A couple of weeks ago, Jeannette Whitson, of Garden Variety Design, shared some beautiful and really easy DIY ideas for decorating our homes for the holidays. The day we shot the photographs for the post, she showed us one additional, ingenious way to serve drinks that knocked our socks off, and we saved it to share with you today – an ice tray for the bar!

ice tray bar

It’s so simple, yet adds just the kind of stunning finishing touch we all want for our holiday entertaining. And the best part about this project is that it’s unbelievably easy. The supplies, which are inexpensive to start with, are minimal, and it takes just a few minutes to assemble. You’ll likely spend more time thinking about what fun drinks to display on your tray than you will actually making it!

Note: The gorgeous photos today are courtesy of Wiff Harmer.

Supplies:

  • 2 aluminum baking pans
  • flowers, fruit, greenery – whatever you like
  • H20

Directions from Jeannette:

  • Take two aluminum baking trays and fill one halfway with water, flowers and cedar clippings. (Eco makes a pan that has a scalloped interior, which makes a pretty edge when the ice tray is unmolded. This brand is available at Harris Teeter here in Nashville.) In the tray featured today, pansies were added to the evergreens. You can use anything you like, though. Cranberries, lemon slices, whatever makes you happy.
  • Place the other tray on top and weight it down with some bags of frozen peas or anything else that’s already in the freezer. (Be careful not to make it overflow.) This weighted tray allows for the frozen raised edge.
  • Leave it overnight in the freezer and then run a little warm water on the bottom to loosen it and pull it out.
  • Fill with little mini bottles of champagne (available at Harvest Wine Market in Nashville, or online), or any assortment of small bottles, like Perrier.
  • StyleBlueprint Note: if the ice “tray” is uneven (with grooves frozen in place from the aluminum tray placed on top), simply add crushed ice to the top of the ice tray to nestle your bottles in. Sonic ice (yes, you can buy it) works well also.
icemold janette whitson1
Here’s the ice try, ready to unmold. Jeannette placed the bottom of the pan in warm water briefly to loosen the ice. Can you see the scalloped edge? Isn’t that brilliant!
Janette Bar
Jeanette’s party-ready butler’s pantry

Jeanette, thanks so much for another fabulous DIY idea! Cheers to you, and to Wiff for the beautiful photos!

If you missed Jeanette’s HoliDIY post from earlier this month, click here.

Follow Garden Variety Designs on Instagram here.

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Amy Norton