Glitter Flow Tumbler Tutorial

If you have been seeing these amazing snow globe tumblers (also know as glitter flow tumblers) all around the internet lately, you probably are as fascinated by them as we are. Have you been wondering how to make them? We have a Glitter Flow Tumbler Tutorial for you that will take you step-by-step through the process.

We love making glitter tumblers and have shared our Cricut hacks for making them with you before, but these are a little bit different. When you shake them or turn them upside down, you can watch the glitter flowing all around, much as you would with a snow globe. The effect created by this fun Cricut craft technique is so pretty!

Glitter Flow Tumbler Tutorial

We have tried out so many different ways to make these floating glitter tumblers and we’re going to share them with you, including our craft fails so you can learn from our experience. If you like making glitter tumblers with your Cricut or other die-cutting machine and are looking for a new and trendy Cricut project idea, be sure to check this out. These would make great handmade gifts and would be a fantastic product to add to your craft business too!

Supplies needed:

• Double Walled Tumbler- https://amzn.to/3uUmOp6
• Glycerin- https://amzn.to/3BlAxHY
• Squeeze Bottle- https://amzn.to/3ld2jRc
• Funnel- https://amzn.to/3BhFq4t
• UV Resin- https://amzn.to/3liGek0
• UV Lamp- https://amzn.to/3AhmxgM
• Drill + Bits: https://amzn.to/3zhd6xG
• Cricut Maker 3: https://amzn.to/357R2c9
• Cricut TruControl Knife: https://amzn.to/3cMCmAG
• Masking Paper Transfer Tape: https://amzn.to/3bB57jJ
• Our Favorite Burnishing Tool: https://bit.ly/33Ejamf
• Our Favorite Weeding Tool: https://amzn.to/3pwnJc2
• Pin Pen Tool: https://bit.ly/2SCiMlZ
• Our Favorite Cutting Mats: https://amzn.to/3pdN1KN
• Measuring Tape: https://amzn.to/2Y1wtvv
• Glitter
• Clear packing tape

Step-by-step instructions:

1 – We made quite a few of these tumblers before we found the materials and techniques that gave us the best results. Some of the slimmer tumblers with straight lines didn’t seem to have as much space between the tumbler walls and so the glitter didn’t flow as well as we would like.

Pro tip: Use chunky glitter mixed with fine for the best results. Otherwise, the glitter has a tendency to clump.

2 – Drill a hole in the bottom of the cup. We like to place the hole not right in the middle nor at the edge, but sort of halfway between. Drill slowly. As some of the acrylic begins to collect on your drill bit, it’s best to clean that off so it doesn’t accidentally end up inside the cup. Remember that this is a double-walled tumbler so you want to drill through the very bottom of the cup, but not the interior bottom of the cup (where your beverage would be held).

3 – Once you have drilled through, switch to the larger drill bit. We like to enlarge the hole a little to make it easier to add the glitter and liquid. This is optional but it allowed us to use a small funnel and made the whole process so much easier.

Note: We also tried drilling through the bottom of the cup with only the larger bit, instead of switching them out. We found that by working really slowly and using less pressure we were successful, so that’s another option you can try too!

Adding the liquid and glitter

4 – Fill the squirt bottle 1/3 of the way with glycerin and the rest of the way with water. Pour a little bit into the bottom of the tumbler. It should be enough to go all the way around the tumbler.

5 – Using your funnel, add some glitter. We found that using something like a pair of tweezers to help push the glitter through the opening of the funnel was really helpful.

Pro tip: Don’t use too much glitter or it won’t flow around as nicely. We used about 3-4 mostly full funnels’ worth of glitter for one tumbler.

6 – Once you have added some glitter to the tumbler, squeeze in more of the water/glycerin mixture. You want to get a feel for whether you are getting enough glitter in there or not.

Note: We also had some luck with mixing the water, glycerine, and glitter mixture in the squirt bottle together. This way you can add them to your tumbler all at once. You just need to be sure that the chunky glitter won’t clog up the tip of the nozzle. It’s also a little more difficult to ensure that you’re using just the right amount of glitter so you may want some experience making these tumblers first before you try this method.

Sealing the bottom of the tumbler

7 – Using your finger to plug the hole, gently shake the tumbler to distribute the glitter throughout. Add more glitter or glycerine/water if needed.

Pro tip: Look for nail art kits to find little shapes that could be added into the tumbler along with the glitter (stars, snowflakes, etc).

8 – Let the tumbler sit for a few minutes to allow the liquid to settle. This will show you if you need to add a few more drops to the tumbler or not.

9 – Dry the bottom of the tumbler to ensure that there is no water that might interfere with a good seal. Apply a small piece of packing tape to act as a barrier between the tumbler and the resin.

10 – Cover the entire bottom of the tumbler with a thin layer of UV resin. We found it worked best to start in the middle and swirl it out from there. Put on gloves and smooth out the resin with your fingers.

11 – Shine the UV light on the resin. It takes approximately 15 minutes for the resin to cure.

12 – Upload your chosen cut file and add to your canvas in Cricut Design Space. Size as you’d like it and cut it out.

Cricut hack: We changed our snowman face to all one color so it will cut all on one mat. Then, you can just move the nose over beside the rest of the face. Then you can put both the back and the orange vinyl on the same mat! Reference your design on the mat in Design Space so you know just where to place your vinyl!

13 – Burnish your cut design. Weed. Apply transfer tape and burnish again both from the front and the back.

14 – Peel off the backing and apply design to tumbler. Burnish and remove transfer tape.