Everyone has seen these garden spheres in the garden, but recently after finding a bowling ball at Oakhurst’s “Clutter Clearance” I decided to try decorating one. I was inspired by an example found online on Google images, bought some bags of ‘gems’ used for filling vases to hold stems straight.

First the materials were gathered, 5 or 6 bags of 'gems', stones or tiles and 2 tubes of G.E. Silicone II for outdoors, in clear.

Start with a clean and prepped bowling ball. Use rubbing alcohol or vinegar to get any wax finish off. Sand lightly, then wash and dry the ball before painting. I filled the two smaller holes with tin foil and just glued right over them. Leave one hole uncovered and positioned at the bottom so if you want you can set it onto a piece of rebar in the garden. It helps to print out a photo of a design you like from Google images, shown. I used 5 0r 6 bags of ‘gems’, shown, and 2 tubes of G.E. Silicone II for outdoors, in clear.

With pencil I marked the top, opposite the largest hole and cut a five pointed star for a design to fill in

I used pencil to mark a dot on the top, opposite the hole I left unfilled. Then I drew freehand lines vertically to mark four sections, then used a paper cut-out of a star to trace around as a starting point.

How to cut a five-pointed star in one snip  This link comes straight from Girl Scouts and is a really neat trick.

I experimented with different patterns.

I placed the ball on a pedestal. You could also use a folded towel. After drawing the shape on the ball in four places, one on each side, I started gluing the gem's on.

With gravity working, it’s easier to work at the top.  the gems or stones set quickly.

I became obsessed , but it went quickly. I skipped breakfast to continue.

Inside, it looked darker than I expected. I could have painted the ball a light color to reflect more light

The finished 'artwork'!