How to Make Ice Luminaries Outside

If you love the look and feel of hand-blown glass, but are hesitant about the difficulty of making it, you might be interested in how to make ice luminaries. Ice luminaries are clear glass spheres made from a special type of silica sand. They are striking because they have a lovely sparkling appearance when new and flawless. Once filled with sand they can be drilled quickly into a block of ice and then frozen to create a luminous beautiful sculpture.

To make them you’ll need an air compressor (with a long hose), a small container filled with water, some sand, a wire brush, and a rubber mallet handle. Fill your air compressor with air until you can no longer breathe, and then add the sand. The sand should be coarse enough to be able to give you a good grip on the container. It will also be necessary to use a small container with a lid to keep anything from falling out of the glass. The amount of liquid in your container will be determined by the thickness of the sand in your mixture.

You will next need some glow sticks or plastic containers in colors that match your project. Glow sticks plastic containers will work best for this project, as they will be the most visible once the ice is frozen. The length of your glow stick can be a bit short or long, depending on how much color you want. Be sure to place your containers at least two inches away from your luminaries and six inches from the ground, to give your glow stick a steady source of heat.

You should now have your basic equipment assembled. The glow stick and the plastic container should be placed within a clear plastic container. Next fill your air compressor with a bit of warm air, and then add the sand and your first batch of colorless ice. Drop the glow stick into the container and gently squeeze to create a ball of air in the center of the stick. This will form the outline of your ice glowing globe.

If you want to try your hand at making more luminary snow globes, then try adding a few drops of green food coloring. Mix green food coloring with your other colors, until the entire mixture is one color. This is a safe alternative to using real food color like red, yellow and blue. The food coloring will give you a realistic looking glow sticks, however it is still not recommended to use these lumps of colored sugar with your glowing luminaries. These lumps are known to cause too much light for the winter time.

How to make ice luminaries doesn’t have to stop with a simple ice stick. For a fun project, try using rice or raspberries. Combine about half a cup of water with enough rice or raspberries to fill up an empty oil lamp. Place the empty oil lamp on a table near some water, not too close to the fire, but close enough that you can see the bottom. You will need some string, or an old stocking, to hang the luminaries from the string.

To get started, you will need to gather some supplies. You will need a container or jars, a container for the rice or raspberries and the desired color for the ice luminaries. Make sure that you are using clear containers so that the glow sticks do not break through the glass. Next, put the food coloring into the container or jars that you are going to use and seal them tightly. Then, place a few pieces of rice or raspberries into each jar or container that you are going to use.

Now you are ready to make your first few luminary snow globes. Hang your container of jelly or snow in a free standing container of water, not too close to the fire, but close enough so that you can see the bottom. Once you have put all the food coloring into the jars or containers and sealed tightly, then place your chosen ice luminaries outside to face south and enjoy the beautiful sight of the first flakes of snow.