I tried something different with my photos, but they turned out too big. Can't change it. sorry

COOL, mystery project!

It's sure to be intereting whatever you unveil! Keep us posted.

Dirty feet, broken glass, you kill me! Even if its lumpy you can Mo it, it will be great!

Oh, I LOVE the experimental stuff!!

Way to go!!! I am itching to try the very same thing!!! Just gotta get my nasty ol' yard in shape first! Oh, the plans of mice and women! I have 3 light globes ready to go. I just hauled out my tile saw and cut 20 bottles in half to make a craft nite for my church homegirls! We had a weeny roast and made wine bottle candle(tealights/sand) holders(decorated on the outside) and beaded crystal stringy/hangy things, it was fun to see everybody enjoy my art and yard! But I sure do wanna get some cement work done!!! I even bought a big excersize ball to do one of those big garden globes, like Cindy the Concrete queen does!!!

Hope we don't have to pass out the popcorn while waiting for the unveiling on this one. I did one too, and didn't think to spray w/a release. Glass broke well, but it w/have been easier to clean off had I used a release agent. I layered mine w/the wire mesh scraps. CALAM - I think FLAG plans to make one of those giant balls too. What are your plans for prep work on yours? I have a Jr.-sized basketball, but I've had it so long, it's slowly deflating, so don't think it's still useable. Been thinking of the giant balls. Re the bottles, pictures w/be nice.

Yea jane! you cant say that and not post pics! sheesh!

How fun LR! ( not the broken part.. maybe it'll be a "happy accident" )
Looks like some someore soup !
Love those Birkes! .. mine broke last summer :(

EVERYONE...How soon do I dare unwrap this thing??

MEADEL: Those are actually $3.00 plastic-rubber one piece sandals from Wal-Mart a year or two ago. I do love real Birks, when I was young and single I wore them all the time. Too rich for my blood now. Maybe one of these days!

Lady ,

I can't wait to see the unveiling, I was thinking of doing something similar, I bet it turns out cooler than you think, and a true Lady original

I think KLINGER told me to wait three/five days (post up, KLING - the one to be admired in concrete work). I got busy and waited longer. She also said not to hit the glass too hard to break it off the subject, for fear it w/crack the orb. I feel safer using this material than a bowling ball.

Thanks, SLOW. I'll watch for KLINGER to put in her two cents worth also. How do you mean "safer"?

I bet she's talking about the bb plastics' expanding and constricting properties. Many bowling balls have died a slow and painful death...

Remembering NT's experience w/hers, and others who have had BBs go bad. Different materials in the balls I think. Don't want to chance it.

Gotcha, thanks.

OK, the Big Reveal!
I thought about starting a new thread called "Crater Ball and Chickens". Or "How NOT to do this!" It was a royal PITA to get the glass off this. I guess I had moved stuff around too much and the vaseline didn't do the trick. I wound up placing the ball in a plastic bag and just hammering it all over to break the glass off. That did work. Here's what it looked like at first:

Then I decided I didn't like all that styrofoam showing, so I dug out a lot of it with a screwdriver. So THIS is why it's called a Crater Ball:

My 8 yo said, "It looks like the moon."

And THEN, I tried to think of an easier way to get the bits of styrofoam out, and I thought, "Our chickens like to EAT styrofoam!" So I set it out by the chicken house, and they did check it out and peck at it a little:

So I left it out there, up on a block of wood. Maybe they'll get it cleaned out tomorrow.

SOOOO...would you mosaic this, or just leave it? It's pretty unusual as is! What do you think?

Too busy ROFL to think.I'd have left
the styrofoam and mosaiced over it. Now that it's out, I don't know. Paint it maybe?

Yeah, I know, I should have left it but I didn't. So now I think I'm just going to continue to call it Crater Ball and plunk it in a flower bed somewhere. Now that I know how NOT to do it, I'll make another one to mosaic. Glad I could give you a good laugh! :D

THAT, my friend, is the most unusual project I've ever seen. With all the new planets they're discovering, I'd just tell everyone it fell to earth and landed in your garden one night. (grin) You really made me laugh with this post. Thank you!

ROFL!!!! I LOVE the picture of the chickens checking it out! I envy your talent to even do this in the first place.
Looking forward to seeing what you decide to do with this and the next one you make!

Ha!!! When all else fails, send in the chickens!!!
It may not be a good base for mo, but it's really neat to look at!!

Funny. My dear - this ball isn't lost!!! Spritz the craters w/water, fill/smooth w/thinset, wrap overnight, and mosaic that sucker. It'll work!

This Kills me!!lol! I was gonna suggest what Slow did but when you mentioned hens and chicks, I thought you were gonna plant hens and chicks in it! Or what about filling the gaps with crash glass? It is so neat to see the hens pecking at it!lol! Great pics! Speaking of pics, the only pic you'll get of a wine bottle candle holder is from Klinger as I gave her the one I made that evening. One of the church ladies came over yesterday and stayed 5hrs!!! Looking at my garden and garden art!!! Man, some people are easily amused! heh heh!

YOU people are easily amused :)

Yes, SLOW, I had thought of doing that, filling the holes.

BUT...I HADN'T thought of planting them! That might work!

OR...Maybe it IS a meteor fallen from the heavens...a heavenly bowling ball that got gas-pocked in the outer atmosphere as it fell to earth...Just maybe! ;)

Lady Ronnie.....Can't believe I missed this wonderful and humorous part of the thread.....been so tied up with work that I'm getting very little else done. So gad I found this!! What a wonderful way to laugh till the tears flowed and release the stress of the week! I'm with the fill the holes (or at least some of them) with crash glass and mosauc the rest. The one time I did a glass globe with concrete orb, I just tapped the side of it with a hammer and the whole thing shattered pretty as you please. It was a clear globe, so maybe the coating inside yours had something to do with the difficulty getting the glass to come off??

Thank you for the wonderful laugh!!
Pat

I've just read all your suggestions again, and I am thinking I may do a combo of SLOW's and JANIE-BO's ideas. Thinset some of the holes, and crash glass the others, and mosaic the whole thing. One reservation I have is being able to get the vaseline cleaned off enough on the smooth part for the thinset to stick. When I run water on it you can see where the vaseline still is, even though it didn't help the glass to come loose much! I'll try some detergent. I'm imagining kind of a...WHAT ARE THOSE THINGS???...ah, GEODE effect. I like it!

YES!!! GEODE... embed crystals in the holes!!!! I LOVE IT and DIED LOL over the chicken pix!!!! you are great! have you see Wenches latest orbs, I think they'll inspire you, dark side and light side... over at Carls

I have a NEW idea...I think we're going to like it...

;)

Where's the popcorn?

if you pop some, pass it over!

This is gonna be GOOD!!!!

Ohhh, I love these "stay tuned" episodes...

I've started. I'm lovin' it :)

YOU TEASE!!!!

Yeah, I am, aren't I? :)

But not for long. What I did: I dug out as much of the styrofoam as I could (the chickens weren't hungry), then spray painted the whole thing GOLD. A happy accidental discovery: spray paint dissolves styrofoam! As I sprayed into the holes, it just kind of looked like it was boiling and disappeared! Then I started adding baubles. My vision is to have it just about encrusted with gold/white/clear "stuff". Right now I'm thinking it won't be grouted, but we'll see. These were taken with a flash (it's raining) so they REALLY show off the gold. Check it out:

One to show some of the empty holes

Where I've mostly added stuff so far; you can see a little crash glass on there.

A closeup; there's a piece of mirror behind the clear marble; see my camera lense reflected?

Another closeup, including crash glass

Wow! That is cool!
Keep at it Lady!

Very ingenious! Love all the baubles.

What a way to make gourmet lemonade, girlie. Create on.

Oh Yes! Amazing! That poor globe..becomes a glob..gets henpecked...becomes a Golden Glory!!! Shine On I say!!!!

Oh, you have such a special piece with a WONDERFUL story! You will laugh forever with those photos, and inspire all of us who worry too much about mistakes. Great work!

Amen, DAISY. I'm the queen of mistakes, but don't worry so much about them. This is gonna be a really neat orb, and it'll look like you planned it.

I just read this when i was lookin how to paint crash glass, and i am crackin up ,this is the pertiest ball i 've taken a liken to in a long time! very unique and cool. love it. actually i also liked it with the craters in it.
had to bump this , just in case someone missed out on it:-)

bonnie