How to make a gazing ball out of a bowling ball

Published by Gail | Published September 23, 2009 | Updated June 30, 2021
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I have made several of these beautiful gazing balls. They are one of my favorite garden ornaments. They are very shiny, very pretty, and the best part . . . unbreakable!

These are the supplies you need.

Old bowling ball
Alcohol
plaster of paris
Pieces to decoupage (wallpaper samples, fabric, stickers, etc)
marine varnish

Use alcohol to clean bowling ball

Use the alcohol to clean the bowling ball. The alcohol cleans all of the oils from the bowling alley.

Fill holes with plaster of paris

Mix up a small portion of the plaster of paris, and pour into ONLY the finger holes. Be sure to leave the thumb hole clear.

Let the plaster of paris dry for several hours, I let mine dry overnight. Neatness does NOT count in this step.

Smooth-sand excess plaster

Use a knife or similar item to scrape off excess dried plaster, then wipe it down with water.

Decorate Bowling Ball

You are now ready to begin decorating your gazing ball.

Disguise plaster of paris

Use a marker to color in anything on the ball. If you look closely you can see that I colored over the stars and one of the finger holes. I of course colored the other one after this picture was taken.

Apply decor

Start applying your appliques. On this bowling ball gazing ball, I used a Tatouage rub-on transfers. I have also used these kind of transfers on a floor cloth and on a headboard bench.

It is fairly simple to do the Tatouage. You simply lay it on your gazing ball, and rub it on. 🙂

I bought these butterfly stickers at our local Dollar Tree Store.

I thought the orange butterflies looked really nice with the color of these flowers.

Seal Bowling Ball Gazing Ball

During step # 2 I told you to leave the thumb hole clear of plaster. This is why! Suspend your gazing ball on a dowel rod of some sort. I picked up this rod at my local Habitat for Humanity Re-store for 50 cents. Apply the outdoor polyurethane with a natural bristle brush.

How to apply Polyurethane to bowling ball

I apply my poly with an up and down motion, trying not to let the poly "puddle" near the bottom thumb hole. I apply at least 4 coats of the outdoor poly. How many coats you need to apply depends on what decoupage medium you use, wallpaper is a little thick, so it usually takes more coats. This Tatouage is very thin, and I could probably have gotten away with 3 coats.

In this picture I have the new gazing ball displayed in my flower bed with my cute little cherub gazing right into it!

If you look closely you can see the reflection of the tree. These truly are gazing balls. You can use a variety of "holders" for your gazing balls. I pick them up at thrift stores all the time for 1-2 dollars each.

I have this blue gazing ball in my flower bed. It has been there for over a year. I do recommend giving your gazing ball shelter during the winter months. I brought mine up on the porch last winter. It's probably a good thing that I did because we had that nasty ice storm.

Have fun with this project! They make great gifts, especially if you have someone who no longer bowls. I'll let you in on a little secret... I've only bowled about twice in my entire life! shhhh, don't tell anyone, k?

If you have a really pretty bowling ball, you can just put a sealer on it like I did here: DIY Gazing Ball
gail

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Carolyn

May 01, 2021 at 7:22 pm

Can I use unicorn SPIT on my bb for the gazing ball

Reply
- Gail Wilson
  
  May 03, 2021 at 6:55 pm
  
  I've never used Unicorn SPIT, so I have no idea how it would work on a bowling ball (gazing ball)
  
  gail
Brenda

April 08, 2020 at 11:25 am

What else can you do with a black bowling ball? Can it be painted to be as attractive as your other colored wavy ones??

Reply
- Gail Wilson
  
  April 10, 2020 at 9:28 pm
  
  Brenda,
  
  I've done the decoupage on the black bowling balls, but I've never painted one before.
  
  gail
Suzanne

May 19, 2017 at 11:08 pm

What a fabulous idea! My mission now is to find a bowling ball. I also want to know what Tatouage is.
Many thanks.

Reply
- Gail Wilson
  
  May 20, 2017 at 9:37 pm
  
  Tatouage is a transfer kind of sticker. I think it's a dying breed these days. It sort of a rub-on. My friends at Iron Orchid designs have sort of brought it back, you can see my project here: https://www.myrepurposedlife.com/decor-transfer/
  
  gail
Sarah Pickering

May 19, 2017 at 1:21 pm

LOVE this idea, I have my grandmother's bowling ball from the 60's and I could never find a place to rehole it as my fingers are larger. This way my daughter can enjoy her namesake more in her garden.

Reply
Pam

April 03, 2012 at 12:17 am

Gail, thank you so much for coming by and liking my page in facebook and for sharing it also. That was really sweet of you. Thanks again.
Pam

Reply
Pam

April 03, 2012 at 12:16 am

Adorable...I love this idea.

Reply
Sharon

March 17, 2012 at 1:44 pm

Oh My Word! I totally love this. I was just looking at my neighbors gazing ball the other day on my walk. And I have a pretty purple bowling ball (Like your blue one) in my bowling bag that is to heavy for me to use. I just might have to make a project out of it. LOL!

Sharon

Reply
Jan @ bobbypins boardwalk

October 18, 2010 at 4:17 am

Gail:

I wanted to let you know that I shared this post as a "bookmarked on the Boardwalk" feature. I love this project and wanted to make sure that my other readers had a chance to love it too! You can find it here:

http://www.bobbypinsboardwalk.com/2010/10/bookmarked-on-boardwalk_17.html

You're welcome to stop by, take a look, and grab a button.

Have a great week, friend!

Reply
Stacey @ Fun to Craft

April 15, 2010 at 2:30 am

What a cool idea. I really like how yours turned out. Thanks for sharing at 'Look at me, I'm SO Crafty!' at Fun to Craft.

Reply
Veronica

April 05, 2010 at 2:48 am

What a neat way to use a bowling ball. I have featured your gazing ball on my blog. If you like,come by and grab my featured button at Veronica's Korner. http://veronicas-korner.blogspot.com/

Reply
Cousin B

February 13, 2010 at 4:31 am

Hi, I'm new to your blog, and Im so glad I found this! I love this gazing bb idea...how cute! But, pardon me for being uncrafty, but what's this Tatouage? I can see they are flowers here, but not sure, where I'd get those?

Reply
rosemst2t

September 25, 2009 at 4:56 pm

OK, you got me. Now that you posted this handy step by step tutorial I have absolutely no excuses not to do this with those 2 BB's I found at the curb Wednesday morning.
It's like it was meant to be! You must be psychic or something.
Rose

Reply
vintagesue

September 25, 2009 at 3:33 am

is that not stunning. i can't stop gazing at it!!! lol. it's very, very cute. love it!!!
thanks for such a great idea. wow.
sue

Reply
Miss Mustard Seed

September 25, 2009 at 1:03 am

That is crazy creative, girl! My goodness.

Reply
Pam

September 24, 2009 at 1:23 pm

Neat..very inventive.
Pam

Reply
Rita @ Goodwill Haunting

September 24, 2009 at 6:15 am

This is great! I also read your post about the blue gazing ball. How very creative! I want to do one, so I just need to find a bowling ball! Thanks for sharing.

Reply