Bowling Ball Ladybugs

I never really considered the fate of old bowling balls until I saw how they could be transformed into whimsical ladybugs for the garden. It’s a fun project for kids that teaches them about repurposing items rather than sending them to the landfill.

Materials to Make a Ladybug Bowling Ball:

  • Bowling Ball (I got mine from a local bowling alley.)
  • Exterior primer paint
  • Red exterior paint
  • Black exterior paint
  • Paint brush
  • Stencil-sponge brush
  • Black caulk
  • Large copper wire
  • Large wood beads with pre-drilled holes (available at craft stores)

Directions for Making a Ladybug Bowling Ball:

Bowling Ball Ladybug

Paint the bowling ball with two coats for exterior primer paint.

After the primer dries apply three coats of red exterior paint.

Set aside to dry.

Use painter’s tape to make an outline of a stripe down the ladybugs back. Keep in mind that the copper wire antennas will go into the side-by-side pair of finger holes, so these holes need to point slightly upward. Paint the stripe black.

Using a round stencil-sponge brush, paint black circles to mimic the dots on a ladybug.

Bowling Ball Ladybug

Set aside to dry.

Paint the wood beads black.

Next, fill in the finger holes with some black caulk.

Insert the copper wire into two of the finger holes. These are the antenna.

Fill the holes in the wood beads with a little caulk and push the beads on to the copper wire.

Bowling Ball Ladybug

You can twist and turn the antenna any way you want to give your ladybug a little more personality. Pretty swell, huh?