I found this in a magazine and I thought it was so cute. I am planning on doing this with some old bowling balls I have in the garage. It only has 3 steps.
1. Prime and paint the bowling ball with 3 coats of red paint. After the paint is completely dry, apply painter's tape in the desired pattern. Stipple on black paint with a stenciling brush or sponge for texture.
2. Make your own stencils by cutting differently sized circles from two pieces of painter's tape put top to bottom. Used 2-1/2-inch and 1-3/4 diameter dots. Stipple the dots. After paint dries, remove the tape.
3. Fill the thumb holes with black caulk. Set in two antennae made from lengths of cpper wire with painted wooden beads affixed to the top. They need to dry for 24 hous, so you may need to prop them up so they don't droop.
I hope you will try this in your garden this year. Have a great day.
What a neat project for the garden! I will have to look for old bowling balls now. I love lady bugs, too. I have a half barrel at the end of the driveway I painted to look like a lady bug.
Thanks for sharing this. Kris
Turn your face to the sun and the shadows fall behind you. Maori proverb
Hi all- new to the Garden Gate forum, already a fav! Thanks Tracy, great project idea. Kristin's half barrel lady bug has me thinking... any trouble with the paint peeling? I have a barrel that's calling out for paint but has a drip line that might work against the paint. I grab bowling balls at any garage sale and like to just bury them halfway all about the garden - they look like strange trolls coming up out of the ground -- most of them are blue or red in their "natural" state :)
I never thought of doing bowling balls this way, but I thought it was a great idea and I will be looking for bowling balls at garage sales also this year. I love lady bugs too. I an just itching to get out in the yard and doing some work in it. I have cabin fever right now, and I have been laid off from work about a month now and I am so bored. Have a great day.
Thanks for giving me the idea for the old bowling ball I have just sitting in my garden all unappreciated. The lady bug is the perfect thing as I have been collecting ladybug things since last April when I lost one of my grandbabies. This keeps me going and lets me know she is always with me. Thank you.
Bowling Ball Bugs-Lady Bug
Posted - Feb 11 2009 : 07:53:21 AM
