Before I became a completely displaced sophisticated urban mama, my family lived in a little stone house with a huge front porch in rural New Jersey. I spent an absurd amount of time on my porch, stretched out, knitting, outdoor crafting (think fumes), chatting with friends, and spying on making pleasantries with my neighbors.

Mine was a cheerful porch. In the spring I’d plant an herb garden in our window boxes. The summer was warm enough for hanging plants and potted hibiscus trees to thrive and I was always dizzied by the excitement of autumn decor.

But best of all, were the Christmas lights. Call me sentimental, but when I look down a snowy street, all lit up with holiday cheer, I am inspired. When the Christmas lights come down and an entire neighborhood of empty porches sit sadly, cold and naked for the next three months, it’s enough to make this girl sullen.

Never one to wallow in the frost, I started making these hanging ice sculptures. They take about five minutes of prep work and can be put in the freezer (or just left outside) overnight.

You only need the over-ripe fruit that you would be throwing away tomorrow, a casserole dish, two quarts of water, and a long piece of yarn.

1. Cut the fruit

2. Fill the dish with water

3. Arrange the fruit.

4. Place the ends of the yarn in deeply enough so that they wont be pulled out by the weight of the ice when the sculpture has frozen.

5. Freeze

And presto! Something interesting for your neighbors to look at and watch disappear slowly.

You can make a few variations of this in all shapes and sizes. Dropping a little food coloring into a few trays of ice and using it in place of fruit looks great as well.

Anna Holler is a highly caffeinated stay-at-home mom who lives with her family in Philadelphia. She spends her free time crafting and knitting while waiting patiently for skinny jeans and leggin’s to become unfashionable. You can also find her at The Happy Knitter and Mama Eats Her Peas.