While the winter season most notably brings in cold weather, it’s also the season that brings us together. Next time you’re entertaining, guide your guests through Mother Nature’s winter wonderland and into yours with some simple, yet festive, DIY ice lanterns!
For this DIY you will need:
- A large food storage container
- A plastic cup
- A handful of change or rocks
- Water
- A tea light or candle
These ice lanterns are entirely customizable and can easily be adapted to whatever you have on hand! In lieu of a storage container, use a bucket, or even a bundt pan to add some detail. If you’re feeling like an extra pop of festivity, add some berries or sprigs of green to your mold.
To Prep Your Ice Lantern:
- Fill your cup with the change or rocks. This will keep the cup anchored while filling in the container.
- Center the plastic cup inside of your storage container.
- Fill the storage container with water by pouring around the cup. Be sure to leave an inch or so of room at the top of the container for the water to have room to expand as it freezes.
- Carefully store in freezer or, if it’s cold enough, outdoors until solid.
In the meantime, it’s time to prep your path. Party prep can be a lot of work; luckily Toro’s electric snow line helps make the snow-clearing portion of your prep less of a hassle. Swap out your manual shovel for a Toro Power Shovel and clear up to six inches of snow, right down to the pavement, in one pass – throwing that snow up to 20 feet, leaving a picture-perfect walkway for your guests to travel through.
When Your Lantern is Fully Frozen:
- When fully frozen, run warm water around the container’s exterior as well as inside the plastic cup to loosen.
- Remove the plastic cup and carefully slide the ice lantern out from the container.
- Nestle the lantern into the snow banks lining your path.
- Place your candle into the open center column created by the plastic cup and light!
