Concrete Orbs

August/September Pinterest days involved the creation of concrete orbs.  We were just dying to do something with concrete.  We'd seen a few pins about these orbs and wanted to make some for Jackson's Garden (Jackson's Garden post will be added soon). So.....we had to do a little research.  We had two options.  We could use either a glass globe that you put over a light bulb in a light fixture (think '70s) and then break it off when it dried, OR we could use a rubber ball.  We chose rubber balls.

First, we had to collect our supplies. I called and ordered 5 bags of quikrete from Home Depot and had Melissa's husband, Ken, pick them up for me.  He thought we must be building a castle.

Then I bought a bunch of bouncy balls, at cheap places, like the 99cent store.  Melissa had a rolling planter box with potting soil in it that we fluffed up to place the balls in once they were filled.  We were supposed to use sand, but we figured this would do.  We had to cut off the tops of the balls and fill them with quikrete.

Here they are, nestled all snug in their beds.

We discovered that making the concrete on the watery side worked best.  The first one was not very good--just like packing rocks in.  We used a big plastic spoon to fill them.   We shook them occasionally so the air would come out.

We started with the smallest, working up to the bigger play balls.  We pierced them near their little plastic fill plug with scissors.  When we got to the big boy, above, UH-OH!!!!!!

It POPPED!!!!!  We didn't see THAT one coming, although I guess we should have.  So, we just wore them as hats for a while.  (Ignore my little mustache--I didn't realize my face was filthy)

I went home and Jack found some basketballs, so I took these over the next time and we filled them.  By this time, Ken (whom I call our Pinterest Sister) was getting tired of our "dainty" handling of the concrete and he got in there to help.

After everything sat for a long time (a week?), we used a utility knife to cut the outer covering and peel it off.  Some turned out a little lopsided and lumpy, like a man with a bald head who shouldn't HAVE a bald head...if you know what I mean.  This probably wouldn't have happened if we would have used sand as a resting place, rather than potting soil, but overall they are great.  They have little knobs where we filled them, but these go on the underside when used in the garden. 

 

My particular favorites are the two that were made in the basketballs.  You can definitely tell they are basketballs!  That works out perfectly for Jackson's garden. 

By the way, we didn't even use 1/2 of the quikrete.  My next post will be Jackson's garden, and you'll see all the orbs, sitting proudly in their garden homes.