Bowling Ball Ladybug Garden Art
Updated: May 02, 2024
Recycle an old bowling ball into a ladybug with paint and a few supplies. This bowling ball ladybug project brings charm to any yard!
Retiring an old bowling ball? Create a striking ladybug for any garden—big or small. We got the idea for this bowling ball ladybug garden art craft project from reader Joyce Kline and had so much fun creating our own, we knew we had to share!
These garden pets are as easy as 1-2-3, so they’re a great project for kids to help with.
Editor’s note: A quart is the smallest can of mixed paint you can buy at the hardware store, but smaller quantities of acrylic hobby paint are available at craft stores. If you do have extra, use it to make a colony of bugs—or gifts for your envious neighbors! These cute critters also make perfect housewarming gifts and change-of-pace donations at charity raffles.
Here’s how to make DIY bowling pin butterfly garden art.
Materials:
- Bowling ball
- Black silicone caulk
- Two 8.5-inch lengths of #6 copper wire (have the hardware store cut it for you)
- Two 1-inch round wooden beads
- 1 quart Kilz exterior primer
- 1 quart red exterior latex paint
- 1 quart black exterior latex paint
- Painter’s tape
- Utility knife or scissors
- Stenciling brush or sponge
Step-By-Step Instructions:
Step 1
Prime and paint the bowling ball (three coats of red paint might be needed). After the paint is completely dry, apply painter’s tape in the desired pattern. Stipple on black paint with a stenciling brush or sponge for texture.
Step 2
Make your own stencil by cutting differently sized circles from two pieces of painter’s tape put top to bottom. We used 2-1/2-inch- and 1-3/4-inch-diameter dots. Stipple the dots. After paint dries, remove the tape.
Step 3
Fill the thumb hole with black caulk. Set in two antennae made from lengths of copper wire with painted wooden beads affixed to the top. You may need to prop them up so they don’t droop while drying for 24 hours.
Step 4
This bowling ball ladybug is so easy to create, you may want to make a whole flock!
Next learn how to make bumblebee bowling ball garden art.
Originally Published: May 02, 2024
