Gazing Ball Stakes
by
Linda kelley
3 Materials
I have seen this circulating the internet, and wanted to try it! Spring is here..time to dress up the gardens! This would also look good inside a potted plant.
I found ping pong balls at the dollar store. I purchased the thinnest dowels they had at Walmart. I used the Rustoleum Mirror Effect paint on all to give it bling!
I remember reading that they drilled into the balls. Well these ping pong balls are a more thicker, and It didn't seem necessary to go through all that. I took a skewer.... I had some left over from my mirror creation. With the sharp end I poked through the ball....It worked....
Skewer and ball
I carefully stuck the skewer inside the ball. If you have thin ping pong balls, startthe hole with something sharp first. These balls were okay
Poking through
(and if you ding the ball just use the skewer or the dowel and poke from inside to straighten out the ding.)
Skewer and ball..
Next I put all the balls on! If you happened to make the holes too big and the balls are sliding down, you can use a dab of glue, just make sure it is glue used for the outdoors. A silicone glue is best. E6000, Goop, are just a couple. They have to withstand water, and heat. So hot glue is not reccomended.
If you are placing these in a container plant, you can shorten the stakes.
getting ready to paint
I then proceeded to paint the balls and stakes.
I waited overnight for them to dry, then I put them in my garden....bling!
Tip: Be sure you have the balls positioned where you want them before painting, otherwise if re position them, you will have to paint the area where the ball was.
I realize the pot would have to be higher than the ground surface. I didn't really want the top of the pot sticking out, so I glued on some marbles around the perimeter.
Then I thought...I think I will fill the top with marbles.
So what do you think? You don't have to worry about the sticks getting in water. The bottom of pot has holes, so if water does get in the there, it will travel through the rocks and drain into ground underneath pot.
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Comments
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2 of 331 comments
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That sounds incredible. I wounder if they make glow in the dark white paint or clear....you just gave me an awesome idea. Thank you. Love to see your project when your finished.
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Sounds gorgeous Wanda!!!
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
you supposedly used MIRROR finish paint yet the balls look "dull" not mirror like?? Did you have problems with the paint?
I tried this and the dowels started bending over after a few days. How did you stop this?
I'm going to give it a go. The Looking Glass spray by Krylon is better and gives more of a pop and bling. Ping pong balls are best. I'm 99% sure you cannot use spray paint on foam. Anyway, love the inexpensive idea to add bling and art to garden. Mine are going to be orange. The garden theme is Orange Creamsical! The orange flowers & art are just a whimsical way to have some fun. I also did orange toadstools out of wooden salad bowls. Orange you glad it's almost summer?