I use a mosaic tile tool called a nipper and snip the plate up...and with these beauties, I'll be probably using my Taurus 3 ring saw as it will let me use the little butterflies in the center of the plate too....then I use my rock tumbler and fill it 3/4full of dishes, add water to just over the plate pcs, then a drop of dish soap, then tumble it for about 20-30min...dry pcs and they are spoothed on the edges...better for when I grout,,,as the dishes can be wicked sharp!!! Too many cuts from this so now I tumble....I haven't done a ball in a while so forget how many dishes I use...it really depends on certain factors too, if the whole plate is usable, or just certain pcs, like the border....sometimes they have a lip(underside of the plate) that deters the use of some of the pattern...as it is just too uneven...but what I do is add 1/2marbles and other plates that match the plates I want to use, so I get a real assortment...sometimes I gotta save plates for a while to get enough to do a project...I've even bought one plate cuz I liked it and then spent months looking for stuff to add to the colors so I could use it!!! I will suggest to anyone, that it is a good idea to bring your bowling ball in for the winter as they can freeze and crack...no matter how well you seal them...I have learned this the hard way!!! PLEASE consider this, it is a shame to do all that hard work and have it ruined!!! PLUS another biggy warning is to use only porceline dishes, NOT ceramic, as they chip when wet and freezing...plus they can fade(the pattern) under harsh summer sun!!! Okay...now that I have poo poo'd some enthusiasm....sorry!!! But being a MOM...I have a knack for it!!!lol! Enjoy and don't let the shards get in you eyes, kids!!!

Daisy - yep, it's a real one - about 14 lbs before glass, grout, etc. It's on my sister's front porch (southern exposure), under the overhang part of the porch. That should give it some protection. This will be it's first winter outdoors and I have cautioned her to cover it or, preferably, bring it in if there's prolonged freezing temps or ice/snow expected. Fortunately, she's in West TX, so that doesn't happen too often. With regard to the weight, I made it in 2 sections so it would be easy to transport 300+ miles and did the final assembly on site...v-e-r-r-y carefully placed it in position to be sure the silicone didn't slip.

Thanks for the replies. I guess the material a bb is made of makes a difference. I won't bother to decorate this one, because I have a feeling it won't hold onto anything. I saw a couple more at my new favorite weekend barn sale, and I might get them. But I'll check them out to see what they're made of. Also might visit my local bowling alley to see if they have any cast-offs. Those are probably sturdier. The holes of my pink bb are down in the garden. The first photo is to show the underside that was not exposed to the sun and is still the original color. ;)

Hi again Lily, You have approximately 6,000 gal of water to use from the pond. If you have fish you only want to draw down about at most 1.5 ft. (25 x 23 x 1.5 x 7.481) equals 6,452 gal or you will be having fish for dinner. I believe you would utilize about 1,200 gal a week at full plant maturity. (58 x 38 x 0.5 gal/sf) which equal 1,100 gal/week. You have plenty of supply. The next issue is when the water pump would be run and who is going to run it. You would run it through a 1 " pvc mainline with filter to each person's plot with a gate or ball valve fitting at the end to be turned on manually at a certain time period each week or two times a week. People can automate from their own plot's manual valve fitting. You want to economize running the pump($$$) if everyone is paying for the pump and running it(this can be automated with a timer). The size of the pump would be based on the 600 gal every 2 or three day interval. If people need more have them fill a barrel at their plot and use additional water saved there. So if you need 600 gal and take 1 hour to irrigate, your flow rate would be 600 gal per hour or 10 gal per min. If you have to push the water uphill make sure your pump is rated for 120% of the vertical elevation in feet between pump and the highest bed. I don't believe this would be a very big and expensive electrical submersible pump. If electricity is not available a small generator can be use or the 12v battery system. More $$ or manpower and dedication. Hope my calcs are good. Someone double check me. thanks. Let us know how we did on the theory compared to what you actually did. JMHO GL Aloha.