Glass Bead Gazing Ball

My mom has been waiting for a time when my son could help her make a gazing ball for her garden.  Today was finally the day!  The only supplies that they needed were a bowling ball (my mom got her's for $1 from a garage sale); flat glass beads and silicone caulk/rubber cement. 

First, my son sorted all of the glass beads into containers of like colors.

Next, my mom cleaned off the bowling ball with rubbing alcohol.  She then set it on an old Cool Whip container to dry.  This also provided a stable holder for the ball.

My son put silicone caulk in small squares on the bowling ball and I spread it around with my fingers.

Then, we pressed the flat side of the glass beads into the silicone caulk.  Filling in all blank spaces.

We let the top beads dry for about 3 hours and then we turned it over to finish the bottom.  Here's how it looked when we were done.

My mom promised to take a picture of it in her garden and my dad promised to look for a bowling ball for me!  It was such a fun and easy project - I can't wait to make one for my garden!

"A garden without its statue is like a sentence without its verb."  -Joseph W. Beach