Make Outdoor Ornaments for the Holidays

These frozen ornaments add festive splashes of color to your yard during cold winter months.

By: Ruth Meharg

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Create Icy Outdoor Ornaments

Bring the holiday spirit to your yard by filling your trees with these colorful, 100% biodegradable ornaments. They are simple to make, all you need are a few dishes, your favorite plants or fruit and water!

Assemble a Disc Ornament

Create a delicate disc ornament by filling a plastic plate with water and the plants of your choice. We used the last sage blossoms of the season with a few wild berries and rosemary leaves. Tie a knot in a piece of twine and place it halfway in the water before placing the plate flat in the freezer.

Hang your Ornament

Once your ornament is frozen solid, usually after 4-6 hours, pop it out of the mold and hang! This ornament is so thin that light filters through beautifully, creating a glowing circle of ice and blossoms.

Easy Ice Wreath Ornament

Create a wreath shaped ornament by placing a cup or other round object in the center of a round pan. Fill the area surrounding the cup with water, fresh cranberries and slices of citrus fruit. Add a piece of twine for hanging and place in the freezer.

Hang your Wreath Ornament

Once your ornament is frozen solid (6-8 hours) remove from the freezer and use warm water to loosen the ornament from the mold. All that's left to do is find the perfect place to hang it!

Create a Round Ornament

To create a more traditional round ornament you will need two identical bowls. Fill each equally with water and ingredients. We used orange lentils, pumpkin seeds, fresh and dried cranberries and wild berries. Add hanging twine to one side and freeze for at least 8 hours. Once both halves are frozen, wet the flat surfaces, stick together and place back in the freezer until the two halves freeze together.

Create Stripes

Because different ingredients float or sink at different levels, you can create striped spheres by carefully layering colors. In this ornament the orange lentils settled at the very bottom, topped with the green pumpkin seeds and then red cranberries.

Use a Variety of Ingredients

Experiment with different ingredients to create your own pattern. This ornament's stripes come from dried cranberries that sink, and orange peels that float.

Experiment with Color and Shape

Try different combinations of fruit, vegetables and plants in your ornaments to create different color combinations. Red cabbage creates a striking purple and Brussels sprouts make a deep green. Experiment with different shaped molds, such as cups which can create beautiful, cylindrical ornaments. Your ornaments will last as long as the temperature outside stays close to freezing. Have fun and enjoy your colorful creations!

Make Outdoor Ornaments for the Holidays

Related To:

Shop This Look

Create Icy Outdoor Ornaments

Assemble a Disc Ornament

Hang your Ornament

Easy Ice Wreath Ornament

Hang your Wreath Ornament

Create a Round Ornament

Create Stripes

Use a Variety of Ingredients

Experiment with Color and Shape

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