Upgrade Your Lawn Decor With An Adorable Upcycled Bowling Ball

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

You can never have too many outdoor garden decorations. If you're looking for something new to add to your yard, making your own gazing ball is a great way to get started. You can easily make it yourself — and it takes relatively few tools. While they may not necessarily be items you have lying around, they are certainly affordable. All you need is a bowling ball, primer, paint, foil adhesive, foil, isopropyl alcohol, a bristle brush, a paintbrush, and a little clear coat with UV protection, such as MasterClear Supreme by Modern Masters. 

Once you have the materials, you're ready to get started on this DIY. Take time to clean your ball beforehand and let it dry. For maximum contact, you may also want to sand it, and then wipe the ball down with alcohol to make sure it's ready for the next step. TikTok creator @artisticpaintingstudio, who demonstrated this project, painted their bowling ball black. This is a great option because it really highlights the shine and color of the foil, but you can play around with other combinations.

Deco Foil is the material you're looking for. The video showed the TikToker using a kind called Blue Waves, but there are many options available, including metallics, rainbows, watercolor, and sparkles. Most are rather cheap, less than $10. You can pick one based on your favorite color, or go with one that's best suited for your yard. For example, adding more red to your garden will attract hummingbirds. Cover the ball with a foil adhesive, and let dry for a little bit. It should dry sticky, and take at least 30 minutes.

Once the adhesive is done drying, you can start applying the foil to your bowling ball. Begin by wrapping it in the color of your choice. Don't worry about wrapping the ball perfectly. If there are wrinkles, you won't see them. The main point is to make sure you have enough of the foil to cover the ball. Cut to size (cutting a little extra for accidents is fine too). Then, take your brush and start rubbing the foil onto the ball. You don't have to be hard, but try to be firm. If you miss a spot, just go over it with a new piece of foil. Once the material is fully transferred, cover the ball with it to maintain the color and shine.

This is just one idea on how to create a gazing ball. You can use all sorts of materials to make one. You could use metallic spray paint, glue some glass chips, or even coins. There's a lot of flexibility to this design, which is part of the reason it's such a fun DIY.

Bowling balls might not be a thing everyone has in their home, but if you have other old materials like bowls, bottles, and cans, you own plenty of household staples to repurpose for fun and easy garden decor to go along with your gazing ball. You can even recycle old building materials that might be lying in your yard to make amazing trinkets for your garden, such as repurposing leftover bricks for a super cute DIY.