Winter is the perfect time to experiment with ice — especially when frost does most of the work for us. We already have ice balls and a colorful ice igloo in our winter portfolio, and our latest frozen discovery is the ice bowl. It’s easy to make, yet incredibly eye-catching, and works beautifully on a terrace, balcony, or in the garden.
You will need
- Two bowls – one larger, one smaller
- Water
- Stones or another weight
- Decorations
- Frost – you don’t need very low temperatures or as much time as with ice spheres, because the bowl walls are thinner. Leaving it outside overnight is usually enough.
How to make an ice bowl
- Pour water into the larger bowl.
- Add decorations — in my case, these were:
- fir branches 🌲orange slices 🍊cinnamon sticks 🪵
- Place the smaller bowl inside and weigh it down (for example with stones) so it doesn’t float.
- Leave everything outside in the frost — at least one night, ideally for several hours.
The moment of truth – removing the bowls 😅
Once everything is completely frozen, it’s time to remove the ice bowl.
And here’s a small surprise: to my amazement, removing the smaller bowl turned out to be more challenging than taking the ice bowl out of the larger one — that part came out almost effortlessly.
If anything doesn’t want to come loose:
- bring the whole thing indoors,
- wait until it slightly melts,
- and only then try to remove the bowls.
No forcing, no cracked ice 👍
I wasn’t patient enough, though — and my ice bowl with fir branches ended up cracking.
How to use an ice bowl
The finished ice bowl is a beautiful decoration on its own. You can:
- place a candle inside (preferably in a glass holder),
- use it as a winter centerpiece for an outdoor table,
- or simply display it and admire how the light shines through the ice and the frozen details ✨
It’s one of those projects that are simple, inexpensive, and very effective — perfect for winter diy.
If you try making your own ice bowl, let us know what decorations you chose 💙🧊
Check out our ideas
If you are looking for more ideas for playing with children, then you will find them in the DIY with children section.
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Nothing gives more satisfaction than doing something yourself. I haven’t even thought about DIY as my hobby, I’ve just done different “projects” when it was needed. Sometimes it’s a disguise for the Masquerade Party in kindergarten. Another time, cutting out the pumpkin and baking the witch’s fingers for Haloween. Or simply organizing holiday souvenirs. Now I decided to share my realizations with you. Let’s go it together!
