Baseballs aren't just for playing with anymore. How about creating some potted flowers with bits and pieces of old treasures and a few well used baseballs?
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These baseball flowers from Flea Market Style Magazine immediately caught my attention, but I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with them after putting them together.
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I tore out the tutorial, so I'm not sure which issue it came from. You can see from the wrinkled page that it's been sitting around on my to do list waiting for enough old baseballs. It takes three baseballs to make two flowers.
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A utility knife was much easier than trying to cut the stitching with scissors.
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All stripped down. I kind of like the texture on the cores; maybe a bunch of them would look good in a bowl. As hard as I tried, baseballs just don't want to clean up. Oh well, even the ones in the magazine have ground in dirt patina.
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Look at this six-pack I found a few weeks ago; someone had good intentions and gave up. Great, now I have enough for a small garden. The branches are from a tree in our front yard.
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A nail goes right through all three layers with a couple of hits of the hammer.
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Instead of using heavy thread or hemp as suggested in the tutorial, I used 20 gauge wire so I could wrap it around the back to help hold the stick in place. I cut two 10" pieces and threaded it through all three layers and then twisted it together in the back.
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For extra hold, I added a little E6000 glue to the branch before wrapping the wire around it.
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I painted some terracotta pots, filled them with Plaster of Paris that I already had (you could just use rocks or dirt), and then topped them off with some packaged moss from Michaels.
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The decorative centers were glued on with E6000.
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Doily, pocket watch face, vintage clip-on earring.
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Doily and pendant from an old necklace.
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Rosette, brass filigree, mother of pearl button, and a rhinestone button.
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I hope they thrive!
I'm partying with:
Debbiedoo's for the monthly Magazine Copy Cat Challenge
Debbiedoo's for the monthly Magazine Copy Cat Challenge
Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special
Between Naps on The Porch for Metamorphosis Monday
My 1929 Charmer for Sunday's Best
Under the Table and Dreaming for Sunday Showcase Party
Twig Studios for Sunday Showoff
Pretty Shabby UK for Waste Not Want Not
Knick of Time for Knick of Time Tuesday
Under the Table and Dreaming for Sunday Showcase Party
Twig Studios for Sunday Showoff
Pretty Shabby UK for Waste Not Want Not
Knick of Time for Knick of Time Tuesday
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Girl, I do not know where you find the time - these are wonderful! I will be curious to see what you do with the cores. I think they are pretty cool, too, and I think they need to stay areound and wait for your ah-ha moment.
ReplyDeleteThese are awesome...I love all the embellishments you added!
ReplyDeleteI saved the same pages. It's nice to see someone else's version of them!
Cute idea! Have you seen the bracelets made out of old baseballs? They should hire you to work for an ideas magazine.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your weekend.
how cute!!! Off to find some base balls:):)
ReplyDeleteWow these are fantastic. I love what you did with them.
ReplyDeleteHugs Maria
I love how they turned out. And the inside of the baseball is almost as wonderful as the outside. I would definitely put them in bowl or large jar!
ReplyDeleteHolly
This just proves everything can have a second purpose! I like the way you dressed them up.
ReplyDeleteCute cute cute!!!!! Sophie chews them up LOL
ReplyDeletexoxo
Now that is a flower that I would be able to grow!
ReplyDeleteOh Betsy these are just the cutest little flowers and idea I have seen in a long time. Thanks so much for sharing with the magazine copy cat party.
ReplyDeleteYour flowers look better than the ones in the magazine....you have better bling!!! Great job, Betsy!
ReplyDeleteVery cool! I also like Glenda's comment about making watch straps out of them. I also like the backsides of them with the printing. Bet they would take ink stamping too... I like that your technique was more sensible too.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the inspiration, as always!
Hugs!
kat
Your creations are unbelievably original, and these are especially so. I absolutely love them. Who would have thunk that a few baseballs and some vintage jewelry pieces could create such a pretty and fun piece of art? Great job!
ReplyDeleteI love this idea!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by my blog and leaving such a nice comment! Hope you'll visit again.
Have a great weekend!
Another wow! wow! wow! Betsy :) I want to have something like this in my home too.
ReplyDeleteI saw that issue and I went out and found some baseballs and had my husband take the outside off. Then just like you, I didn't know what to actually do with the finished flower. But I LOVE your idea. Too cute. A great project for me to work on this weekend. THanks!!!
ReplyDeleteI love the blog world because I see so many creative ideas. I don't think I would ever come up with an idea using old baseballs, but how fun.
ReplyDeleteHave a creative weekend!
Well, those are just insane. Insanely WONDERFUL. I love your pastel scheme! Are these to keep or to sell? I can imagine people fighting for them at your booth!
ReplyDeleteOh I am so impressed with this idea! The baseball flowers are so cute and original. They can be stitched in different colors around the outside and then have a matching flower center. With 4th of July coming up, I can imagine a whole punch done up in red, white and blue....how cool is that!
ReplyDeleteThose are really cute! So simple, yet so creative. Now I know how to use up those old baseballs from my husband's coaching. Yay! Thank you for showcasing these!
ReplyDeleteGreat upcycle! I am sharing this at Decor 2 Adore{able}. It will publish Sunday at 8pm EST.
ReplyDeletexoxo
Johnnie
Printable Decor
Saved By Love Creations
Decor 2 Adore{able}
Wow, these are so darn cute, what a great idea to make them into flowers. Do you recharge you creative side every night? You must because you come up with such great ideas! Thanks for sharing your creative inspiration with Sunday's Best!
ReplyDeleteThese are FANTASTIC!! I would have never come up with such an idea! Well done!
ReplyDelete<3 Christina
Http://igottacreate.blogspot.com
Wildly Original Round Up party now open.
Those are just as cute as they can be!! I have been picking up old baseballs at the thrift stores. I thought I might try a project with them but ended up throwing them all in a bowl and selling them at my booth. They all sold.....probably because people saw your post!!
ReplyDeleteJane
Wow! These are like nothing I've ever seen before. Incredible!
ReplyDeleteA flower from a baseball . . there really is beauty in everything :)
Betsy these are so cute! I love them.
ReplyDeleteDanielle
Those are just too too cute!!!
ReplyDeleteGuess you know we will all be looking for baseballs now.
Of course I just saw a whole basket full....cheap!! and did not get it.
blessings
barb
PS LOVE the balls with their coverings gone too.
ReplyDeleteb
Simply adorable. I never woulda thought of that. I'm happy to meet you Betsy - I found you from your comment on Dab of This and That. You have a delightful blog. Pop over for a visit and be sure to enter my fun giveaway!
ReplyDeletexoxo,
Kim
What a great idea. Love these! I am featuring this at someday crafts.blogspot.com.
ReplyDeleteTotally inspired now! cuuuute!
ReplyDeletelove these! can't believe you found a pack of them already cut!
ReplyDeleteI would love it if you would share this post on the Waste no Want Not Wednesday @ Pretty Shabby UK! I really think my readers will enjoy it!
ReplyDeletehttp://prettyshabbyuk.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/waste-not-want-not-wednesday-1.html
Many Thanks
Dawn @ Pretty Shabby Uk
Ingenious, and wouldn't you know I gave away a whole plastic milk crate of baseballs away a couple of years back when I was cleaning out my garage. Whodathunkit that someone would come up with a decorative use for them. Thanks for stopping at my place to comment on my back alley inspiration in Birmingham!
ReplyDeleteLiz
These are fantastic! I would love to feature these on Reduce, Reuse, Upcycle. Feel free to stop by and grab a featured button. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThese caught my eye again on your side bar! So very cute!! I just love your blog! You're so generous, sharing how you make things!! Thank you Betsy!! I know I will be looking for some baseballs while garage saleing this year!! (: xo Holly
ReplyDeletelove it! I remember that project from that issue, and I love the spin you put on it. So darling.
ReplyDeleteHow did you get the printing off of them?
ReplyDeleteSome of them were so old that the printing was already worn off and some I used one of those eraser sponges. If the printing was real dark, I just used the inside as the front of the flower.
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