Make your own snowglobe

by Jayda

Browsing the stores at Christmas I still find myself drawn to the snow globes. There is just something magical about them. Shaking up the sparkly snow and watching it settle brings a warm feeling over me.

My children are not immune to this magic. We could spend a substantial amount of time testing all the snow globes at the store. Their little cherub hands grasp the globe, gently shake it and then they watch, settled on their haunches, in pure amazement as the shimmery particulate falls. They always want to take one home, I usually decline.

The practical side of me feels that this is money we do not need to spend. Plus part of the magic is not having one...

Well, this year we decided to make our own!

Materials:

• clean glass jar
• holiday scene (plastic, aluminum or baked polymer clay are ideal for wet environments)
• snow (large glitter flakes or crushed egg shells)
• glycerin or mineral oil
• filtered water
• glue, waterproof (hot glue, epoxy, fabric)
• silicon sealant (optional)

Instructions:

1. Glue (hot glue, epoxy or fabric) the object to the inside of the lid.
2. Add glitter or shells to form snow and put it in the jar.
3. Fill the jar with filtered water and glycerin (about 60/40). Allow room for the object, which will displace some of the liquid.
4. Squeeze a strip of glue or silicone sealant around the threads of the lid.
5. Screw the lid on tight. Let dry.

Shake, and watch the magic (again and again...)!

Random Snow Globe Facts

• thought to have originated in France in the 19th century
• the original snow globe contained a mini Eiffel Tower
• appear to be the successor of the glass paperweight
• the glycerin or glycol slows the falling of the snow
• in modern film and literature, snow globes often symbolize childhood/innocence

Jayda is a recovering academic, living under a co-dictatorship. She blogs about random stuff at MomPhD and nutrition at EatWhole BeVital.

The Cow Guys

by Eric Kiernan and I went into the darkened Mayfair theatre - not to see a movie, I explained to him, but to see the Cowguys. Not a western show, no - it would be juggling and magic.

The movie before their show had run late, but even as they setting up, they entertained the arriving audience members with melodramatic flourishes and jokes.

When the main show got underway, we were treated to a classic vaudevillian double act of straight man Brian Wilson and comic foil Nick Miller. They fooled around, performed sleight of hand, juggled pins and knives, and pulled audience members up onstage (or when they wouldn't come up, the show was brought right to their seats). Kiernan was fascinated, afterwards claiming his shrinking into the chair and hiding behind me meant that he really would have wanted to go up on stage.

For the finale, a cow-print box was rolled out and we were presented with a classic Houdini "Great Escape" act: Beautiful assistant "Nicolita", blonde wig stunningly complementing her trim goatee, was wrapped in chains and locked into the box, where -- well, I don't want to ruin it, but Kiernan told me he knew how the trick had been pulled off.

"There was probably a robot in the box and the robot turned into the other guy when they were behind the curtain." Man, if a four-year-old can see through your illusions, Cowguys, it's time to upgrade the show (or maybe just the robot).

Both Kiernan and I had a lot of fun and enjoyed the show - as well as the poster autographed by Bridini and Nicolita. Cowguys are available for private parties, and even have great birthday party packages available at www.cowguys.com. They will also be performing at Ottawa's 20th annual Busker Festival which runs July 28th-August 1st.

Eric is dad to 4.5 year old Kiernan and two year old twins Quinn and Juliette.