This is a fun idea for the sports loving dad. It was easy to put together, very inexpensive and children could help make them, making Bookends for Dad a great gift idea for Father’s Day. I used baseballs, but it could easily be switched up for any sport. I made this using the colors of the Oakland A’s, my husband’s favorite pro baseball team.
Making these took very little time and I had everything I needed on hand. I started with three rectangular craft wood pieces. Any type of wood will work, but since I already had these, they were perfect for this. I used a utility knife to cut one of the pieces in half by scoring it on each side a few times. I sanded down the rough edges.
I used Americana acrylic dark green craft paint to paint each side.
Once I had them all painted, I sanded them down a little to give them a worn look.
I have a ton of wood chip letters in my craft supplies. Since Oakland only has a two letter mascot name, that wasn’t going to work. That’s when I decided that “Play Ball.” would be a good phrase. If I wanted to do one for football, “Kick Off” or for basketball, “Tip Off” would work. I’m sure appropriate short phrases can be found for most sports.
I spray painted the letters yellow and used a spray adhesive to attach them to the wood.
To attach the base, there are various types of glue that would work, but as much as I love my hot glue, I didn’t think it would be a good choice for this. I used Carpenter’s Glue because that’s what I found in my husband’s stash in the garage. I ran a bead of the glue along the bottom edge of the long piece and held it in place onto the small piece until it began to set, then I propped it up against a larger piece of wood and let it dry for an hour.
While the glue was drying, I worked on the baseballs. The ones I used for this are hard plastic balls that were sold as Easter Basket candy holders.
I wanted to make them look a little less plastic and more worn. To get the look I wanted, I looked through my craft paint and found a bottle of Apple Barrel in Antique White paint. I poured some onto the baseball and used an old rag to smear it around and then dabbed it with a foam brush. I think the end result looks pretty much like a dirty, well used baseball.
Of course, you could use real baseballs, but I didn’t have any of those on hand, so this was a good, inexpensive alternative.
I used a dab of hot glue to secure these to the wood base.
I would suggest if you plan on using these for heavy books, a different type of wood should be used to give more strength. For the use I have in mind, this thin craft wood will be just fine.
Now that I’ve made these for my husband, I think I’m going to need a matching set in my team’s colors, red and blue for the Atlanta Braves. We have a sports room with lots of memorabilia and these bookends will look great there.
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Baseball Bookends for Dads
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Beverly shares easy, inexpensive craft tutorials, diy projects for the home, coastal decor projects, & thrift store find makeover projects all designed to help you create a beautiful home on a budget.
Erlene says
May 26, 2015 at 5:36 amI love how you used what you had on hand to make these bookends. I didn’t even realized the balls were plastic. Great job.
Beverly says
May 26, 2015 at 9:31 amI love being able to do that! I’m happy you think the baseballs don’t look plastic! Thank you, Erlene.
theartinpartyplanning says
May 26, 2015 at 8:31 amAdorable. My little guy has a baseball themed bedroom. He would LOVE to help me make these!
Beverly says
May 26, 2015 at 9:28 amThank you! I hope you and your little guy have fun making them! I’d love to see them if you make a set.
Laurie says
May 26, 2015 at 11:14 amThese are wonderful!! What a great gift idea for Dad and Sons who love sports. You did a great job on your baseballs too! I couldn’t tell they were plastic until I read through your post!
Thank you for sharing your project with us at Brag About It!
~Laurie
Beverly says
May 26, 2015 at 2:24 pmThank you so much, Laurie! I’m delighted that the baseballs are passing as real ones!. Always happy to share on Brag About It.
Joy @ Joy Love Food says
May 30, 2015 at 7:36 pmThese are so cute, perfect for Father’s Day! My dad would absolutely love these 🙂 Thanks for sharing at What’d You Do This Weekend?!
Beverly says
May 31, 2015 at 9:06 amThank you, Joy. They were so easy to put together. I’m happy to share. Thanks so much for stopping by!
Sarah R. says
June 1, 2015 at 5:54 amThese are great! I see old baseballs at the thrift store all the time, so someone could totally use those if they can’t find plastic ones. 🙂 Thank you so much for popping by Snickerdoodle Sunday- hope to see you again over the weekend!
Sarah (Sadie Seasongoods)
Beverly says
June 1, 2015 at 10:13 pmThank you, Sarah. Real balls could definitely be used. Thrift store ones would be great. I just wanted to use what I already had on hand and it was kind of fun to give them a different look. I’m always happy to share on Snickerdoodles. Thanks so much for stopping by.
Beverly says
May 31, 2016 at 4:47 pmThanks, Millie! It’s a fun little project that kids could easily help with for Father’s Day.
Robin @ Redo It Yourself Inspirations says
June 1, 2016 at 8:09 amAbsolutely adorable! This would be great for the boys’ rooms too. I love how you smudged up the balls. Excellent tutorial. Thank you for sharing!
Beverly says
June 1, 2016 at 8:24 amThanks, Robin! These were fun to put together and yes, they would fit into lots of different rooms.
Gail @Purple Hues and Me says
June 1, 2016 at 12:45 pmThis is such a wonderful and unique idea to make and give for Father’s Day! What an awesome craft project, Beverly! Any sports enthusiast would love it since it’s so versatile!
Beverly says
June 1, 2016 at 5:10 pmThanks, Gail! It could be used for lots of sports. Plus, it’s really simple to make!
Keri says
June 2, 2016 at 9:53 amI love how you made everything look worn! So easy and fun. 🙂
Beverly says
June 2, 2016 at 10:05 amThank you, Keri. Using plastic balls meant I needed to do something to make them look less plastic-like. The paint worked!
Kathleen - Bloggers Lifestyle says
June 3, 2016 at 6:06 amWhat a good idea, I wonder how the balls looked used, very clever.
Beverly says
June 3, 2016 at 10:51 amThank you, Kathleen.
Sherry says
June 5, 2016 at 7:39 pmI love anything baseball. This is a great gift.
Beverly says
June 6, 2016 at 10:03 amThank you, Sherry. It’s a fun little project that kids could help make.
Cristina at Ava's Alphabet says
June 6, 2016 at 9:49 pmThese are so clever! I never would have guessed those were plastic baseballs.Thanks for sharing on Family Joy Link Party this week.
Beverly says
June 6, 2016 at 10:20 pmThanks, Cristina! It’s great that you’ve joined the party as a co-host!
Rhonda Gales says
June 20, 2016 at 9:55 pmI love this idea, and like the fact that you could use the idea for any sport. My grandson is reading more now, so his book inventory will be expanding. His favorite sport is football. I think I’ll make him a pair. Please share your awesome posts on my Sunday’s Best Linky party. I would love to have you inspire my readers too.
Beverly says
June 21, 2016 at 10:26 amThank you, Rhonda. Yes, they could be used for any sport. I hope you’ll enjoy making a set for your grandson. Thanks for the invitation to your party!
cade says
March 10, 2017 at 11:10 pmWhere can I get those same plastic baseballs? I have been looking online for about 12 hours this week for them and I can’t seem to find them anywhere.
Beverly says
March 10, 2017 at 11:26 pmI’m pretty sure I bought them at Target, but it was a number of years ago. They were in the Easter section. The balls can be opened and filled with candy.
Helen at the Pleasures of the NW says
May 29, 2017 at 5:17 pmThese are awesome – I wish I knew a baseball fan to make some for! Thanks for sharing at the Pleasures of the NW’s DIY party!
Beverly says
May 30, 2017 at 10:59 amThanks, Helen. The bookends were easy to make and can easily be changed up for any sport. Thanks for the party!
Lina says
June 6, 2017 at 6:16 amThese are great! I love how you made the shiny plastic baseballs balls look old and worn. You’re one of my features today at the Sew It Cook It Craft It Link Party.
Beverly says
June 6, 2017 at 9:57 amThanks, Lina! I liked the way the plastic balls turned out, too. It was easy to do. Thanks so much for the feature! I appreciate it. I’ll be by the party today.