Festive Front Door! Plan Ahead to Light it up with a Globe Ice Lantern

I present to you - the Globe Ice Lantern Perch - otherwise known as a short log wedged into a planter to provide a landing spot for a beautiful glowing orb . . . Easy-peasy!

I know this will be hard to believe(haha), but when I create a front entrance planter, I like to build in at least one perch for a Globe Ice Lantern to sit. I give myself extra points if it looks good without a globe as well, so I like to use short, fat logs. They fit right into an arrangement and are easy to stabilize. Birch logs are still readily available in my area, but any bark-covered log will do.

So, pull out the tired flowers from the summer and fall and replace them with winter hardy greens and hardgoods before it gets too cold!

First, you will need to gather your supplies:

1. Planter suitable for outdoor use (or don't mind if it cracks in the cold) filled with dirt

2. Log with at least one flat end - about 8 inches wide

3. Hardy greens, sticks and other hardgood decorations for outdoor use

4. Trowel or small shovel

5. Level 

6. Clippers

7. Tools to break up frozen earth: Wonderbar, hammer and drill with spade bit

8. Water bucket

OK, lets get started . . .

Clear out any old flowers or hardgoods from the area and use your shovel to mix up and level the soil. Add extra dirt if needed.

Plant a large log in the dirt, and if there's room, also add some big branches. Try to dig down into the soil and pack to secure them in place. Use a level to make sure that the Globe Ice Lantern Perch is as level as possible. 

If you have a Globe Ice Lantern in your freezer, position it on the log perch while adding the greens and other hardgoods.

If you purchased a mixture of greens and sticks, sort them out by type.

Start pressing the larger greens into the soil and make sure they remain standing.

Fill in with more greens and . . .

 . . . decorations and . . . 

 . . . sticks for texture.

If there are any glaring open spots, I sacrifice lower branches of my juniper bushes and fill in where needed. Water the arrangement so when it gets cold it will all freeze into place.

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So, there you go - a Front Entrance Planter using a log to create a Perch for a Globe Ice Lantern made with Wintercraft kits and supplies!

And it will look good while you patiently wait for weather that is cold enough to make Globe Ice Lanterns! But remember, it's also easy to make Globe Ice Lanterns in the freezer (See Wintercraft instructions).

Come to think of it, the Globe Ice Lantern Perch log would be a good landing spot for any sort of lantern that is safe to use outdoors. I will have to take a photo of one and edit it in later :)

I tend not be a planner, BUT I love having this perch ready to go on a cold winter nights when we spontaneously invite guests over for dinner and want to make the entrance welcoming with a Globe Ice Lantern or 2 . . . or more!   

Enjoy the Glow!

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