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 A spooky ice sculpture can add a
classy ambience to your Halloween table or punch bowl!
They are easy to make and versatile to work with!
You can add them to so many things that will really
add that "WOW" factor to your party punch bowl or
food table display.
You
can use many things as molds to make your
sculpture, such as a decorative cake
pan for a tombstone, skull or bat to make an ice
sculpture centerpiece. Brain, heart and other body part
gelatin molds make great molds for ice to add to your punch
bowl. You can also use clear plastic food grade gloves to
make hand molds to float in your punch bowl.
Once you decide on the type of
ice sculpture mold you are going to use you need to
determine how much water to use in it. Remember, water expands when it
freezes, so you do not want to fill the mold completely. If
using a solid aluminum type pan, leave about 10% at the top
for water expansion. If you are using a plastic or rubber
mold, leave a bit more because these tend to expand out and
down if they can't go up which will give you a misshapen
mold. Also, when using a plastic or rubber mold, make sure
that you have a stable surface to set it on in the freezer,
like a cookie sheet, so that it will hold it's form. Soft
rubber molds are the hardest to work with because you have
to make sure that they are completely stable. You may have
to rig up a form to set the form in so the shape will remain
true.
SPECIAL
EFFECTS
You
can add a small amount of liquid food color
to the water if you'd like it to have a tint to it. Use
orange for a Jack-O-Lantern mold, like the one above. You
can use diluted food color to color the eyes, nose and mouth
after it hardens. Skull molds are simple because you need
not color it before you freeze, just use a diluted black
food color for the face definition after it's hardened. For
a heat or other body parts, use varying shades of red or
pink and do any detail coloring after it's hardened. Or you
can just leave it plan and not add any color to it. Instead,
use a back light sitting behind the display, out of the way
of melting water, to light it.
Place a
Pumpkin
Light behind the ice sculpture for a great
special effect! They are battery powered which is much safer
to use then electric light.
IMPORTANT TIPS: Always remember, if you are going
to use your ice sculpture in a punch bowl it's best to use
some of the punch itself to make the mold. That way you can
keep the punch plenty cold and not dilute it with plain
water. Also, make sure that if you are using it as a
centerpiece only, it is in a bowl or tub deep enough to hold
all of the water that will build up as is slowly melts or
you'll have a huge mess on your hands!
Pumpkin Ice Sculpture Mold
Reusable ice sculpture and gelatin dessert molds are
wonderful for table decorations and centerpieces.
Approximately 11"x14"x3" in size. Available
from
SculpturesInIce.com. Use red and yellow food color in
the water for an orange tinted pumpkin ice sculpture. Or,
you can freeze orange flavored Kool-Aid or other orange
colored beverage if it's going to be displayed in the punch
bowl so it doesn't dilute the punch.
Coffin Cake Pan
The only coffin shaped cake pan we could find is
made by Pantastic.
These are white plastic
pans that you can use in a regular oven!
The coffin shaped
pan measures 7" x 13" x 1-3/4". Use red food color in the water
for a red tinted coffin ice sculpture or any color you
choose to match your party theme.
These two types of molds are
better for stand up displays like the one above. You'll need
to find a plastic tub or deep bowl to stand it in, center it
and fill with colored glass pieces designed for floral
arranging. Add dried or silk flowers, branches and such to
finish the display.
Skull Mold
Meant as a cake pan, this works well for a small skull ice
sculpture. It measures 15 1/2" x 2 1/2" x 5 3/4".
These are perfect for using in a large punch bowl. If you
can find the small molds for baking little cakes that have
six skulls to a tray, you can freeze up a couple batches of
them and have more to put in as they melt. Use juice, punch
or soda to make them so they won't dilute the punch.
Hand Mold
You can pick up boxes for clear plastic food handlers gloves
at restaurant supply stores to make hand shaped molds for
your punch. Get the largest size they carry so you have room
to work with. Just fill the glove, leaving space fir
expansion, tie off the end of the glove and lay on a cookie
sheet to freeze. use green food color or juice. If you are
having, say, an orange or green punch, use the opposite
color for the hands. You can also use sherbet to fill them.
Let it sit out and thaw a bit so it's pliable and can be
pushed into the fingers of the gloves, close the ends and
re-freeze. It will give your punch an added flavor and looks
cool when it melts.
How to Display
Be sure and keep it frozen until use! To remove, run pan
side under cool water to release the ice mold. If you plan
to use it up-right as a center piece, make sure that you
have something underneath to catch the water as it melts and
keep the light away from any dripping water!
For added drama and longer life
of the ice molds, set them securely on a block of ice, which
can be purchased at most places that sell ice. Use an
inexpensive plastic tub that can be found at mass market
retailers in their Halloween decor and tableware to use a s
a display holder. They have lots of room to catch the
melting ice although you may want to check it in case it
needs to be drained during the party. The last thing you
want is to have a nice table ruined with water stains. Place
a folded towel under the tub to insulate the table top from
the intense cold.
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