Making Ice Candle Luminaries ~ Easy as 1-2-3

Make your own ice candle luminary to decorate the outdoors for pennies and a little time.  Materials needed:  a large plastic bucket, water, rubber gloves (optional), and a votive candle.

Step 1.  Fill a large bucket almost full with cold water and set outside to freeze, keeping them out of direct sunlight;  a six quart or two gallon size bucket is ideal.  I like to set them out in early evening and let them freeze overnight, usually they are ready in about 12 to 14 hours if the temps are between zero and 15 degrees.

Step 2.  When the top is completely frozen and you can see a ring of frozen ice around the outside of the bucket that is 1 to 2 inches thick, your ice candle is ready to remove from the bucket.  A 2 inch or thicker ice candle will be sturdier and last longer, and also have a more frosted appearance when lit; a 1 inch ice candle will tend to be clear and look like glass, allowing the flame of the candle to show through when lit.

Step 3.  Turn the bucket upside down in a sink and run warm water over the bottom of the bucket until the ice candle releases from the bucket.  You will notice that the ice layer that was on the bottom of the bucket is thinner than the rest of the ice candle, this will be easy to remove and now becomes the top of your ice candle.

Step 4.  Leaving the candle upside down so the thin layer of ice is on top, break the ice in the top center of the candle, either with your hands or a chisel type object, leaving an edge of at least one to two inches for the upper rim.

Step 5.  Tip the ice candle to pour out water and floating ice chunks – and there you have it!  Place outside and set a votive candle in the center; light the candle at dusk, then enjoy the beauty of candlelight from your ice luminary!