Fans of hand-made use for their work a variety of materials, seeking exclusive "sound" crafts. Artificial snow is in great demand in this regard, which can give any man-made masterpiece naturalism, freshness and festivity. In large volumes, it leaves, naturally, on Christmas and New Year's Eve, however, it does not remain without attention on other occasions. So, artificial snow in cans is very popular in decorating wedding interiors and celebrating the birth of a baby. And in other situations, it is very appropriate.
Artificial snow for decor
This element is used in cases where the creator wants to achieve maximum realism and credibility, adding coolness and volume to the picture or craft. More or less wealthy people acquire artificial snow in spray cans equipped with convenient sprayers. If the material is needed in more voluminous quantities, it is purchased in dry form, and after pouring water it turns into a real snowdrift. Moreover, it is possible to achieve a different consistency: to increase fluffiness, a reduced volume of water is used, for gaining density - indicated in the instructions. From the latter, you can easily sculpt snowballs or snowmen who will not melt, but will stay in your interior even until the summer.
If the designer’s goal is planar drawings (for example, on windows), an artificial snow spray is purchased, similar to graffiti paints. All these factory offers are convenient not only in use, but also in subsequent cleaning. Drawings from the glasses are washed off with a damp rag without labor and stains, even detergents will not be required. And artificial snow for decoration, packaged in bags or spray cans, is easily cleaned with a vacuum cleaner, since it is an insulator and does not stick to anything. So bringing the apartment into a pre-holiday state is no different from regular weekly cleaning.
The only thing that artificial snow can upset the handmaker is the price, which is quite high. If you need a little for your ideas, you can, of course, pay 600 rubles for a 100-gram bag. But not everyone will agree to invest in a larger amount. It is even more impractical to purchase an artificial snow spray: you will have to pay more than 400 rubles for the spray can, and the total mass at the exit is much less than that from dry snow. Therefore, craftsmen have developed a lot of ways to make it from improvised materials available in the purchase.
Homemade Snow: Method 1. Using Styrofoam
One of the simplest “recipes” on how to make artificial snow is to use foamed polyethylene or regular polystyrene foam. The latter is familiar to everyone. The first term refers to the material for packaging glass objects, office equipment, from which the inserts in shoes are made. To get artificial snow, just polystyrene grate. You can crush it with a fork or chop it with a knife, but in this case the flakes will be coarser and more heterogeneous. It is necessary to work with polystyrene / polyethylene with gloves - particles stick to your hands. Any snow can be sprayed with the resulting snow, it is enough just to coat the previously decorated surface with ordinary PVA.
Homemade snow: method 2. Stocking up clay
Those who often do a lot of needlework often have pieces of dried polymer clay. First you need to crush them with your hands, and then grind them in a coffee grinder.If the plastic was painted, you will get multi-colored artificial snow, which gives even more interesting opportunities for its use. In addition, it will be as light as that obtained in the previous way, so it will be suitable for drawing on a variety of objects, including cardboard cards.
Homemade snow: method 3. Making hoarfrost
In those cases when, by design, frost is required, there is a very simple option for its creation. Coarse salt and very little water are needed. A bowl of liquid is placed on a gentle fire, and little salt is poured into it. You need to do this until it stops blooming even when heated - this is how brine, a supersaturated salt solution, is obtained. You need to use it hot: pine paws, cones, bizarrely curved branches go down there - all you need to "silver". In a day, a sparkling layer of hoarfrost will lie on them. And if you add colorants, brilliant green, ink to brine, then your artificial snow will not only shine, but will also acquire different shades.
Homemade snow: method 4. Easy
Of the tools you only need a grater, as in the very first technique. And as a starting material, a white stearin candle is taken. Grated finely, it is mixed with the cheapest baby powder - the same talcum powder, for example. Instead of a candle, you can use baby white soap, it will turn out no worse. Only if you rubbed a candle, keep the craft away from heating appliances, and if soap, it should not be placed in a humid place or taken with wet hands.
Homemade snow: method 5. We use semolina
For drawings and postcards, the usual semolina perfectly acts as snow. The only task is to find cereals without a yellowish tint. Places on the image where there should be a snowball are smeared with glue and generously sprinkled with semolina. After drying, the excess is simply shaken off. In the same way, artificial snow can be obtained from large, preferably sea (it has a bluish tint) salt. Only glue should be taken less liquid and, again, protect the product from water.
Homemade snow: method 6. We stock up on different materials
If you need not very voluminous snow cover in the picture, you can mix shaving foam with PVA glue taken in the same volume. As it dries, you get a convex and elegant picture.
But if you need volume, it is better to make artificial snow from soda with the same foam. She will need a bottle, and soda - a standard pack. On something even, the entire contents of the bottle are released, into which, little by little, with constant stirring, powder is poured. If something is supposed to be molded from the snow, the foam is replaced with a hair conditioner (a quarter of a can for a pack of soda).
Artificial snow can also be made from soda by mixing it with PVA. Experienced hand-makers advise adding white acrylic to the composition, believing that without it, the mixture after drying gives some yellowness. Snow will become even more natural if crushed glass is added to the composition - sparks will be pronounced. Only you need to take a thin one, for example, from pharmacy ampoules or light bulbs.
Homemade snow: method 7. An interesting solution
A very interesting technology, how to make artificial snow, was probably developed by young mothers. It requires only a clean baby diaper of any production. In it, an absorbent substance is sodium polyacrylate, which will become the basis for snow. On the diaper, cut the outer shell and remove the filler. It looks like a dense cotton wool.
Polyacrylate needs to be torn into small pieces that fold into any vessel. Water is added a little bit into it until the contents become like lush snow. Your task is not to overfill the liquid, since its excess will make the snowball wet and untidy. To enhance the credibility of the vessel can be put in the cold, but not in the freezer. If desired, this artificial snow can be painted.Food coloring is particularly suitable for this purpose.
Frost patterns
On New Year's Eve, almost every family draws windows. Especially aesthetically and elegantly look windows with natural frosty stains. To get them, it is not necessary to wait for freezing temperatures. You need to go to the pharmacy and buy 50 grams of magnesia. It dissolves in half a glass of light beer. The glass intended for decoration is washed and dried. With a brush, sponge or sponge, curls and feathers imitating natural frosty patterns are applied to the window. As soon as they dry, they will be like real ones.
And for the image on the windows of wonderful snowflakes, artificial snow from toothpaste is very suitable. First you need to cut out a template from thin paper and stick it on the right place. No glue, just dampen the surface with tap water. In a small glass, the toothpaste gets slightly thinner than its natural consistency (like very thick sour cream). An old toothbrush is lowered into the container, a paste is collected on it and sprayed both on the snowflake itself and a little around it. When the installation dries, the paper template peels off neatly - and you have a smart snowy window.
Homemade snow for decorating dishes
For an elegant holiday, there should be not only a room. Served dishes are made out by mistresses by definition, but the dishes should correspond to the moment. Artificial snow will also come in handy here, only edible. In this direction, you can offer several options.
- Glass decoration. Sugar is poured on a saucer, the wine glass is dipped in water (juice or syrup can be used), and after draining excess liquid it is placed on a saucer. We turn over and have a beautiful snow rim. For tequila lovers, the same process for stacks is carried out using lemon juice and salt.
- To decorate sweets, eggs and sugar are beaten tightly. On any culinary masterpiece, prominent elements are smeared or a winter pattern is drawn. Sprinkle with icing sugar and have snowy goodies.
- An original decoration for meat dishes: egg whites in a tight foam are beaten with a mixer along with a small amount of salt, the mass is laid out on a baked slice and put in the oven. Suitable for chicken, and for pork with beef, and for fish. Do not be afraid to oversalt: in the “snowdrift” there will be not such a high concentration of salt.
You can also come up with your own snow decorations, which will add to the dish not only beauty, but also tasteful grace. It is only important to try to use ingredients that will give the decoration a whiteness and structure of real snow.
