Revised balloon method
After trying the Wintercraft ice lantern kit, I changed how I inflated and positioned the other balloons that I use for making globe ice lanterns. Instead of putting them knot-end down, I'm placing them in the bowls (with large rubber stoppers in the centers to produce an unfrozen indentation in the ice lantern) with the knot end up, and blowing air into the balloon as it sits in the bowl, before tying it shut. This allows the balloon to be inflated just the right amount to fit inside the bowl.
Revised balloon method
After trying the Wintercraft ice lantern kit, I changed how I inflated and positioned the other balloons that I use for making globe ice lanterns. Instead of putting them knot-end down, I'm placing them in the bowls (with large rubber stoppers in the centers to produce an unfrozen indentation in the ice lantern) with the knot end up, and blowing air into the balloon as it sits in the bowl, before tying it shut. This allows the balloon to be inflated just the right amount to fit inside the bowl.