Kind of silly, I know.
I got this huge fish bowl and I absolutely love it. It's not fancy or anything, just a extra large version of basic round fish bowl. It holds about 5 gallons. The only place we can put it right now is on an open shelf in a built in linen closet in the hallway. This spot is high enough so our daughter can't reach it, and I like that it catches the eye when you're in my hallway. The problem is, when I filled it with water and put a fish in it, it was so heavy that there's no way I can easily move it once a week to clean it. I even tried half with water and it was hard because it's awkward to carry. So our fish got relocated. Now I am scratching my head as to what to do with it.
A lil info....this spot gets no sun, and very little light. There is no electrical outlet close buy either. Since it is large there is very little room between the top of the fish bowl and the bottom of the shelf above it. All of that has put a damper on the ideas I have already thought of; plants, christmas lights or led lights and candles. I thought of just filling it with something pretty like colored stones, but with the little light it wouldn't really stand out.
Can any of you guys think of something creative that i could do with it? I really don't want to toss it!
TIA! =)
Thanks everyone for the great ideas! I don't know why I didn't think of flameless led candles, lol..or battery operated lights for that matter. Thats a big DUH moments for me. I can't move the fish back mainly because even with a siphon hose the fit was tight between the top shelf and the fish bowl. I also don't want crickets in the house, we have lots of them outside and they can stay there, lol. =) But lots of great ideas and I will definately be going to the craft store this weekend!
Thanks again ladies. =)
Sorry, all I can think of is welding a stem to it to make a really excellent Fishbowl Margarita glass.
How about some Fabric Covered Balls, like these:
http://landeeseelandeedo.blogspot.com/2011/05/fabric-deco...
I LOVE these things... they are soooo easy to make, and so pretty! You can customize the patterns/prints on the balls to be whatever you like, and you can do it with scraps of material or ribbon, and styrofoam balls, for little cost. Cut strips of fabric, wrap, and secure with straight pins. That simple! And they cool thing is that they don't have to be perfect, in fact, the less 'perfect' they are, the more character they have. It's a cool project that the kids can even help with!
You could even add a string of battery powered lights, if you find some (I have some LED battery powered lights from Xmas last year, so I'm sure they'll be out soon, if they're not already), and intertwine the lights through the balls. I think this would be LOVELY!
You could even change the fabrics on the balls for the seasons... use fall or Halloween fabrics for the current season, then switch to Xmas prints for Xmas, etc... And the styrofoam balls are so light, you won't have any problem getting the darn thing on and off your shelf!
I saw a cute bowl filled with wine corks once.....
Put fake silk flowers in it?
Or fake fruit.
Candles will be dangerous.
LED lights, you'd need an outlet too?
Use it for potpourri
Use it for a Cricket... bowl.
Crickets are easy.
Get it from a pet store.
They make nice chirping noises like a rainforest.
Put dirt in it, colored aquarium rocks... leaves, twigs... and feed it thinly peeled carrot chunks, and small bits of peeled potatoes.
Mist lightly with a spray bottle occasionally.
You'd just need like 5 crickets.
They grow and last...
We have crickets... to feed our Gecko.
They make nice noises.
But, put a screen cover over the top of the bowl, so they don't jump out!
Some exotic plants don't need much light or water. Explore these. I think they're called succulents. Otherwise, what about minatures... like a ship in the bottle type thing or a little scene for Christmas or the holidays?
Otherwise, wash it out and use it as a punch bowl or candy bowl for halloween or holidays. Store fruit and/or veggies in it and keep on top of the fridge or on a counter in the kitchen instead.
Keep fancy soaps in it, or hand towels and keep it in the bathroom.
Have pets? Keep their treats in the bowl...like a general store would do.
Cookies? Tiny toys and gadgets as treats when the kids get chores done.
I have some awesome crystal bowls, they just look like fish bowls. I have seashells in them, btu we do kind of a beach theme going on.
At christman time the sget the tinsel treatment, and let me say that looks awesome in them and they catch the light so you do not need any.
What about fake candles? We used to use them in a spa I worked in. Safe and they had rechargeable batteries. They flickered like real candles and you couldn't tell they were fake unless you looked down into where the flame should be. You could Use glass paint to colour bowl, so it looks like stained glass.
Assorted moss covered balls or shimmer balls from Crate and Barrel. Practically weightless. And as much as I don't like fake fruit or flowers, you could change these out the color/theme depending on the season. Flameless LED candle (although you said it doesn't get much light). Or wire spheres in gold or silver (chiasso.com).
Summer - make a little beach scene. Put some sand on the bottom, tint the water blue, add some plants and seashells.
Winter - Christmas ornaments
Fall - colored leaves, pinecones
Spring - colorful silk flowers or fake Easter Eggs
Good luck!
If you filled it with pretty balls or stones, etc - you could mix in a string of battery operated lights! You can also buy battery/bulb lit candles - that would be pretty too!
Seashells. Or, you could put your fish back in it and just siphon out the water into a bucket when it's time to change it. Then the bowl would be easy to lift off the shelf.
Crickets poop a lot, just so you know. You won't see it b/c of the dirt, but they do poop a lot.
I was thinking of christmas lights. Perhaps you can find some that are battery powered? One string of white lights with white cords sounds lovely. Could be a night-light and give a room some atmosphere.
If it were me, I'd research the lights. If not, then I'd probably do the potpourri (sp?) or silk flowers or a big friggin candy dish or change jar for your pennies and quarters.
We have a round (ball shaped round, no flat sides) fishbowl for my daughter's Beta fish. I don't think that ours is 5 gallons, and I don't have to do a water change too often, but if you did I like the siphon water out idea to make it lighter. Ours is sitting in the middle of what is really supposed to be a garden statue for holding a "gazing ball". It is 2 cherubs lying on their bellies, (facing each other) resting on their elbows with the hands holding up their faces, looking towards a center round area that holds the fishbowl perfectly, so it sits in the middle of our coffee table and is easy to get to to clean. I also like the idea of glass colored Christmas balls, and other seasonal things. Good luck & have fun!
Whatever you choose to do, you might be able to make it stand out a bit with battery operated pillar candles. I found mine on the Home Shopping Network, but I've seen them many other places as well. You can set them up so they come on at the same time every day and turn off after a few hours.
Personally, I have a extra large hurricane vase that I put polished river rocks in and a large battery operated pillar candle. It's a nice display!
if you can't move it when it's filled with water - why don't you keep it as a fish bowl and put it somewhere else in the house - somewhere lower. if you can't move it when it's filled with water - how will your daughter move it?
(or are you worried about her reaching inside?)
