Garden art: Bowling ball totem pole

Garden Bowling Balls & Totems combined!

Decorating bowling balls is a fun way to recycle and upcycle old discarded pieces of sports equipment and our page is full of examples. But where is a good place to display them if you’ve been bitten by the BB ‘bowling ball’ Bug?

Wanda Clark, of Sheperdsville, Kentucky, found a unique way,…going vertical!

Wanda says, “The first bowling ball I decorated was my husband’s old bowling ball, and when I saw a picture of the lady bug BB, that was thrilling! Then I saw a bowling ball covered with pennies at a yard sale. In a group called Blue Bottle Trees, Gardens and Collections, I saw one with glass gems. I was hooked!”

“My first bowling ball project…”

Copper pennies and glass gems

Wanda was given four of her bowling balls, one from her husband and three from a friend. The others were found at Thrift Stores and Flea Markets. She uses GE Silicone to glue pieces to her bowling balls and sometimes grout in between.

Wanda says, “One day, a little ole German man who creates stained glass windows, gave me a five gallon bucket of scrap glass, , so I bought a glass cutter and tried my hand at that. I didn’t know which color grout to apply between the pieces, white or black so I did two!”

Craft supplies

If you need small pieces of stained glass, find it here on Amazon, Midwest Products Value Pack Bright Stained Glass

Also see flat marbles or “gems” Gemnique Glass Gems

and crushed ‘Blingin’ glass, Mixed Color Acrylic Ice Rock Vase Gems, all great for decorating bowling balls.

Our favorite glue, GE Silicone

First mosaic bowling balls…with white grout

Second try at mosaic…this time with black grout

“Barb Buckley befriended me on Flea Market Gardening,” Wanda tells us, “and as we were talking, she showed me the ‘button’ bowling ball, and that really inspired me! She’s such a sweetie! The result was the bowling ball I covered with shell buttons and mother-of-pearl, plus some pearls”

Wanda’s button balls

“That gave me the idea to cover another ball with old costume jewelry. That one, and the one with buttons are my favorites.”

Wanda's latest, embedded with old costume jewelry

Wanda’s latest brilliant BB, embedded with old costume jewelry

A fresh way to display garden bowling balls

Make an unusual place for your decorated bowling balls like Wanda did.

“When I started decorating the bowling balls, Wanda says, “I wanted to display them in some creative way. About the same time, I saw an Achla Designs pot holder, made of wrought iron from Amazon and Home Depot.”

Totem pole in progress….and painted purple

“It was my husband idea to put I concrete a 6×6″ x 8′ treated post! That made room to put 8 iron pot holders on it, then that seemed too empty so pegs were added so insulators could fill the spaces.”

Needed hardware: Achla Designs Flower Pot Ring, 6-Inch Price: $9.99 at Amazon or at Home Depot

Wanda’s bowling ball totem pole, finished!

“I’ve always wanted some insulators displayed in the garden, but didn’t know just what to do with them. This was perfect and I think it all worked out!” Wanda smiles. Wanda’s “totem pole” can be any height, in groups of three and the brackets could be installed on a wall or fence.