish I had those stencils! Today we would cut them out of Mylar and re-use them.  But I digress…


There are many types of faux snow. Here are several of them, including the spray-on kind Grandma used. But how do you get from this…
 

 

 


… to this? 

 

Well … I’ll show you!

 

Step One:
Cover the desired surface with polyester fiberfill (Poly-fil) – the kind some crafters use to stuff pillows or fabric toys.
(Some people use the flat sheet-style batting, but I prefer a fluffier look. I’ll show you a picture in a minute.)

Step Two:
Sprinkle Frosty Snow loosely on top of the Poly-fil layer to give texture.
(Frosty Snow is one of the names used for the shredded plastic “flakes” readily available at places like craft stores and Wal-Mart.)

Step Three:
Sprinkle Mica Flakes loosely on top of the first two layers
to make your snow sparkle!
(Warning: if you don’t like glitter, you might not like mica flakes! They’re a little messy, so you can consider this step to be optional if you wish — but it really does add a nice touch!)

Step Four:
Add even more dimension by using 3-D elements like beaded snowflakes and confetti. I once found 3-D holographic snowflakes — and I’ve re-used them now for several years! They came in a package with flat white snowflakes and tiny blue stars. (You’ll see the mix in a picture below.) I wonder if they’re still available …


This is for the visual learners … (That includes me!)

 

Now look at how each step adds a new visual treat …
You’ll never stop with a white tablecloth — or Poly-fil again!
 

I am aware of one other type of faux snow, but I’ve never used it because my snowy displays are done on wood tabletops — and it’s a no-no on wood. However, it looks great for other surfaces so I’ll include it here. It’s called Instant Snow, and Susan at Between Naps on the Porch recently used it in a tablescape and provided THIS video tutorial.
 
 
There’s still lots of Winter tablescaping to do, so you don’t have to wait until next year to try out your new skills! I’m still working on mine … 
 
 
Thank you for stopping by today  — and I hope you’ll stop back by for Tablescape Thursday to see this week’s snowy tablescape. Here’s a little preview …
 
 
 
 
 
Linking to White Wednesday at Faded Charm AND Boring to Better atSavvy Southern Style

Comments

  1. Susan, what a clever tutorial. Enjoyed reading this very much. Thanks!

    XO,

    Sheila 🙂

  2. so pretty! I love decorating in January, just as much as December.

  3. Love the pretty faux snow! Maybe all I get. Seems everyone else is getting snow but we haven’t didn’t get a drop!

  4. Susan..I love using faux snow. I always throw snow all over my Christmas tree. It doesn’t matter if its a real or faux tree. Thanks for the tutorial. Happy Day
    http://twotulipstalking.blogspot.com/

  5. From sunny California, I could use some faux snow 🙂

  6. Susan, I used a treatment similar to that for my snow village scene at Christmas. I didn’t have the mica though. Very pretty and thanks for linking this at the party.

  7. Gorgeous! Looks like a winter wonderland!

  8. Simply beautiful Susan! Love it!

  9. Great idea to layer the faux snow to add interest. I’ve heard of people using instant mashed potatoes as snow, but I’ve never done it.

  10. I love this snow tutorial. I could have used some on my table today. Joni

  11. New follower! Can’t wait to read your Sally List. Not sure if I’m “ready.” great blog!
    laura