This weekend I turned an old bowling ball that I found at a garage sale into a gazing ball-like piece of yard art.
A penny bowling ball!
I bought this bowling ball, bag and pair of old used bowling shoes (yuck) at a church garage sale all for just $1.00. I knew I only wanted the bowling ball itself, so the other items were just along for the ride.
How To Make A Penny Bowling Ball
The first thing I did was fill in the finger holes with paper towels until there was about ¼" of the holes left and then filled the rest of the holes in with some caulking I had laying around the house.
And then threw the bag and shoes into my Goodwill pile.
I wanted to cover the ball in pennies so I used roughly $4.50 worth.
I wanted them to be all bright and shiny so I decided to clean them with my beloved Coke Zero to see if Coke's cleaning abilities are an urban legend or not.
So I emptied a roll of pennies into a bowl and added the Coke Zero and let them sit for five minutes.
The Coke Zero cleaned them a little bit, but they were definitely not as bright as I was expecting them to be. It's not often that my Coke lets me down.
So then I searched the Internet for other penny cleaning tips and ran across some science experiments for kids that uses ¼ cup white vinegar and 1 teaspoon of table salt to clean them.
The vinegar is 5% acetic acid and dissolves the copper oxide on the pennies. The salt acts as a catalyst to speed up the process. But enough of the fascinating science lesson of the day.
Anyhow, I just put the pennies in there for about a minute, rinsed the solution off them and they came out amazingly shiny.
(This post does contain some affiliate links. You can read my full disclosure policy here.)
Next I used Dap Clear Silicone Sealant for Doors And Windows to glue the pennies onto the bowling ball.
I glued them all heads up, but that was my OCD kicking in - you could mix it up if you wanted. Or maybe do all heads except for one tail???
And here is the finished project.
I tried sitting my penny bowling ball on my birdbath base as a regular gazing ball.
Then I remembered that I had bought this silver chafing dish pedestal at a garage sale. It's almost like it is made to be a penny bowling ball holder.
Of course you could place it directly on the ground or leave one of the finger holes exposed and place a wood dowel to stake it in the ground.
Another fun bowling ball project is my Mosaic Bowling Ball made with dollar store gems.
New For Spring 2021:
Check out the web story version of this article HERE - Penny Bowling Ball Yard Art Story.
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idesign
very cool idea! 🙂
Tammy ~ A Primitive Place
Now this is a very cute idea!!!
Luv it!
Tam
Diana
I have a bowling ball WAAAAY at the backyard, just visible from the deck...with a painted face on it. Everyone looks past the yard and pond, over the ledge of liriope, past the walkway and into the forest, and down toward the lower meadow, and then shrieks...what's that!? I have a much better idea now. No more scary bowling ball face! I'm turning it into a gazing ball. FAB idea!
Haverford House
This is so fun! I bet it's a great conversation piece! ~Marcy
Laura Ingalls Gunn
This is a truly wonderful transformation. So creative and clever!
Patti
This is so unique - love it - well done
A Pretty Pastime
That is fantastic!
Katy
Stephanie Lynn
Hi Pam! I'll be featuring your Yard art tomorrow. Stop by and grab a featured button if you like! Thanks again for linking up to The Sunday Showcase! ~ Stephanie Lynn
Ann @ makethebestofthings
How very cool is this! My header shows some of the bowling ball garden decor I've made, but I've never used pennies. So clever!
Stephanie Lynn
What a fabulous idea. This turned out amazing! Who would have known ..coke! Fantastic job! Thanks so much for joining The Sunday Showcase Party. I greatly appreciate it! Hope you have a wonderful week! ~ Stephanie Lynn
Dan
Pam~
What a wonderful idea! I would have never thought about doing that. It turned out really well.
I hope you have a wonderful week!
~Dan~
Pam
This is a clever use of old pennies and a bowling ball. Who knew how cute this would turn out? Yeah! Pam @ Sallygoodin
Merrie
Really, really cute! I have always wanted to try glueing pennies on an outdoor project...I hear that they keep slugs from getting into strawberry patches and thought it would be good to glue them around the top of a pot of them.
Sandra
Pennies around your plants will deter snails and slugs. They get a little electric shock as they try crossing the pennies which in turn makes them go in a different direction.
True Story!
Allison Shops
I agree - very cool!
Dropping by from Met Monday, 18ft island kitchen.
Allison
Atticmag
Keep Calm and Decorate
Love this! This is just too cool. I visiting from Under The Table And Dreaming
Sandy@Life Began In A Garden
Pretty cool use of pennies!
Debbi
Does it really keep your hydrangea blue? I love this idea.