The answer to that is simple - there are a few things to consider, but as long as you can tick each of these boxes when purchasing glitter for your snowglobe tumblers, then you're good to go!
1. First up, CUT SIZES:
You will probably have heard glitters referred to as 'chunky,' 'fine,' 'extra-fine' or 'ultra-fine.'
For a snowglobe tumbler, you will need a CHUNKY MIX glitter. This means a glitter that has more than one cut size in the same pack. Usually, a chunky mix glitter will have a combination of chunky, fine and ultra-fine glitters in the mix. This is the best choice for a snowglobe tumbler because:
- Chunky glitter alone will create a 'gappy' look in your glitter flow, providing very little coverage and (in my opinion) looks incomplete.
- Fine or ultra-fine glitter alone will clump together and clog the solution without the larger chunks to separate/break up the tiny fine glitter flecks, creating a 'clumpy' look, where the glitter does not flow and 'swirl' properly through the solution. It just looks messy.
- Combining the variety of glitter cut sizes together creates full-coverage, meaning there are no large gaps peeping through when your glitter is shaken up in the tumbler, but equally the mixture of glitter sizes break each other up and enable the glitter mix to flow around inside the solution beautifully, giving the 'swirling' glitter appearance that is desired.
The more cut sizes present in each glitter mix, the better the coverage and flow will be. All of The Little Isla Co Chunky Mix Glitters have between 3 and 5 cut sizes each.
A 3-cut-size glitter mix has chunky, fine and ultra-fine glitter flecks.
A 5-cut-size glitter mix has 2 chunky glitter sizes, 2 fine glitter sizes and 1 ultra-fine glitter cut size.
Here is an example of what each glitter cut size looks like, before it is mixed into a chunky mix:
Fine glitters alone do have a place in snowglobe tumbler making but NOT for the inside of the tumbler. When it comes to snowglobe tumbler making, fine glitters are perfect for:
- Mixing into UV resin when sealing the tumbler - this creates a seamless, neat finish especially when the fine glitter used in the seal matches the chunky glitter mixes used in the actual snowglobe tumbler
- Using to decorate the lid of the snowglobe tumbler - again, by mixing with UV resin or epoxy resin.
Otherwise, fine glitters are better used in other crafts such as nail art, epoxy resin tumblers, making slime etc.
2. Next, MATERIALS:
The last thing you need when making snowglobe tumblers, is glitter that will bleed colour, fade colour, breakdown/disintegrate in snowglobe solution, or glitter thats shape is warped when in a solution.
All of these common problems can be avoided by choosing a glitter that is made from Polyethylene Terephthalate - better known as 'PET.' This is simply put, a type of polyester plastic that is strong and versatile so holds up beautifully in snowglobe tumblers.
The Little Isla Co glitters are ALL made from PET film. The film is passed rapidly through an industrial cutting machine, which cuts the film into the teeny tiny glitter sized flecks, and made into the glitters that you know and love in my shop!
As long as you are purchasing PET glitter for your snowglobe tumblers then you can rest assured it will be the right material - don't go for something like a 'craft glitter' from a hobby/craft store, as this is likely to NOT be made from PET and will more likely be a 'biodegradable' glitter which will not work in snowglobe tumblers.
3. Ensuring QUALITY & RELIABILITY:
You need to feel safe that, when you are purchasing glitter for your snowglobe tumblers, they are not going to bleed colour into your snowglobe solution or disintegrate over time. In order to ensure this, you need to look for glitter that is 'solvent resistant' and 'heat resistant.'
Solvent Resistant means the material has been tested and treated during production to ensure it does not leak colour from the material when put into various solutions. Solutions included in the testing are resin, water, oil etc.
Glitters that are 'solvent resistant' will not bleed in your snowglobe tumblers.
Glitters that are not 'solvent resistant' are more likely to bleed. They won't always, but the risk is higher as they have not been tested or treated to prevent this happening.
The Little Isla Co glitters are all solvent resistant. They cost a little more to produce for this reason, but I am not prepared to risk your dissatisfaction with glitters that could potentially bleed, in order to increase my profit margin. My priority is, and has always been, being a supplier of premium quality glitters for my customers.
Heat resistant means the glitter materials have been tested and treated during production to ensure they do not break down, disintegrate or warp their shape when exposed to high temperatures. Although making snowglobe tumblers does not necessarily expose glitters to high temperatures, using heat-resistant glitter enhances the durability and reliability of the actual material, making it the better choice for your snowglobe tumbler projects.
4. And last but by no means least, STYLE/FINISHES:
This is largely about preference, but still, worth noting. Glitters have many styles or finishes to choose from. Some examples of 'finishes:'
- Matte
- Glossy
- Holographic
- Satin
- Iridescent
- Translucent
Some examples of 'styles:'
Every finish and style of glitter serves its own purpose - for example, a matte-finish glitter is not going to add lots of sparkle to your snowglobe tumbler. It is, however, likely to be very pigmented and provide a strong colour element to your snowglobe.
On the flip side, an iridescent glitter is likely to add a lot of sparkle and shine, but the colour will not be as dominant as a matte or glossy glitter would be, due to its semi-translucent, high-sparkle finish.
So, when it comes to choosing your glitters, no finish or style is necessarily 'better,' they're just different, and create different finishes.
Personally, I tend to choose a mixture of finishes with any snowglobe tumbler I'm making as that will provide the best of all worlds - sparkle, shine AND colour!