Thursday, September 6, 2012

Cement Garden Ball

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Announcing my newest Pinterest-inspired project!

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I pinned this and this a few months ago and have been itching to give it a try!  I didn’t want to use the hypertufa that project called for, so I chose to use plain cement and I want to see if I can get moss to grow on it eventually!  I found (at the ReStore for $2.82) a glass light globe that was perfect!  It has a nice pattern on the inside; I thought it would be great for this project! 

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I purchased three 10# bags of Quikrete ($5.68), mixed it up, and used every bit of it!   I filled up the glass globe and jiggled it around until the bubbles were done coming to the surface.  The goal is to displace all the air so there won’t be gaps in the cement.

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Be assured, it is very heavy at this point, about 30#! So it’s done now, been jiggled and shook and now I must wait! 

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I did have a tiny bit of concrete left, so I wanted to make something else…like this.   I grabbed a plastic pot and a smaller yogurt container, filled the pot and pushed the yogurt container down to its rim into the concrete.  I even added some marbles to the top edge, they immediately sunk down where I could not see them, so we’ll see how that turns out!

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About a day and a half  later, I started breaking the glass off the cement ball.  I put the cement globe in an old Rubbermaid tote and just started chipping away with a hammer, gently. It was messy and dangerous too!

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Safety goggles are a must here.  I did this in the middle of the night when I couldn’t sleep, had to sweep and wash the deck afterwards because there were pieces of glass everywhere.

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When you break the glass off with the hammer, I would strongly suggest wearing some type of work gloves, because I have a thousand cuts on my fingertips!  Ouch!

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You have to keep at it until all the glass is off.  I think one of the Pinterest cement ball makers used no stick cooking spray on the inside to keep the cement from sticking to the glass.  I didn’t use the spray and didn’t have any trouble with the glass coming off.

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So this is what it looked like after I was done chipping the glass off.  I didn’t like the slick, shiny look.  And here is the little candle holder too…more on that later!

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This is what it looked like the next evening.  Much better! 

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My son carried this chunk all over the yard so I could photograph it in just the perfect spot!  He was thrilled of course!

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The color is so much better, but you can see it is still very dark in the middle of the ball. 

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I am loving it!

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This is the third day…loving it even more!  I think it looks sort of like a sea urchin!

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Looks perfect snuggled in with the flowers…

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Definitely a winning project!! 

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I am linking to these great parties!

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39 comments:

Danni@SiloHillFarm said...

That is a super project and turned out so cool! I have a feeling I'll be seeing this piece of awesomeness featured all over the place!!

Michelle L. said...

That is gorgeous - and ouch!

Artsy VaVa said...

That is so cool!

Pokey said...

I really like that globe, I want to try it! Thanks for the inspiration ~
:-}
pokey

Kerryanne @ Shabby Art Boutique said...

Stunning outcome. Think I'll give this a try. Thank you for sharing at Shabbilicious Friday.

Loris Glassworks said...

I love the look of this piece, very beachy. The color is great against your deck. THanks for sharing!
Lori In Atlanta

Adorned From Above said...

This is so pretty. I really like it. I have a link party on Wednesdays, and I would love it if you would link this and any other posts. It is called Wednesdays Adorned From Above Link Party. It runs from Wednesday to Sundays.
http://www.adornedfromabove.com/2012/09/simple-anti-aging-moisturizer-and.html
I hope to see you there. I am your newest follower, and I would love for your to follow me also. Have a great Day.
Debi Bolocofsky
Adorned From Above
www.adornedfromabove.com

Cathy Tomm said...

cool project. My mom got my a white plain globe to place as is in the garden. I still have it on my coffee table.

Kara @ Petals to Picots Crochet said...

This is such a cool idea!

Crafts a la Mode said...

Oh, am I loving this. I'm pinning this in Garden in my Pinterest. Thanks so so much. I can't wait to do this. I've seen lots of these but I like this a lot!! Linda

Liz said...

Great!

Kerstie said...

Very cool!!

Rose Garden Malevik said...

woow..that´s a really great job :)
it looks amazing...
and do not miss.....

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it is FUN :)
WELCOMe
Håkan ( The Roseman)

Donna Wilkes said...

What a creative, but perilous project. I love the ball and you are right it does look like a sea urchin. I get moss to grow on my concrete stuff with a mixture of ground moss and buttermilk or yogurt. Just spread it on and keep moist.

Distressed Donna Down Home

Unknown said...

I would never have thought of this. I love the texture that the globe made so glass globes are now on my list of things to watch for during my weekly thrifting. I can't wait to poke around your blog.
Traci

Charlotte said...

I am so going to do this!

Michele said...

That is a very cool project. I love how it turned out and looks in your yard.

Lisa @ Flour Me With Love said...

This is such a neat idea! Thanks for sharing :)

Jill Schrader said...

That's so funky and cool! The texture is awesome. Just a blogger fyi: I think it helps the other blogger more if you link to their original post which inspired you and not just to the picture of the pin. Gives them more credit or something.

Jeannie said...

Pinned to my garden board ;)

Connie Nelson said...

Oh my goodness I love that! Not sure I'm brave enough to try it but that is really nice :) Great job!

sadf said...

Very cool, I love the texture of it and the interest it adds among the flowers.

I might try this once my kids are older, just in case the glass makes a mess. That part scares me! :)

Crystelle said...

Love your sea urchin!
I had no idea you could make something like that from a glass globe. What a fabulous idea! I agree the color is just getting better with time...
Sorry to hear about your fingers...!!
Enjoy your new garden ball!

Anonymous said...

Ellen,
Really unique idea. Love the look of it. Looks really nice.
Patricia from Topiary Rose.
I am going to follow you would you follow back.

Mary Gene Atwood said...

this turned out great! Really look fabulous! Not sure I can find something to put the cement in, but I love it! Joining you from fall crawl.

Jill said...

What a neat idea Ellen! It does look fabulous - a great texture to it from the glass!


Thanks for linking to a Round Tuit!
Hope you have a fabulous week!
Jill @ Creating my way to Success
http://www.jembellish.blogspot.com/

karen@somewhatquirky said...

I've had this project on my pinterest board forever. I've just been too cheap to pay for the glass globes that I'm just going to break! Love the shape of the one you found. I cant believe how much concrete it took. Can you tell me how big your globe was? How did you determine that it would take 30 pounds? I does indeed look like a sea creature!

Audrey said...

Love this !!! I am sure I have some glass globes I would sacrifice for this. I plan to copy this. I am making some concrete bird bath bowls that are so easy and fun. Hope you will visit my Blog.
Thanks for sharing.
Audrey Z. http://audreyzumwalt.blogspot.com/
Timeless Treasures

Honey at 2805 said...

This is such a good idea, Ellen!

Paula said...

Your fingers looked painful but the end result is awesome! We'd love for you to link this up at our party! http://housewivesofriverton.blogspot.com/2012/09/riverton-housewives-round-up-32.html

Jeannine said...

This is great! I haven't seen any of those Pinterst links before so this is the first I'm seeing this idea. It's brilliant and I love how yours turned out!!

Jeannine @ The Concrete Cottage

Honey at 2805 said...

Thanks for sharing another terrific project at Potpourri Friday!

Dawne at D Magazine said...

Cool project!

I don't know about the glass chipping though....

I know what you mean about Son, mine would be thrilled too! (;^)

Holly Lefevre said...

Love, Love, Love this. I juts pinned it...a must try for me!

Stacie @ Flourish With a Vintage Flair said...

What did we do before Pinterest?!? You did an amazing job! So inspiring!!! Thank you for sharing! I am a now a follower of your blog and invite you to join me as well. You can find me at http://flourishwithavintageflair.blogspot.com

Amy said...

You always have several projects on the go, Ellen! I love it!

And your poor fingers, gloves look like a must.

Thanks so much for linking up to Totally Pinworthy! Sorry it took me so long to visit.

Amy x

Debra Howard said...

Great idea! I wouldn't have thought of using a glass globe
Debbie

Honey I'm Home Blog said...

Way to sacrifice your body for your art! He he. Your ball looks fantastic. Thanks so much for sharing it on Fabulous Friday at Faith, Trust & Pixie Dust.

Warmly, MIchelle

Joyce Fisher said...

Hi Ellen,

Your garden "urchin" is awesome. I absolutely LOVE it.

Peace, Love & Joy,
Joyce

peaceloveandjoyce.blogspot.com