There are many different ways to make skating ponds. This is my favorite, probably because it came to me not as an inspiration but as a mistake. I will explain what I did in the pictures and give suggestions for a less involved method. First I cut the shape of the pond out of a 3/4inch of plywood. The reason for the thickness was to accommodate rocks I used to make the bank. A thinner piece of plywood or other material can be used, and the bank can then be made of soil, snow. plants, etc. When using rocks they must be polished if you intend to grout them as I did. Unpolished rocks can be used but then positioning must be more careful and be material behind the rocks must be prepainted. Using two panes of glass just large enough to cover the pond cut out, place two layers of blue cellophane in between them, and seal the edges with narrow strips of tape. Lay the glass over the pond cut out, and seal the out side edges with a hot glue gun. When the glue is hard, turn the pond over and seal the other side with the hot glue gun. Using polished rocks glue them to the plywood, When all are in place, mix a colored grout of your choice, but make it thin, almost runny. Apply the grout to the rocks, rubbing it into the crevices with your fingers or a paper towel. Let the grout set up for about five minutes and then start buffing off the excess. For more definition around the rocks, use an old toothbrush to remove more grout from the cracks. Let the grout cure over night. The product I used to make the ice surface, was Frost, under the Holly Trim label, by Hydrosol Inc. of Bridgeport, IL. 60455. I have used like products, they all work the same. Basically they, when applied to glass, produce a crystal effect. Spray the product on the glass, but instead of allowing it to naturally dry, do as I did because I was in a hurry, apply a hair drier. Use high heat but keep moving the flow of air over a 4 square inch area. Respray the area till wet and reapply the drier. Make sure and to not get the drier to close as too quick a temperature change will cause the glass to crack. You will now notice that as it dries the liquid starts to peak, and turn white at the top. Continue the process till the pond is covered. If you don't like a spot, respray and dry again.