DIY Winter Craft | How to Make Ice Wreaths
Snow storm heading our way. Sub zero temperatures. Deep freeze. Severe winter weather advisories. Polar Vortex. Arctic air. Freezing cold. Brrrrrrrrrr...
It's sure going to be cold out there but embrace it as a great time to try out some winter craft ideas like making ice wreaths. It will keep those winter blues at bay and give you something beautiful to admire until relatively warmer weather arrives and melts the ice decorations away.
Ice wreaths are so simple to make and look equally stunning whether hanging on your front door as a unique, natural wreath or from a tree branch with the light filtering through. It's also a fun, creative, craft project that kids will enjoy making.
Here's a sampling of the ice wreaths I made this year. With continuous days of sub-zero temperatures these lasted for a really long time outside. They look even better as they melt down as the inner fruits and greens poke through.
STEP-BY-STEP TUTORIAL FOR MAKING AN ICE WREATH
REQUIRED MATERIALS
- A bundt or tube pan
- A collection of various colorful fruits, greens, sticks, nuts.
- Water
- A ribbon to hang your wreath
- And a little bit of patience
STEP 1: Gather all your materials.
Forage around in the yard or pantry for anything colorful that will show up against white. Use your imagination. It's nice to put edibles in there, so they turn into a frosty winter treat for the birds. A decoration and a bird feeder all in one.
Some ideas are:
RED- cranberries, cherries, holly berries
GREEN- pine needles, evergreens
BROWNS- pine cones, sticks, nuts, shells, bird seed, cinnamon, star anise
ORANGES- orange/lemon peels or slices of orange/lemon
PURPLES- blue berries (they will tint the ice purple), lavender
OTHERS- slices of apple
STEP 2: Arrange your materials into the bundt pan.
You can choose to go heavy or light on the materials. The more materials you put in, the more opaque and less translucent the wreath will be.
STEP 3: Pour water into the pan.
Push the materials down into the water. Some will sink and others will float depending on their varying densities. I usually pour only about 2 inches of water into the pan.
The more water, the thicker the wreath will be. A thicker wreath is more opaque and appears white rather than clear. So, you won't be able to see through the wreath and see all the colorful materials inside very well. However, a thicker wreath lasts longer and the beauty is slowly revealed as the ice melts. As the wreath melts and gets thinner, it gets clearer.
STEP 4: Leave it to freeze
If temperatures are below freezing, just leave the pan outside to set. If it's snowing outside, cover the bundt pan so that the ice ring doesn't get cloudy and uneven with snow.
Or you could put it in freezer to set.
After it has frozen, you could add another layer of water to thicken the wreath and submerge any materials that are poking through. I did add another layer of water to this wreath which made it a bit opaque.
STEP 5: Unmold and hang
Once the ring has frozen, to unmold it, hold it under a tap of hot running water. It will release in a few seconds. Note: Don't let the ring drop into the sink as it may crack. Instead hold your hands under the ring as you unmold it.
Now just loop a pretty ribbon through it and your ice wreath is ready to hang... and admire. I hung this one outside my window to enjoy a close up view.
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| Apple and Cinnamon Ice Wreath |
Orange peel and Lavender Ice Wreath
Eat your clementines, but don't throw away the peel. Slice them into thin strips and layer them into the tube pan. Arrange stems of lavender into a star pattern. Throw in some bird seed and greens and there you go. The bonus is that the wreath will not only look good, but smell so beautiful when you release it from the pan!
Blueberry ice wreath
I had a bag of frozen blue berries doing nothing much in my freezer, so I added them into my mold. It tints the ice purple which complements the orange slices nicely. It's been a real snowy winter, so I had to trudge out to hang this wreath from a branch at the bottom or my garden.
Clementine and Birdseed Ice Wreath
Slices of clementine and a sprinkling of birdseed along with a few greens make up this ice wreath. Some of the heavier bird seed will sink to the bottom, but lighter sunflower seeds will float on top along with the greens. Each side will look completely different.
Birdseed Ice Wreath
This one is just filled with an assortment of birdseeds. As the ice melts they'll make a tasty treat for the birds. Hung just outside my window, I'm looking forward to enjoying the feeding show.
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If this activity doesn't make you like winter weather any better, than take a peek at my garden in July, August and September. That's sure to warm you up :) . Click on the links below:
Check out my other DIY ideas, by clicking on DIY below.