diy project: shannon’s concrete garden spheres
one day when i’m lucky enough to have some outdoor space in which to garden, i hope to be able to fill my green space with decorative elements that i make with my own two hands. so when i heard from shannon from design gal, i was excited to find out about her handmade decorative elements. using some quick-dry concrete, $3 glass light covers from a thrift store, and a little non-stick cooking spray, shannon created these beautiful garden balls. the possibilities are really endless with this project- if you’ve got the space to work with concrete, you can easily find all sorts of different light covers that would give each ball a different look and style (it certainly makes me look at cheap light covers in a new way). shannon has been kind enough to share her project steps with us, so be sure to click “read more” below to view the full post. click here to check out more of shannon’s work on design gal.
Decorative Concrete Garden Balls, by Shannon of Design Gal
What You’ll Need:
-Quick-setting concrete (you can buy a bag or bucket of this at your local hardware store or Home Depot/Lowes)
-Lighting covers (try a thrift store or hardware store for cheap options) Make sure there are no cracks in them or they will break when you fill them with concrete!
-Non-stick cooking spray
-Small garden shovel
-Hammer
-Safety Glasses + Gloves (for when you break away the glass)
1. Spray the inside of the lighting covers with non-stick cooking spray- it helps in breaking the glass away from the ball at the end!
2. Set the glass ball in a pile of dirt or sand so that it can’t roll away while you’re filling it and as it’s curing.
3. We used a quick setting concrete found at most hardware stores. I like the ones with fine gravel. Pour the dry mix in the bucket (we poured about 1/2 the bag in) and then add water until it reaches the consistency of peanut butter…or maybe a little bit runnier. You don’t want it too runny, but not too hard either. Play around with it!
4. Use a small garden shovel to fill the balls. After every scoop, give the ball a shake or twist to help it settle and break up any air bubbles.
5. Fill the ball to the top and try to make it as level as possible. We had a little bit extra so I used an old baking pan to make a little stepping stone & used gravel (from our soil- it’s so rocky!) to make the heart pattern (see shannon’s post for heart pattern piece).
6. Let the balls sit for at least 24 hours to set up!
7. When the concrete has turned light, use a hammer to lightly tap the glass and break away pieces off the concrete ball. Make sure you wear gloves & safety glasses so you don’t injure yourself! Throw away the glass and you’re done!
The balls will be heavy, so be careful when you lift them! They add great detail to your garden and they’re so easy!
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