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You are here: Home / Home + Garden / DIY Faux Gazing Ball for the Garden

June 5, 2016 by: Jennifer Priest

DIY Faux Gazing Ball for the Garden

Press PLAY to watch the video here:

So many people have made these gazing balls with great success! But a few have told me that their gazing ball fell apart after they made it. That's because they used the WRONG SUPPLIES.

It is super frustrating to look for supplies and get the wrong thing.

It's even more frustrating to spend all this time making something to have it fall apart. That's why using the RIGHT SUPPLIES is crucial!

When people tell me they made these gazing balls and they fell apart, 99% of the time, they used the wrong supplies. I don't want you to waste your time and money! I want you to have a gorgeous, unique gazing ball for your garden. It is super super important to start with the RIGHT supplies to make this project AMAZING! Depending on where you use the gazing ball, you will choose different supplies.

Jennifer shows how to make these fun faux gazing ball for your garden using Smoothfoam balls and half balls, mosaic pebbles, and acrylic paint!

If you plan to display the gazing ball INSIDE the house or as temporary garden or party decor, you can use the hot glue method I share in the video.

If you plan to leave the gazing balls outside for any longer than one day or you want to use them in extreme temperatures (colder than 65ÂşF and warmer than 75ÂşF), then you HAVE to use different supplies. If you use hot glue on an exclusively outdoor project, it WILL fall apart.

CLICK the NEXT button to see the FULL SUPPLY LIST and an explanation about why each item is important.

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Comments

  1. Teresa Krause says

    August 2, 2015 at 6:39 am

    Found you on YouTube

    Reply
    • Jennifer Priest says

      August 2, 2015 at 3:40 pm

      Thanks for visiting!!

      Reply
      • Nadine says

        May 14, 2016 at 7:50 pm

        I made these and all the stones fell of the first time it rained not sure what I did wrong they looked great but I wasted a lot of time for nothing back to the drawing board for me

        Reply
        • Jennifer Priest says

          May 15, 2016 at 9:11 am

          Sorry that happened – I suggest construction adhesive if you live in a wet weather area. I live in a desert – it rarely rains here. Also you have to use SMOOTHFOAM because if you use styrofoam, it will fall apart right away.

          Reply
          • Nadine says

            May 26, 2016 at 5:38 pm

            I will try the other glue I hope it works they were so pritty

        • Darlene says

          January 8, 2018 at 4:30 am

          You must use a weather-proof (water proof) glue.

          Reply
  2. Nicole Mantooth says

    August 13, 2015 at 8:16 pm

    Love these! Way cute. I’ll have to make some once we get a place here in Arizona. ?

    Reply
  3. Shelly says

    January 9, 2016 at 9:38 pm

    I made a project back in the day with styrofoam balls and a high temp glue gun…it ate right through (aka melted) the styrofoam immediately…won’t that happen here ? :/

    Reply
    • Jennifer Priest says

      March 10, 2016 at 8:28 pm

      That’s why I used Smoothfoam – it’s so much better with hot glue than styrofoam 🙂

      Reply
  4. Cheryl Ross says

    February 14, 2016 at 4:13 pm

    Love this idea! Work at Jo-Ann’s and know what I am buying tomorrow after work. Want to do the green pebbles and putting on the thinking cap for the color paint. Don’t want a glitter but something to really add to it.

    Reply
  5. candy says

    February 15, 2016 at 6:20 pm

    I just found my new buddy

    Reply
  6. creativejewishmom/sara says

    February 21, 2016 at 10:57 pm

    Looks great, and your planters too! Thanks for sharing on craft schooling Sunday!

    Reply
  7. Ntina says

    February 21, 2016 at 11:45 pm

    What a great idea! They came out really beautiful. I found you at Share it link party!

    Reply
    • Jennifer Priest says

      February 22, 2016 at 12:57 am

      Thank you so much!

      Reply
  8. Whendi says

    March 7, 2016 at 6:13 am

    Made these yesterday and love them. However, I wonder how they will hold up in the summer weather? Does water have a negative effect?

    Reply
    • Jennifer Priest says

      March 7, 2016 at 8:14 am

      Yay so excited that you made them! Some of the beads might fall off with extreme temp changes -Just glue them back on 🙂 You can also use a construction adhesive to hold them on.

      Reply
      • Dale says

        August 8, 2017 at 9:11 pm

        You can also put 3 coats of modge podgeover them so they stay on

        Reply
        • Jennifer Priest says

          August 9, 2017 at 6:06 pm

          Yeah I don’t really think that would work … but interesting idea!

          Reply
  9. Carrie says

    April 29, 2016 at 6:54 pm

    I may try making this with some old bowling balls we have lying around….no need to paint them just add some sparkly flat marbles.

    Reply
  10. Pam says

    May 5, 2016 at 11:03 pm

    I found the answer to which type of paint to use. Now another question, why couldn’t you paint the smoothfoam
    ball one color and use flat marbles of another. It might be gaudy or could be interesting. Any opinions?

    Reply
    • Jennifer Priest says

      May 5, 2016 at 11:09 pm

      You totally could do that!

      Reply
      • Pam says

        May 5, 2016 at 11:12 pm

        Thank you for the prompt reply.

        Reply
  11. carla leach says

    May 6, 2016 at 3:39 pm

    Just made my first one. Painted the ball sky blue and used clear flat marbles. Beautiful. I’m wondering. How could I fill in the open spaces with seed beads, bugle beads etc.? What kind of glue should I use? hOPE YOU RESPOND soon. Can’t wait to put in my hosta garden. Oh, I found a lot of cool stands at Good Will. Similar to fondue pot stands.

    Reply
    • Sandra hahn says

      July 19, 2016 at 5:15 am

      Ge silicone 11 in clear.

      Reply
      • Sandra hahn says

        July 19, 2016 at 5:27 am

        That’s what you use for outside and it’s cheaper to use glass light fixtures at yard sales and they can stay out all year round

        Reply
      • Jennifer Priest says

        July 19, 2016 at 10:32 pm

        Thanks!

        Reply
  12. Betty adkins says

    May 7, 2016 at 12:14 pm

    I did this one year using the construction adhesive on an old bowling ball a friend got from a thrift store for a few dollars! Good way to upcycle unwanted balls 🙂 I used different colored stones to make a flower pattern all over my ball. 🙂

    Reply
  13. Linda says

    May 13, 2016 at 7:36 pm

    How do you keep them from blowing away?

    Reply
    • Jennifer Priest says

      May 15, 2016 at 8:58 am

      Hello, They are heavy with the glass marbles on them.

      Reply
  14. Sue says

    May 22, 2016 at 5:06 pm

    I understand the difference between different Styrofoam – used to work for a florist. Then I saw the comment about bowling balls. Someone gave me some but they’ve gotten dull over the years – NOW I know how to make them look better. Great idea! For garden ball idea & bowling ball idea. Thank you

    Reply
  15. Pam says

    June 1, 2016 at 7:02 pm

    These are awesome! I have gazillion of those glass pebbles leftover from my daughter’s wedding. I can’t wait to try this.

    Reply
  16. Echo says

    June 6, 2016 at 10:46 am

    (1) Would this Smoothfoam (never hear of it before) work with silicone as an adhesive instead of hot glue? Then it would be weather resistant.

    Reply
    • Jennifer Priest says

      June 7, 2016 at 8:34 am

      Yes it would!

      Reply
  17. Shirley Schutt says

    June 19, 2016 at 9:49 am

    What is construction adhesive? Is there a tube you could use as clear caulking?

    Reply
    • Jennifer Priest says

      June 20, 2016 at 5:41 pm

      Go to the hardware store and ask for clear construction adhesive. You could use clear caulk if it is for outdoor use.

      Reply
  18. Troy Price says

    June 30, 2016 at 10:53 am

    Where do you get smoothfoam

    Reply
    • Jennifer Priest says

      July 4, 2016 at 10:59 pm

      Click the link in the post – goes direct to Amazon. Also JOANN Crafts has it.

      Reply
  19. Lesa Thompson Livingston says

    October 28, 2016 at 5:28 pm

    Super cool! I found this post on Pinterest and my shade garden sure could use that pop of color. Thanks for the additional information about temperature extremes as I live in South Florida!

    Reply
  20. Carolann Blanco says

    December 3, 2016 at 2:17 pm

    You might try old bowling balls…. you can usually find them at thrift stores, bowling ally’s often sell for a buck….. paint it white and glu away. It is heavier but I have had on inmy garden in Colorado for 7 years!

    Reply
  21. Tina Kopitskie says

    December 15, 2016 at 7:34 pm

    Jennifer, can you use rubber balls or hard plastic balls that children play with for the glazing ball? Bowling balls are hard to come by and I want to make several for outside. I live in NJ so our summers can be hot and humid. I would take them in for the winter.

    Reply
    • Jennifer Priest says

      December 16, 2016 at 10:49 am

      You could try but they might expand and shrink a little with temp changes and that’s bad for the glue – the gems will fall off. If you plan to use them on the ground, you could use a glass bowl turned upside down and only have “half a ball” sticking up…

      Reply
  22. Laura says

    February 14, 2017 at 12:37 pm

    Hello, approx. how many flat marbles would it take to cover a bowling ball?

    Reply
    • Jennifer Priest says

      February 14, 2017 at 8:53 pm

      Oh, maybe 4-5 bags? depends on the size of the marbles…

      Reply
  23. John T Haney or JT says

    September 7, 2017 at 9:18 pm

    I made this way b4 I saw anything here….problem is. glass beads are so smooth and a glue gun will not hold for very long,
    Solution….over glue gun it and let it warp around the glass beads….or later super glue them back in place.

    either way works…..

    Reply
    • Jennifer Priest says

      September 8, 2017 at 10:07 am

      I also found that clear construction adhesives works great too 🙂

      Reply
  24. carolyn says

    April 15, 2018 at 2:56 pm

    Hello Dear

    Can the smoothfoam and stained glass mosaic ball be grouted? What type?

    Reply
    • Jennifer Priest says

      April 16, 2018 at 9:09 am

      Hello, you probably could but for something more permanent, use a bowling ball or concrete ball as a base.

      Reply
  25. Emily says

    June 28, 2018 at 11:18 am

    What a fun idea! I bet they look so pretty when the sun hits them, too. Thank you for sharing at Merry Monday!

    Reply
  26. Debrashoppeno5 says

    July 15, 2018 at 8:47 am

    These are so pretty. I can see how they can be used inside or out. The best part is you tell us what to use for each application.

    Reply
  27. April J Harris says

    July 22, 2018 at 2:29 pm

    They really are pretty! Thank you so much for sharing these pretty gazing balls with us at the Hearth and Soul Link Party. Have a lovely week!

    Reply
  28. Marilyn Roth says

    April 20, 2021 at 11:19 am

    I’m excited to try this project. Might I suggest that Patio Paints or equivalent be used? They are water resistant, moreso than the acrylic paints. I live in the Pacific Northwest, so rain is a constant companion! I’ve used Patio Paints on my ceramics and it works perfectly.

    Reply

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Welcome to Smart Fun DIY where you'll find amazing craft projects, easy-to-make recipes with a Latin twist, clever DIY projects, and smart ways to get the most out of life. I'm so happy you're here and I can't wait to learn more about you! - Jennifer Priest If you're new here, click HERE to learn more.

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