Traditional luminarias

HOW TO MAKE ICE LUMINARIAS

In cold-weather climates, ice luminarias add a warm glow to dark winter nights. To create this lighting effect, simply place a candle into a well in a large block of ice. Use ice luminarias to line driveways and walkways. Or add interest to a backyard view by clustering several on a patio or deck. Ice luminarias can be used as long as the temperature remains below the freezing point. Brush the snow off the candles periodically and spray the ice formation with water to return the ice to its clear state. For long-burning luminarias, use pillar candles.

Materials
• Plastic bucket, such as an empty one-gallon ice cream container
• Empty plastic peanut butter or mayonnaise jar
• Votive or pillar candle

1. Ice cream buckets: Centre jar in the bucket; place rocks in the jar to weight it. Fill the bucket with water, up to the rim of jar. Place the bucket outdoors or in the freezer until the water is frozen. Remove the rocks from the jar.

2. Pour warm water into jar to release it from ice; remove jar.

3. Wrap the bucket with warm, wet towel to release ice from bucket. Place candle into the well in the ice.

4. Deep buckets: Fill bucket partway with water; surface of water should be below rim of the bucket a distance greater than height of candle you will use for well in the ice. Freeze water. Complete luminaria, following steps 1 to 3, above, centering jar on top of ice in step 1.