A Winnipeg woman says she wasn't going to let windchill values of -40 get in her way of bringing some colour to the Manitoba winter.

Lydia Gloria says that she saw a picture of an igloo made out of coloured ice blocks and suddenly couldn't shake the idea until she tried it herself. "I just thought that looks kind of fun to do, I don't know, I just had this urge to do it," she says.

The task took nearly two weeks to complete, and she chose the coldest part of this winter to do it.

Ice igloo lit up at night with bright coloured blocks

"It was (so cold), and I can't believe I did it. It was over -30 and I was out there, I would work for a bit, then come inside and get warmed up." She says she used two pairs of gloves to rotate as they would get wet and freeze.

The urge to complete the task kept her going in the middle of the frigid temperatures. "It was just one of those things when you start something, you know when you have something planted in your head, you just need to finish it."

The igloo has become a fun family gathering point, with space outside that allows her nieces and son to enjoy each other's company.

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With files from Taylor Brock