How to Make Ice Jewelry

The idea of making ice jewelry sounds like it would be a perfect winter craft project. However, while making ice jewelry is a great idea for keeping kids occupied for long stretches indoors, it is also a great project to both entertain and keep children cool in the summertime.

The following project involves using inexpensive items such as ice cube trays, water, yarn and optional items such as berries, dried flowers, leaves, twigs, beads, buttons, marbles or even small toys and figurines to make pretty ice jewelry.

In the summertime kids can wear their finished creations and cool down as the ice melts. In Winter time the ice jewelry makes a great decorative piece for a snow woman. If it is below freezing outside then your snow woman will have her jewelry for some time.

Keep in mind that regardless of what season you choose to make this project during it is quite likely that the optional items you freeze inside the ice jewelry will end up on the ground either from melting and falling off a snow woman or melting and falling off of a child. With that in mind you may wish to choose only items that will not threaten nearby plant or wildlife.

Start the project by cutting strings of colorful yarn in varying lengths. Have the children you plan to make ice jewelry for nearby so you can size their wrists and necks to determine what lengths of yarn you will need. Your yarn should be long enough to comfortably wrap around a wrist, ankle or neck along with an extra two inches; one inch is for you to securely knot the yarn and the other is to compensate for the space that the ice will take up.

After you have cut strings of yarn you can prepare your ice trays for freezing. Start by putting some of the optional items that you chose such as beads or small toys, etc. into each cube in the tray. Arrange them however you see fit. You can make this step as simple or as difficult as you would like. I have seen ice jewelry made from a simple hodge podge of items. I have also seen complicated pieces that involved alternating colors or matching inclusions.

After you have arranged the items you wish to use lay the yarn across as many cube sections of the ice tray as you wish. Push the yarn down firmly into each cube; it is a good idea to use your chosen inclusions to weight the yarn down before you add water.

Once you have placed the yarn slowly add water to the ice tray. I use a large measuring cup to pour water in, as carrying the tray to the sink can disturb its contents. After you have filled each cube in the tray with water to its brim, carefully place the ice cube tray in your freezer. Allow several hours for the ice cubes to freeze and form your jewelry.

When the ice cubes have frozen solid, carefully pop the cubes out of the tray. Take care to do this slowly to avoid any cracked or broken cubes. Now you can either tie the jewelry onto your child or tie it on to a snow woman.