Happy New Year, everyone! Today, I wanted to share a little tutorial on how I made this miniature snowy mailbox scene for Christmas. I love how it turned out, and I hope you enjoy!

Basic Tools & Materials:

Most crafters are likely to have the items on this list on hand.

• Chalk paint in black and brown
• Paint brushes
• Wire cutters
• Hot glue gun
• Glue stick
• Scissors
• Small beads of your choice
• 3/8″ ribbon (double sided)
• Card stock

Specialty Materials:

These materials are more specific to this particular project.

• 2″ to 3″ wood slab
• 1:12 scale miniature metal mailbox
• 1:12 scale miniature cardinal
• 1:12 scale miniature pine cones (I used Bright Delights’ version)
• 1:12 scale pine garland
• Miniature bottle brush tree
• Aleene’s True Snow or Glitter Snow
• Unfinished wooden block – 1/2″ or 3/4″ cube
• Brown kraft paper
• Baker’s twine
• Fake snow (optional)

How to Make The Miniature Snowy Mailbox Scene

The finished piece measures about 4-1/4″ tall and 2-1/2″ in diameter.

1. Start by painting your mailbox. For this shiny silver mailbox, I found a couple of coats of chalk paint gave me the rustic, matte finish I wanted. I used wire cutters to snip off the flag, but that’s completely up to you. I painted the mailbox itself black, and the post is a dark brown.
2. Once dry, use a hot glue gun to affix the mailbox to the wooden base. You’ll want to select one that’s about 2-3″ in diameter.
3. Next, apply a layer of True Snow. You can use a palette knife or an old paint brush for this. Make sure to give it some texture. Allow to dry overnight.
4. If your mini tree has a base, use wire cutters to snip it off. Then, hot glue the tree to the base next to the mailbox post.
5. Now, you can apply a second layer of True Snow to the base (you can also sprinkle on some additional fake snow and gently pat it into the True Snow while it’s still wet to give it extra texture), also dabbing some on the branches of the tree. You’ll also want to apply a layer of True Snow to the top of the mailbox. Allow to dry overnight.
6. Measure and cut a piece of pine garland long enough to drape over each side of the mailbox and gently bend it into a “U” shape. Snip shorter lengths of the pine garland with your wire cutters and then hot glue them to the longer piece in sections to create volume and body.
7. Use your hot glue gun to apply whatever beads you selected, as well as the pine cones.
8. Hot glue the garland near the center of the mailbox so an equal amount hangs down on either side.
9. Create a multi-loop bow from your 3/8″ wide ribbon and hot glue it to the top of the garland.
10. Hot glue the cardinal to the top of the mailbox.
11. Take a small paint brush and dab True Snow on the garland to give it a snowy look.
12. Cut a piece of brown kraft paper large enough to wrap your wooden block. Coat the block with glue from a glue stick, and wrap with the kraft paper like you would any gift box. Finish it off with a piece of baker’s twine tied around it.
13. Hot glue the wrapped gift to the snowy base.
14. Create small envelopes from colored card stock. I used red and green, and then I printed out a white envelope addressed to Santa Claus. Glue them together with a glue stick, then affix them to the interior of the mailbox with a small dot of hot glue.
15. Lastly, if there are any spots where you can see the hot glue, take a small brush and dab a little more True Snow on to make it blend in better.

That’s it! If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask!