DIY: Holiday Ice Lanterns
Making your own Ice Lantern is very easy! These can be used to hold candles or as a wine bottle cooler for a party. They make great centerpieces, or lovely adornments for a walkway on a cold winter day. Here's what you need:
1. Two containers. These can be glass containers: one that nests inside the other, or plastic or wax cardboard containers that are left from milk jugs, orange juice cartons, pasta sauce containers, etc. Just make sure there is at least an inch or more between the two containers as they are nesting.
2. Greenery or foliage of some sort (boxwoods, fir, or spruce are best), as well as cranberries, mini pinecones, or other bright, decorative materials.
3. Water
4. Tape, to keep the interior nesting container from floating up and rising.
5. A freezer
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| This wine cooler container was made using a milk jug and a pasta sauce container. When the glass container was removed it fit a wine bottle perfectly! |
Directions:
1. Freeze about an inch of water in the bottom of your exterior container. This will form the base.
2. After the base is frozen, place your interior container on top of the ice, and secure it in place with tape.
3. Add your decorative materials around the sides of the interior container. Fill the rest of the area between the two containers with water. Much of the decorative materials will float to the top... this is okay.
4. Freeze the containers again, usually at least 12 hours until it is set.
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| Hot water allows the interior container to slide right out. |
5. To remove the interior container after the ice has frozen, remove the tape and fill the interior container with hot water. This will melt enough of the ice around it to allow it slide out. I used a glass pasta sauce jar for the wine coolers, and a half pint mason jar for the candle holders. I also used two pyrex glass baking dishes for a floating candle lantern. Exterior containers I tried included a square cardboard orange juice container (seen above), a milk jug, and a glass baking dish. All worked equally well.
Below is the ice lantern I made using the two glass baking dishes. I can't wait until we have enough snow on the ground to line a walkway with these lanterns.
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| Using a floating candle ensures the candle will not tip over as the water melts. |
And of course I couldn't let this post get by without a shameless plug for some of the floating candles we have for sale in our Etsy shop:
Rustic Floating Star (as seen above)
Set of 12 Small Floating Stars
Floating Flowers with Bee
Have a wonderful Holiday Season! Merry Christmas from everyone at Honeyrun Farm!
-posted by Jayne