Easy with a big impact does not always describe the crafts that I attempt but this one was extremely easy although to make enough for that big wow factor it does take a little time. It also helps to do this one when the temps dip below freezing which was not a challenge in Maine during the winter.
I put this one together in February and it made for the perfect enchanted winter Valentine’s Day display.
Round One
While the craft itself is simple, I did a test run. Fortunately, our January was light on snow so I was able to collect some natural items from around my yard to use in my ice sculptures. There are so many amazing things to choose from outside and just about anything small will work.
I did a test run with a few items:
- Pine Needles
- Dried Buds & Flowers
- Mini Pine Cones
- Fabric & crocheted flowers
I grabbed my heart cake pan, scattered the items around the pan and added water. I also cut a piece of cord to freeze into the ornament to use for hanging. Because everything is floating in the water, you don’t have a lot of control over the placement of all the items although I did try to spread them around after I had added the water to distribute them somewhat evenly. I set it on the front porch overnight to freeze.
The next day, I checked on the pan. I don’t know if it’s because my porch is somewhat sheltered or that the pan was large, but it didn’t freeze all the way through. I left it another day but it still had pockets of water. I changed directions and put the pan in my freezer. That did the trick and it finally froze all the way through.
I ran the frozen heart under warm water to loosen it from the pan and it came out easily. I hung it on my front porch.
Round Two
I liked it but didn’t love it. So, for the second attempt, I made round ornaments using a muffin top pan. I used the same filler minus the crocheted flowers as I planned to hang these from some tree branches and wanted everything to be biodegradable when they melted. I added a few red peppercorns for color and dill seeds for dimension.
I left this second batch in the freezer overnight and the next morning they popped right out. I had frozen some brown rustic cord in them and used that to tie my ice ornaments to some tree branches. Instantly I had an easy, beautiful winter display. It was snowing as I hung them up outside adding even more magic to the final display.
I really loved how easy this craft was and how beautiful the ice ornaments looked hung on the tree. I will definitely do this again next winter although I would make a few changes:
- I would add more color to the display. The ornaments needed a little more pop. I had added a few red peppercorns but it was still a little too brown overall. I think some flower petals would be perfect.
- I would make even more of them to display together in groupings. Having a larger grouping would really up the wow factor.
- I would display them closer to my house. I ended up putting these on a tree by my garage but I would like to have them closer to my entrance to enjoy them more. I think a winter display of tree branches hung with these ice ornaments would have a beautiful impact.
Fortunately, I’ll have many more attempts to perfect this one. Winter comes every year to Maine.
Have you ever made ice ornaments? What do you put in them?
I’m participating in a Blogging A-Z Challenge for April 2021. I will be posting new content every day this month except most Sundays. Each post is associated with a letter of the alphabet, starting with A and ending with Z. My theme for the challenge is Craft Projects for my Home. To read more of my A to Z posts from this year, click HERE.
Beautiful! I’ll have to remember this for next winter. Great project to do with my daughter! Thanks for posting. ❤️
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You can really get creative with them too.
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Those came out great. I plan to try these.
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They are so easy. Have fun when you give it a try.
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so clever! They are beautiful!!
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I’m definitely going to make it an annual think. It’s easy, fun and festive.
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Oh my goodness, these are gorgeous! It’s something I’d love to try myself, but we rarely get a decent frost here.
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Maine is well suited for this craft. We have plenty of below freezing days here during the winter.
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Another crafty win here, my friend. Freezes don’t last too long in Carolina, so mine would be up for a couple of hours in the morning, tops. Looking forward to seeing the more colorful versions you’ll do next time, too.
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No trouble with cold temps here in Maine! My ice ornaments lasted for a good month. So easy and fun!
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They’re absolutely adorable!
For once you don’t have to worry about where to store your crafts. Just let them melt and create new ones next winter.
https://thethreegerbers.blogspot.com/2021/04/a-z-2021-dont-put-all-your-eggs-in-one.html
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I know – the perfect craft. They just melt away when done and it was all natural ingredients to no worries.
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These are lovely. I’m definitely inspired to try these next winter.
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It’s such a great winter craft.
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Oh I love this idea…I’m definitely saving it and even though there is not much freezing temperatures where I live now, I have plenty of family in Maine that I will share this with. What a great idea. How about some sunflower seed or other little treats for the birds, or squirrels? Fabulous and extraordinary. Love it.
Cheers,
Crackerberries
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I think sunflower seeds or other animal treats would be a great addition.
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Those are really cute. I like the small ones on the tree. It reminds me of my childhood. My mother would mix milk, sugar, vanilla extract, in a pie pan and put it out to freeze (we didn’t get a lot of freezing nights), and in the morning it was slushy and we’d have “ice cream” for breakfast!
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What a yummy treat! I’ve never done that but we’ve made taffy on fresh snow. That’s another delicious one.
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The heart is my favorite. I love this idea. Wish we had trees in front of our house to hang them on!
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That’s my dilemma for next year – finding the perfect spot to display them.
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How pretty! I’ve lived in places where frozen crafts would have lasted a while, but now I’m in Arizona. I’ll just enjoy the pictures.
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This craft would definitely not work in Arizona.
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How enchanting it must look ! I’m fascinated with the snow and during my brief winter stay once in the US I was struck by the natural beauty of snow ….
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I actually really enjoy winter. One of my A to Z themes one year was Winter in Maine. Snow can be incredibly beautiful. However, by February, I’m ready for warmer days!
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That is an interesting idea. I could have done that a while back, but I will have to remember for next winter. It would thrill me if next winter didn’t get cold enough, though. 🙂
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I bet you could find some fun things from your garden to put into these ice ornaments if it gets cold enough.
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I wondering about that… Maybe seed pods from wildflowers. Maybe birdseed so I could watch the birds try to get the seed. 🙂 Possibilities are endless.
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There really are so many things you can do with it. Those are the best kind of crafts.
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Brilliant idea for outdoor ornaments. Of course, it wouldn’t work in Hawaii but it was fun to see how you crafted them so cleverly.
https://gail-baugniet.blogspot.com
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Definitely not a good craft for Hawaii unless you want to decorate your freezer 😉
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I like this!
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Thank you. It’s an easy one too!
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I love these – so simple but so beautiful. I must remember to try these next winter and I’m thinking I might put some seeds in them so that when they melt the birds can eat them. Thanks for the inspiration.
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I think that would be a great option to add to the ice ornaments.
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These are really beautiful! I saw something similar online that suggested packing the ice with seeds and other edibles so the birds could eat them when the ornament melts. But I think I like your ornamental ones better. https://mollyscanopy.com/
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There are so many creative things you could use to make them. That’s part of the fun.
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I love this idea, looks magical! I do hope that winter is past now (although it snowed again last night…) but I hope I’ll remember it for the next one!
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I’m hoping we’re past if to this year too!
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What a fabulous idea! They look so great and relatively easy with maximum impact. No winter snow or ice here so it’s not something I can try.
Pauleen aka Cassmob
https://cassmobfamilyhistory.com
Family History across the Seas
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Really only works for cold weather destinations which is not a problem during our Maine winters.
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What a fun idea for decorations! We have plenty of freezing weather, but it often thaws in between, so I’m not sure how long an ornament would last here. What fun to think about what to put in them.
Black and White: F for Faerie
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They’re so easy so even if they only lasted a short time it could still be fun to try.
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What a lovely idea! We didn’t have weather cold enough for it this winter, but maybe next year…
The Multicolored Diary
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I think I’m going to make this one an annual project. Maine has those cold days in the winter so it’s a fun distraction.
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