an ice globe!

I've been playing some more with the ice luminaries. If you live anywhere where the thermometer dips below 32, you've got to give this a shot. I can't explain how satisfying it is to make something so pretty out of a season that is so seriously cold. I had told my nieces that when life gives you sub zero temperatures, you make ice globes. My sister-in-law Sara called these luminaries 'a protest of beauty' and that is exactly how I feel about them. It feels so right to be making something awesome out of this very cold weather.

So the first time I tried making an ice globe, I got bowls, because half of the balloon was insulated in the snow. It wasn't what I was going for, but I loved them. They were magical all lit up at night. But I still wanted to attempt the dome thing. So this time I filled a huge water ballon again and set it on a kitchen tray out in the driveway.

I set it out there for four hours at -5 degrees. And when I came back I could feel that it was solid enough to cut open. I'll have to get this next part on video because it was so awesome, but when I cut into the balloon that little air pocket at the top (visible in the first picture of the purple balloon above) spurted like a fountain, and all of the water inside gushed out. The balloon slinked back and the rest of the water inside the ice (that hadn't frozen yet) fell out of the bottom.

But I knew I had a success, because I had a globe, and a chimney! I hadn't been able to figure out how I was going to drill a hole into the top of the dome for the candle to breathe, but that little tiny bit of air left in the water balloon when I filled it was enough to make the ice in that top spot that much weaker, so that the water chose to burst out right there.

I have a dream of lining our driveway or something with a whole bunch of these. Or a tiered little art piece? If we had a deck, I'd line the rail. Or...build a Chili Snow Fort around the picnic table with these lighting the meal. Could you imagine?!!