High-Stake Gazing Balls
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For some amazing gazing, plant an assortment of these metallic orbs. You can use them to mark rows or support climbing vines, or just to make your garden an all-around enchanting place to be.
What you'll need
- Paintbrush
- 1/2-inch-diameter dowel (our is 3 feet long)
- Metallic acrylic paint in various colors
- Plastic keepsake ball that opens (ours is a 4-inch iridescent Crystal Keepsake ball, available at craft stores)
- Waxed paper
- Wire cutters
- 8-gauge copper wire (we used 3 feet)
- Needle-nose pliers
How to make it
Paint the dowel using the metallic paint, then set it aside to dry.
Open the keepsake ball and squirt paint into one half (we used several colors). Swirl the paint around, using the brush to cover the entire interior. Repeat to coat the other half.
Place the halves open-side down on waxed paper for 30 minutes to let the excess paint drip out. Turn over the halves and let them dry overnight. When both sides are dry, snap the ball closed.
With the wire cutters, cut a length of wire. Use pliers to wrap the wire around the dowel, starting about four inches from one end. At the end of the dowel, continue curving the wire outward to form a wide spiral cup. Set the painted ball in the cup.
