Bowling Ball Yard Art

Donna GreenFamily and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension When a woman gets dressed up, she selects a nice outfit and does her hair and make-up. Then she accessorizes with jewelry. Yards and gardens enjoy the same ambiance. A little bling can go a long way towards sprucing up your landscape.About 10 years ago I found the base of a bird bath at a garage sale for a dollar. I tried to find something to use for the top/water portion, but wasn't having any luck. So I decided to use it as a base for a gazing ball, but when I checked out gazing balls at some of our garden centers, they were a little pricey.Then I saw a used bowling ball at another garage sale, and the lightbulb went off in my head to use it as a gazing ball. Voilá, instant yard art. It actually works well and is sturdier than the chrome and glass balls.But now I've discovered a plethora of ideas on how to decorate those old bowling balls that is even better than leaving them in their original, marbleized finish. Thank-you, Pinterest.Some of the more unusual design ideas I saw online include the following:Cover it with pennies. The copper color looks really rich and it only takes about $5 worth of pennies to cover the ball.Cover it with beach stones. Use the smaller pebbles; they can be applied flat or on an edge, which gives a petal-like appearance.Decoupage. Find pictures or cards to glue on and then lacquer a clear, thick finish.Cover it with sea glass. This is probably what I'm going to do with mine. I have buckets of sea glass at home and have been trying to figure out something creative to do with it.Take all your bottles of old nail polish and pour them over the ball, letting the paint run in streaks. Pretty and artsy.Cover it with broken pottery or china. You will have to use grout to fill in the empty cracks and crevices, but it makes an elegant gazing ball.Spray paint it. I found some really cute designs; some easy and some that would take a little more artistic talent. But the one I know I can handle that will be my next project (besides the sea glass) is a shiny yellow smiley face. (That's for you, Tanny).Cover it with old costume jewelry. Pins, earrings, bracelets — any kind of junk jewelry — looks really neat all glued together hodgepodge over the bowling ball.Good used bowling balls can be found at garage/estate sales, thrift stores, or at the bowling alley. You can fill in the finger holes with caulk or some other filler, or leave them open. Some people fill in two holes and leave a third open to mount the ball on a piece of copper piping if they want to elevate it among their flowers.Sand the ball down to roughen the finish and use a tube of clear silicone to glue items to the ball. Further instructions and/or ideas can be found online. Objet d'art for the garden — pretty and practical.