Our DIY ice wreath brightens winter’s chill and provides nourishment for our fine feathered friends. What’s more, this craft for all ages uses items often found in your yard or pantry.
Gathering Materials for Your DIY Ice Wreath
Outdoor Materials
Here’s your chance to get outside, enjoy some fresh air and ramble. You may, however, live in the city or have a small yard with limited gifts from nature. If so, you’ll want to head to a nearby park or woods. After all, you’re looking for small branches of greens like pine, spruce or cedar along with thin, twiggy branches. You can also add items like pine cones. I decided, instead, to leave plenty of space in the wreath for items birds can actually eat.
Ingredients From Your Kitchen
In general, any combination of these items is safe and nutritious for birds that will feed on your wreath:
- cranberries
- orange/lime/lemon, sliced
- apple/pear, sliced
- true star anise (Illicium verum) *Ensure that you are using chemical-free true star anise/Illicium verum. (Japanese star anise/Illicium anisatum is toxic.)
Equipment for Your DIY Ice Wreath
- cutting board
- knife
- bundt pan or tube pan (You can use any size round container that can go in your freezer or outside in freezing temperatures. Simply insert a weighted cup in the center of the round container to form the open center of the wreath.)
- wide ribbon
- scissors
Instructions for Making Your DIY Ice Wreath
Day 1
- First, slice the fruit that will be going into your ice wreath.
- Second, place evergreen pieces in the bottom of your pan.
- Next, alternate fruit slices around the pan.
- Now, sprinkle cranberries and star anise over the fruit slices.
- Finally, fill the pan two thirds full of water.
- Last of all, place the pan outside overnight to freeze if the temperature will be at or below 32 degrees F for several hours. Otherwise, place it in a freezer overnight.
Day 2
- Fill the pan the rest of the way with water.
- Place the pan outside overnight to freeze if the temperature will be at or below 32 degrees F for several hours. Otherwise, place it in a freezer overnight.
NOTE: If you’d like the ingredients to be more readily available to the birds, skip adding water day 2. Instead, go directly to day 3.
Day 3
- Begin by running warm water over the outside of the pan to release the ice wreath.
- Then tie a length of wide ribbon through the center of the wreath.
- Finally, hang the wreath in a place of your choosing (shepherd’s hook, tree limb, etc.).
Keep It Frosty!
Without a doubt, we can keep you crafting all winter long with our Let’s Build a Snowman DIY Party Game and Retro Yarn Snowmen DIY Home Accents!
Longing for more winter white? You can celebrate the wonder of winter by decorating with a snowflake theme!
