Bring an empty window box to life.

An empty window box serves as the perfect stage for a talented cast of ice wreaths and blocks teamed with colorful fruits and hearty greenery. This production is best staged on winter's coldest nights so your hard work doesn't melt away by morning. A simple garland of fresh blueberries and kumquats (or other firm, fresh fruit) and a large frozen luminaria complete the wintry scene.

• Ring mold pan or square metal baking pan, metal bread pan
• Distilled water
• Assorted berries, fruits, woody-stem foliage, and evergreens
• Pillar and votive candles
• Metal cylindrical container (a coffee can will do)
• Paddle wire (available at crafts and floral-supply stores)
• Smaller metal container (large enough to hold a votive candle)
• Electrical tape

(Note: If the ice won't come out of the pan easily, dip the pan quickly into a sink full of warm water to coax it along.)

For Ice Wreath: Place a coffee can weighted with rocks in the center of a square metal baking pan. The coffee can will create the wreath's center. Partially freeze a shallow layer of distilled water in the bottom of the pan. Take out of freezer and place greenery on top of the partially frozen water. Add a little more water; refreeze. Fill pan; freeze a third time. Gently pop ice out of pan and coffee can out of ice. Place wreath on edge in the window box display. Nestle your wreath into dirt or prop up with ice blocks to make it stand on end. Place a pillar candle behind the wreath so the flame is centered in the open area.

For Ice Luminarias: Fill a metal cylindrical container three-fourths full with distilled water. Add fruits, berries, and evergreens or other greenery. Allow sprigs to stick up above top of the container, if desired. Bend paddle wire around the smaller container, securing with electrical tape, and float smaller container on top of the water in the cylinder. Wrap the ends of wire around the edges of the cylinder to hold smaller container in place. Finish filling the larger container with water and freeze. Pop out the luminaria; remove smaller container, wire, and tape. Place luminaria along a path or on your porch steps with a candle in the inset. For votive-size luminarias for your window box, simply use smaller containers. Sliced citrus fruits can be placed, overlapping, along the outer edges of the large container for a flower petal effect.

For Ice Blocks: Fill the metal bread pan one-fourth full with distilled water. Freeze. Add fruits, berries, and/or evergreens. Fill with water. If desired, add woody-stem foliage and allow the tops of the foliage to poke out of the container. Freeze again. Pop out of container and set in window box display.