MAKE ·Jan 21, 2012

Ice Lanterns

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Made in Sweden | Flying world wide | HERE

BALLOON ICE LANTERNS AND ICE ART

MAKE THESE MAGICAL ICE LANTERNS

step by step tutorial below.

Ice Lanternb

Ice Lanterns

The cold has hit Stockholm. Neighbors have been filing by our house all day, pulling one or two sleds and with their ice skates slung over their shoulders; ready to hit our neighborhood rink and hill. I would love to share a super, cool, ice art project my son came up with this week. Tonight, imagine: these lit up our walkway! You can, too.

See below for the How-to.

ICE LANTERN MATERIALS
These are idea for the days when you have freezing temperatures. If not, don’t worry. You can make these in the freezer, as well.

Latex Balloons
Water faucet or hose
Tea Light CandlesNote: If you have very young children, adult assistance will be needed for filling and closing the balloons; then, again later, to assure gentle hands for the balloon removal process.

How to

These work well when all supplies are prepared before starting.
Carefully slip the lip of the balloon over the faucet or hose head, keep pressure applied to the balloon lip to avoid leaking water and fill balloons until desired size.
Tie well.
Place outdoors or in freezer — attentive to how you lay them down, this will affect the final shape.Once frozen to ice lantern stage or ice sculpture stage, clip off the top of the balloon, turn up-side-down and drain water, if making the lantern and peel away the remaining balloon. (In a freezer (-15C–20C/0-5F) a regular sized balloon will freeze to the lantern stage in approximately 4 hours.)
Place a tea light candle inside the lantern.Light. Enjoy the magic!*

If you have kids, these are wonderful to use as, Balloon Ice Art, too. To to this, simply freeze completely. These frozen sculptures are beautiful mixed in with the Ice Lanterns.

FREEZING NOTES:

In a kitchen freezer, a small lantern can be created in approximately 4 hours. When the balloons are about 80% frozen, snip the top of the balloon and peel it away. It is critical that one side of the balloon will not yet be frozen and remains open. Drain any remaining water from this open side. By doing this, you will keep it from sealing and will have a perfect form for an ice lantern.

NOTE TO MAKING THESE WITH KIDS:

These were “invented” by my son who had the idea to create in this way and he had fun every step of the way. These are a super way to keep kids busy in the garden but have something you’ll love, too. It imparts a sense of experimentation and satisfies the urge to create something new and unique. (These are, each time!). The super plus, is that these are fantastic party decorations for you. However, adults these are worth making just for you — for a party, a wedding, store front. If you have the climate to keep these frozen, they add so much magic and ambiance!

PSS: Thank you readers for your mails and for your photos. I love to see how you’ve used these and to hear your stories!