Colored Balloon Ice Balls…Fun & EASY

I see pictures of really cool DIY projects on Facebook a lot of times and think to myself, “I think I could do that.” Sometimes it’s just a picture with a few words but no step-by-step directions, which makes me think it’s even easier to do. Last Christmas I saw pictures of clear glass bulbs that were colored by putting a crayon in it and then melting the crayon with a blow dryer. Not only did it not work for me, but the heat actually made the glass bulb break. Another fun project I almost tried with my grandsons was the “glow in the dark” bubbles you could make by breaking open glow sticks and adding the solution to bubble solution, giving you glowing bubbles. But I read that even though the glow solution was relatively low in toxicity, it could irritate eyes, skin and mucous membranes so why chance it with my young grandsons?

Anyway, I’ve been seeing these really cool pictures of frozen colored ice balls you make with balloons, water, food color and freezing outdoor temperatures or your freezer. I didn’t see any directions on the first picture I saw but it seemed pretty self-explanatory. It is easy to do and the balls turned out great but I do have a few tips that might help if you decide to try this.

For this project you need balloons, food color, water and freezing temperatures.

Add a few drops of food color to the balloon and massage the liquid through the balloon a bit so that it works its way down. DON’T fill up the balloon with water first and then add the food color because it will make a mess. (Once the balloon has water in it, if you let go of the untied balloon end, the water squirts up and out.)

If you’re messy like me, you might want to wear gloves…

(It took about 3 days and lots of scrubbing to get the food color off of my cuticles and under my nails…just FYI. I did try vinegar, baking soda, and lots of soap.) Food color is generally permanent, but it depends on the surface. It tends to stain soft surfaces like fabrics, carpets, and upholstery so be careful.

Once you’ve added the food color, place the end of the balloon over the tip of a water tap and slowly fill the balloon. The more water you add, the longer it will take to freeze.

Tie the balloon end. I put the balloons in a bowl to carry them outside, just in case. I could see me dropping one or having one break while transporting them.

Place the balloons outside if you have freezing temperatures or put in a freezer. Let freeze overnight.

Once the balloons are frozen, cut the balloon tip off and peel the balloon off the frozen balls. It’s very easy to do. Remember to pick up your balloon pieces so birds or animals don’t get hold of them and possibly choke.

With the first batch of balloons I made, I tried adding the food color after the water, which only made most of the food color spill out, so the balls didn’t have much color.

Second batch turned out much better! I think these would make cute decorations at Christmas in red and green, as long as the temperature is freezing.