Ice Lantern

This idea came from my friend, Bev. At least, I think it was Bev. Anyway, this is a candle holder made from ice. Bev used a star shaped mold. You can see a picture of a lantern used at the Alphabeas Holiday Luncheon.

I thought the lanterns would make lovely luminaria to line the front walk on New Year's Eve as well as a hostess gift. Very pretty and a lot safer than immolating a paper bag. I didn't have time to go out to look for a mold so I improvised. 

All you need are two containers a large one, and a smaller one that fits inside the larger one. And some sort of item to use as a weight: stones, marbles, hand-weights. Water, and a votive candle.

I used a plastic Mason jar for the larger container and a 9 oz. plastic cup for the inner container.  Fill the larger container with a couple of inches of water and let freeze until solid. Insert the smaller container and fill the space between the containers with water. Don't fill to the top, leave some room for the ice to expand. Insert your weight into the cup.

I used a one pound hand weight and duct tape to keep the weight from shifting. If you like, you can drop food coloring into the water. I wanted to freeze bits of holly and greens, but the space between my containers was too small. At the Christmas luncheon, fruit was use in the mold. Very pretty. Put your containers and weights into the freezer and freeze until solid.

To unmold, remove the duct tape and weight. Hold the container under hot running water. Place on a plate to use for a centerpiece, or place outside. Tie a bit of ribbon if you wish for a dash of color. Insert the votive candle and light.