After several hours upstairs, she came back down to her parents and told them she had a surprise.
Daughter cleans out sentimental snow globe as a gift to parents
When 11-year-old Sarah Coombs learned the history behind a yellowed snow globe sitting in storage, she went to work.
CBC News · Posted: Dec 24, 2018 12:19 PM EST | Last Updated: December 24, 2018
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As her family put up all their Christmas decorations, 11-year-old Sarah Coombs asked about an old snow globe that always ended up staying in the box.
Her father, Steve, told her it was a gift he gave her mother, Angela, the first year they were dating. It held a special meaning to them, but the water had become yellow and dirty over the years.
“I don’t have the heart to throw it out because it’s something special that I bought for her,” he told his daughter.
As Steve walked into the kitchen to grab something, Sarah snatched the snow globe and slipped upstairs.
“I was really sad because we haven’t ever had this out and dad told me they had it for like 20 years,” she told the St. John’s Morning Show. “I really wanted to do something nice for them.”
YouTube to the rescue
As her parents continued putting up decorations, Sarah went on YouTube and looked for ways to clean out a snow globe. She found a flathead screwdriver and scraped off all the glue that held the bottom in place. Once that was gone, she popped the stopper out, but it fell inside the globe instead.
“I was at that for like 30 minutes, trying to get it out, and I had to change the water, put new sparkles in it, put the stopper back in and then seal it up with hot glue.”
She even topped it up with new glitter courtesy of a science project she was working on, where she had to build an alien.
“Not a real alien,” she said, laughing.
Restoring Snow Globes
Packages filled with broken dreams and faded memories in the form of shattered and discolored snow globes arrive daily at Dick Heibels home in Northfield, Minn. (pop. 17,147). Heartfelt pleas for help accompany each package.
My son bought this for my wife years ago and she passed away in 2002. My son wanted it back someday as a memory of his mom. Thank you for helping that happen, wrote a customer seeking a snow globe repair.
In his basement workshop, Heibel, 78, opens each package with the enthusiasm of a kid unwrapping a present on Christmas morning. I wait for a unique one, he says. I enjoy taking them apart and figuring out whats wrong.
The most common problem with snow globes is discolored water. Sometimes you cant even see the figures, says Heibel, who has been repairing snow globes for 25 years. The water grows mold, like a swamp.
After sanitizing the globes and figures in bleach, he fills them with a specially formulated liquid to prevent discoloration. Other fixes include reseating dislodged figures and adding new snow or glitter. Silenced music often is restored to the treasured keepsakes of Christmases past, summer vacation souvenirs, and beloved gifts from grandparents and wedding guests.
Prior to repairing snow globes, Heibel restored music boxes and clocks for 25 years. Theyre related, he says. Springs drive gears and gears drive things. In taking them apart and working on them, you learn. There really isnt a manual.
Over the years Heibel has accumulated a vast store of snow globe parts, most of them unavailable on the market today. Heres a Barbie that came in, he says, picking up a broken ceramic doll lying next to a disassembled snow globe. The head fell off when it was dropped.
Heibel repairs more than 200 snow globes a year, most at Christmastime when winter weather can prevent prompt returns. If its too cold, I cant ship them because theyll freeze, he says.
Heibel is rewarded for his meticulous work by the regular thank you notes from grateful customers. How can I ever thank you for the look of pure joy that I was able to see on my 6-year-old granddaughters face on Christmas morning? To say that this is a gift we will always treasure is an understatement, wrote Maureen Johnson of Bath, N.Y.
Sara Constanzo, of Lincoln, R.I., wrote, Thank you so much for repairing my daughters snow globe. It was a sad day when she dropped the globe on the driveway at her baby sitters house. Olivia was in tears for hours, her little heart broken. Now my little girl is happy.
As long as I get these letters, Ill continue, Heibel says.
The Origins of Snow Globes
Initially owned by upper-class Europeans in the early 1800s, snow globes, its thought, evolved from paperweights. The water-filled, leaded-glass globes, mounted on cast-iron or ceramic bases, displayed a whimsical snowfall of bone chips, tiny pieces of ceramic or sawdust. Their popularity grew throughout Europe after the 1889 Paris Exposition featured an Eiffel Tower snow globe souvenir.
Snow globes arrived in the United States in 1920. By the 1940s, they were vehicles of advertising for businesses and unique gifts for children. The globes glass became thinner. Gold glitter or soap chip snow floated in a glycerin and water mixture. The 1950s ushered in plastic globes, bases and snow, making snow globes affordable for everyone. In the 1970s, gift companies transformed snow globes into upscale collectibles, and today, they are complex, technological wonders with lights and music and fans to blow the snow around, so you dont even have to shake them anymore.
Don’t let cloudy water rain on your snow globe
DEAR HELOISE:Is there anything that can remedy the water in a snow globe when it becomes very clouded and discolored? I look forward to your answer. — Louise O., Staten Island, N.Y.
Don’t you just love snow globes? Such a simple thing that makes us smile. First, does it have a plug? If so, you can carefully empty the water and refill with distilled water using a turkey baster. Older globes were made using water, but today almost all are manufactured with a synthetic liquid — glycol (i.e., antifreeze). If yours is a new one, leave it to a professional to take care of the globe.
If your snow globe does not have a plug but is sealed, you may need to send it to a skilled restorer to clean.
To store your snow globes, keep them in a temperature-controlled area, away from sunlight. Too much heat and the water will evaporate. Direct sunlight also can cause the colors to fade. — Heloise
DEAR HELOISE:When traveling with my daughter and infant grandson, I realized that I didn’t know how to unlatch those very sophisticated baby-car-seat straps.
Every grandma needs to know how to get everyone out of a burning car. My hint: Practice before you hit the road. — Frannie P., Fair Oaks, Calif.
What a good hint for anyone traveling with an infant or child in a car seat. Familiarize yourself with the car seat before there’s an emergency so you are prepared. — Heloise
DEAR HELOISE:I think it is unsanitary to have one hand towel in the guest bathroom for everyone to use. Therefore, in my guest bathroom, in addition to the usual hand towel, there is a roll of paper towels (handily situated) for people to use if they choose. — P.L., Prescott Valley, Ariz.
A good hint, especially when having a party with a lot of people using the restroom. I have some attractive paper “guest towels” (hand towels) that are in a little holder out on the counter. Also, I hang three to four hand towels on the wall holder or bar so I can just remove one that’s too soiled or damp and replace with a fresh one. — Heloise
DEAR HELOISE:If you are using too much dish soap with a hand-washing instrument (the type that has liquid soap in the handle), then try this: When purchasing a new device with a detachable sponge, place a piece of tape over the hole of the sponge. Using a toothpick, puncture a small-size hole through the tape, over the fill hole. Assemble the sponge with the handle and fill. If the liquid is too restricted, then make the same hole a little larger with the toothpick. This eliminates excess soap. — Joe L., via email
