Lace and Ice

I came up with another very inexpensive, quick and easy cold climate decorating idea for the outdoors ( unless you live in an igloo). All you need are some lace doilies ( all mine are from the thrift store or rummage sales), some flat round pans ( I used trays, and pie plates) , water , a flat area to allow them to freeze and sub zero temperatures. It is somewhat ironic that as soon as I made these the temperature here has climbed and tomorrow it will be almost 10 degrees centigrade.

It was night when I laid these out on the porch to freeze so I didn't take pictures but the basic idea is lay a lace doilie flat in a cake pan or round tray. Cover with about a cm of water and leave overnight to freeze. In the morning gently loosen the frozen discs and then make small holes with something sharp. We used a screw. It is better to make the hole about 2  to 3 cm in from the edge and make it where their is lace for strength. I then used some crochet cotton to string them up for hanging. * So many of you have commented on putting the thread through before freezing. Great idea that I also thought of after the fact. The thing about most of my ideas they start with a concept and I am never quite sure what the end result will be or how I will use it. In this example I wasn't quite sure they would be hanging so that is why the holes came later. It was really easy to put the in , my daughter did all of them but I and none of them broke. 

The real challenge was to photograph them because with the air warming up and a constant gentle breeze they just kept twirling like beautiful lacey ballerinas. It was quite magical. As I watched them I think I could hear the dance of the sugarplum fairies. 

 Coco Chanel said “I consider lace to be one of the prettiest imitations ever made of the fantasy of nature; lace always evokes for me those incomparable designs which the branches and leaves of trees embroider across the sky, and I do not think that any invention of the human spirit could have a more graceful or precise origin.”

I hope I have inspired you to make some frosted lace of your own.

Have a wonderful weekend and I just wanted to let those who made purchases from the shop on the weekend that your parcels will be mailed today and if all goes as planned should arrive before Christmas.

Comments

[sweetcheese]

How beautiful and sweet!

[Iris]

What a fantastic idea!

[Andrea (noricum)]

Instead of drilling holes, you could probably freeze the hanging cord in the ice too... possibly even looping it through the doily for extra security.

Cool idea!

[linda]

these are great. it's -14 F here and if I weren't hopeful that eventually it will warm up, i'd make some!

[Olivia_p]

wow, absolutely incredible, wow, beautiful, thanks for this wonderful pictures!

[Annie]

These are beautiful! You could also thread the crochet cotton through the doily first as the hanger (let it hang over the side of the mold) and then freeze them. It would be just my luck that I would break 7 out of 10 of them trying to drill holes ...

[Hannah B]

these are fab.. its not that cold here in London.. although it feels like it should be!

[Laura]

Utterly brilliant!

Is this the time when I should tell you that it was 37C here yesterday?

So....no lace doilies hanging on the porch for me I'm afraid...sniff

[Carmen]

what tuna, but what cold! Here in Barcelona rarely we have snow. a greeting.

[Crafty Gardener]

Beautiful snowflakes. I'll have to wait till it gets colder to make some, as it was above zero in my part of Ontario last night and we had some rain.

[Maria]

You creativity have no limits this is stunning!
I wish I have some negative temperature here. (I think I was never say this in my life since I am not a big fun of cold...

back in mail soon*

[cathygaubert]

you never cease to amaze me! i will just have to gaze longingly at your photos as i will probably not have the chance to try these for myself. after our very unusual (as in this hadn't happened in 20 years) 3-4 inches of snow last week, we are now in the mid-70's today and for the coming week. crazy south louisiana weather!
xxx

[Carol]

I need to move north!!!

[saganaga]

How clever! So lovely!

[rebekah]

beautiful. i hope they don't all melt before i get to see them!

[michele (Maryland)]

Margie, these are just amazing. What a terrific idea and so beautiful. I so wish I could make and use them here in the "south". But NO WAY!

[nikole]

what an beautiful idea.

[Emma]

I adore this idea! It's nowhere near cold enough here to do it, though. :(

[Anne Gailhbaud]

Wonderful!!!!
Magical!!
But where I live (Périgord-France) it's not so cold!!!
It's the first time that I see something beautiful and cold.Because I am borned in Africa and don'like at all the cold weather, snow........
anne
http://quilt007.free.fr

[miesmama]

Those are sooo beautiful! You have such good ideas!!! I was hang kissing balls under the deck, but this is so much better, off to buy the lace doilies I looked at in the thrift store, but wasn't sure what to do with!
Thanks again, and keep creating!

[Geninne]

Absolutely breathtaking!!! You make me wish it was freezing cold outside :)

[beccajo]

enchanting. simply enchanting.

i could see doing this with colored yarn or string too to make more abstract versions of these....

off to find some cakepans!

[Carrie from teeny.tiny.cute]

seriously. wow. gorgeous.

[mayaluna]

I feel like I'm somehow betraying all of your other inspired and gorgeous creations, but I think this might be my favorite idea of yours... actually it might just be might favorite idea of anyone's EVER!!! The ease in making, the thrift, the vintage, the nostalgia, the romance, the magic, and of course... they are frozen handmade snowflakes! It's going to take me a while to recover... but when I do, I know where I'm headed. My mother and I bought a bunch of doilies at an auction last summer... knowing that someday there would be a great use for them. Someday is here... I'll be heading off to the barn! I can't thank you enough, Margie. You are so absolutely amazing!!

[I.Maia]

Great idea! So beautiful! I am starting to feel sorry that here it is 'too' warm.

[Elsa Mora]

My dear friend,
What you have made with ice and lace is one of the most moving things that my eyes have ever seen. I look at them and I am transported to a special place of love and pain and hope and beauty all together. I don't only see ice and lace in these pieces, I see so much more. They make me think about the series of posts that I am writing right now and about how behind pain (ice) there is always beauty (the lace). I can see you having a solo show outdoors with this line of pieces and I see lots of people admiring them. I imagine huge circles of ice exposing the beauty of giant fiber works containing lace and other elements. I also see large photographs of these pieces in a museum. This could be the beginning of some amazing visual show that could go together with a book containing stories about beauty and pain.

Lots of love for one of my favorite artists in the world!
Elsi :)

[Donna Pedaci]

What a fantastic idea, those look beautiful. I wish it would get below freezing here soon so I could try some of your amazing frozen decorations!

[Karen L.]

Living in North Carolina, I will probably not be able to make these with ice either. However, I am thinking I could buy a type of stiffener/starch that, although would not look the same due to lack of water/ice, would still be beautiful hanging on my porch. Perhaps there is a resin that could be used? I just love the look of these and need to find a way to make them without the long term freezing temperatures. Thanks for the idea!

[Marie]

What a "cool" idea!! Wish it stayed cold enough to try that here.

The photos are beautiful!

[Lora Hart]

It's true, your imagination and creativity know no bounds. You really are an amazing spirit.

First I thought about making one in my freezer, but the moment I would unmold it - it would start dripping on the floor. Then, like Karen L., I wonder if I'd like them as much if I tried to create them in resin. I just may get some ICE resin from an e-tailer I buy from and try to do it!

Thanks for your always magical images.

[molly]

you are absolutely brillant my dear. if only it got so cold here.

[Elizabeth]

I'm speechless. What an amazingly gorgeous idea.

Maybe someone already said that: If you boil your water first, then you won't have any tiny air bubbles inside.

[kristin]

another brillant idea margaret!! your creativity never ceases to amaze me...thanks for yet another great tute. xx

[Whitney]

Beautiful!

[Jimena]

I want subzero temperatures here now!!!

This is a brilliant idea... if only the climate permitted it... I'm in Mexico...

[belinda/gretchenmist]

hi, popped in here via camilla's blog... these are so gorgeous, great pics. love the setting too :)

[dawn]

It is hard to come up with adjectives that haven't already been used to describe your ice doilies. I imagine the women who made the doilies are oohing and aahing over how much the ice enhances their intricate details.

[rebecca]

Beautiful!!

[natascha]

Wow! I'm speechless! That's a brilliant idea! Congratulations for such beautiful decoration.

[Tammy Rasmussen]

What a beautiful idea, too bad it won't work in Florida as I do miss snow and winter at Christmas time.

Thank you for sharing!

[Karin]

What a beautiful, fabulous idea! Now I'm so sad I don't have any doilies!!! I wonder if I can get some from Freecycle... Thank you so much for sharing this idea!

[deb]

this is PHENOMENAL. kudos to you for being such a visionary!!

[Loralynn]

These are absolutely lovely! What a great idea!

[Jennifer]

This is AMAZING. So beautiful... makes me wish I lived in a colder climate!!

[Annette Turner]

I will give this a try but because it is warmer here, in England, I will try it using PVA glue, it dries clear and could be used in warmer climates, as we have in England.

[etsher]

This is so lovely!

[kellyd]

what a great idea! I'm racing off to get my doilies now!

:-)

[e.l.berge]

Oh, what a simply lovely idea! I may have to give this one a try...

[Jennifer]

What a lovely idea! I live in a very cold place so I really want to try this!