Great Balls of Glass! Gazing balls in the garden are all the rage. It all started back in Venice, Italy, where hand-blown glass artistry adorns all parts of the home, including the lawn. After that, decorative gazing balls traveled their way around Europe and while they were once considered a Victorian-era decor piece for English gardens, gazing balls can now be found in all gardens of any style. These ones are made for the miniature gardening fans out there! They are a fun and simple project that you can make in no time!
You may have seen these for sale in the store, but they are easy to make once you know how – we actually had to prove we made these by hand for our Etsy store a couple of years ago. You can use this project all year long and make color-coordinated gazing balls to suit any occasion or match your full-size décor. You can find solid-colored marbles in thrift stores, some independent toy stores or antique stores, just ask for Chinese marbles (from the old Chinese Checkers game.)
Materials
Make it!
1. Start the spiral at the end of the wire and do a couple of rotations first.
2. Place the marble in the circle and hold on tightly to the wire and the marble with one hand, while circling around with the other hand.
3. Straighten and move the loops right on the marble with your fingers to make them evenly spaced.
4. Add a smaller spiral before you add the marble, afterwards, or both, for more variety for your gazing ball bouquet.
These gazing balls are a delightful adornment to a miniature garden.
Want to see more miniature garden ideas? Great! We have plenty! Janit Calvo, our very own Miniature Garden Guru, has shared a few of her fabulous ideas on all things miniature in these articles:
- How to Make a Miniature Twig Reindeer Ornament
- Have a Merry Little Christmas with these DIY Miniature Tree Decorations
- How to Make a Miniature Garden Patio
And be sure to check out Janit’s two amazing books, Gardening in Miniature: Create Your Own Tiny Living World, and The Gardening in Miniature Prop Shop: Handmade Accessories for Your Tiny Living World.
You Might Also Like:
- Twiggy Gnomes and Gardens
- This Miniature Mushroom Tree is for the Gnomes
- A Small Tree With a Big Message: DIY Grinch Tree
Janit Calvo is an artist, miniaturist, gardener, and entrepreneur. Janit resides with her husband in a full-size house and garden in Seattle. Inspired by her first miniature garden’s long life and easy maintenance, Janit started Two Green Thumbs Miniature Garden Center in 2001. She has won many garden and miniature show awards, and her gardens have appeared in the Seattle Times, Dig Magazine, and Dollhouse Miniature Magazine.
