The cold temperatures and holidays are upon us and friends and family will be knocking on your front door.  Make your own ice lanterns and wreaths to create a unique one-of-a-kind pathway to your home.  Ice lanterns and wreaths are as easy to make as freezing water! 

Ice Lanterns

Ice lanterns can be any shape or size and are only limited by the containers you use.  You will need two containers, one larger and one smaller and something to weigh the small container down (like stones or bags of beans).  As an example, you could use a gallon bucket and a smaller storage container.  You have to make sure both containers are perfectly smooth so that when the water has turned to ice, the ice lantern will slide out easily. 

You can also add decorative items into the water for extra special touches.  Consider cranberries, evergreen sprigs or pine cones for a natural look or plastic ornaments and tinsel for a more festive look (keep in mind it will need to be cleaned up after the ice melts). Fill the larger container with water and add in your decorative items.  Next, float the smaller container and weigh it down so that it is submerged as deep as you want your candle to be within the ice lantern.  

You also want to consider your candle; the candle has to be either self-contained or put into a votive holder (or maybe even a string of outdoor lights).  Whichever candle you use, make sure the smaller container you use will accommodate the size of the candle/ holder. Finally, you need to freeze your ice lantern which could take a day or two depending on the size of your lantern.  If the weather is cold enough outside, let Mother Nature do your freezing.  Otherwise, you will need space in your freezer.  Release the ice lantern from the larger container, work the smaller container out and place your candle inside and light! 

Ice Wreath

An ice wreath can be easily made with a Bundt pan or any shape tube pan.  As with the ice lanterns, you can add in decorative elements if you’d like.  Simply place a couple of inches of water in the pan, add in decorative elements and freeze.  Hang your ice wreath with ribbon or twine from lower branches of your trees.  Make sure that there is either light behind it or shining on it to get the sparkle off of the ice.

Have fun and involve the whole family in making bunches of lanterns and wreaths to create a beautiful sparkly entrance to your front door this holiday/winter season.   Have you ever made an ice lantern?