Iced Over

We've been having incredibly cool weather for the past little while - I went to the mailbox this weekend and had to chip the ice off before I could get into it. Very out of character for South Carolina, but something I've missed since having moved to the South.


So in the theme of winter, I made the cutest little icy decoration for the front porch. (Trust me - it's not going to melt for a while.) It's so easy and can be adapted for a variety of themes and colors.

You can freeze pretty much anything in ice. For this example I used a crocheted doily and submerged it in an appropriately-sized plastic container. If you spray it with non-stick spray first, it will slide out quite easily. To make the hole for hanging, slide in a straw (sprayed) and hold it in place with some tape. When you pop it out of the bowl you may need to chisel a little extra ice out of the hole, but do so carefully so you don't crack the ice.

Experiment with different cake pans and multiple sizes.

Make this a holiday themed ice sculpture with some cranberries and pine boughs frozen in a fluted pan.

Put in some bird seed and your feathered friends can feast as it melts.

Change color themes by using orange slices or apple slices.

You can also use pine cones, other nuts and a variety of foliage to create interesting patterns in the ice.

Then just put them in the freezer until completely solid. The cooking spray will help them pop out of the container much easier.

Tie them up with thick ribbon or twine - coordinating, of course.

If you hang them up high on the porch, the wind will catch them and they'll swing, refracting the sunlight around. Hang them lower if you don't want the ribbon to break and send your piece flying.

The fun is waiting to see how long they'll stay in one piece - if you're super-cold right now it may last for a couple of weeks.