Slug, Bowling or Copper Ball

I'm a Pinterest junkie. yes. And this project I found there seemed like it was right up my alley. (hahah get it...alley? Bowling ball?)

Of course you don't. I haven't told you yet!

Okay- apparently, pennies repel slugs. Or rather copper does. I'm not sure. I'm not a bug slug person or even a great gardener. I'm a crafter. I make things. That's what I do. 

So, I'm not sure if making a bowling ball covered in pennies will repel slugs or not, being as today's pennies have little, if any, copper in them. Still, it's a cute project and I had to make one.

Besides, the pennies weather great. Verdigris I believe it is called. That's just a fancy word to say they turn kinda green. And pretty. 


The players:
A friend to make one with you. (Go ahead, let her keep her ball, too.)
Two bowling balls. Both of which I got from a generous lady on Freecycle! (Cost- FREE!)
Pennies. A lot. About $5 a ball. Which I've saved pennies for years, so I have tons laying around the house. So technically you could say these were free, too.
Silicone sealant. I used the kind for outdoors that doesn't shrink in cold weather. (About $6 for two)

TOTAL COST? $6 for two balls.  Can't beat that with a stick, right?!

 I used two canning rings to hold the balls still. No, you can't see them. But you know what a canning ring is, right?  If not, just just a jam lid...

Then started gluing the pennies on. Of course, my OCD (or CDO as it should be called) mandated that I make sure it was showing all heads. But you could do it any way you want. Make one row all tails, one all heads. Who cares. Have fun!

I started at the finger holes. Now, you can't see it in this picture because the ball is turned slight askew, but I filled the finger holes (NOT the thumb hole) with paper towels and silicone. I left the thumb hole open in case I wanted to put the ball on a copper rod in the garden. Otherwise, I can just set it thumb side down.

 The finished ball came out great. Some pennies were darker than others. Which doesn't really matter because it's going to get weathered anyway by being outside. It's all cool. Go with it.

Of course, I don't have a garden, either. So I just put it in a planter where my 'growing herbs project' failed miserably. (I could never remember to water them...I think they need that, don't they?)

There you have it. Easy Peasy and pretty, too.