I thought it would be fun to share a fun DIY gift idea for children (or grownups!) — a simple fishbowl customized with sea-themed doodles! I think watching a little fish paddling around its bowl could be a calming way to spend some time. And adding happy illustrations to the bowl is an easy way to make this simple gift into something special.
Just think, a simple doodle can transform a plain fish bowl into a fun and interesting home for our finned friends — without having to buy (or clean) extra accessories.
If you’re worried about your doodling skills, we took care of that for you. With the help of illustrator Stephanie Frey, we have three underwater scenes you can print off and trace on your choice of fish bowl.
You can choose from a school of fish, the ocean floor (with pirate’s treasure!), and seaweed and coral — or choose all three!
Ready to find out how simple it is? Come see!
Supplies:
-fishbowl
-marker*
-printable fishbowl scenes — treasure + ship, school of fish, seaweed
-tape
*To doodle, there are a number of marker options. The basic permanent marker will work although it won’t withstand scrubbing but if you’d like a change of scenery often, this marker will work fine. The oil-based permanent marker is what I used. It has better color opacity and really sticks. It can be removed with rubbing alcohol or acetone if you make a mistake. Finally, there is the option of porcelain or glass markers. These are made for drawing on glass surfaces and require a little oven-cure to make them permanent. Just follow the directions of the manufacturer.
The only step is to tape the printable in place and then trace it with the marker on the outside of the bowl. That’s it! You might need to resize the print-out to fit your bowl. Most of mine were reduced to between 70-80% size, except the ocean floor which was enlarged to 125%. And feel free to rearrange them to fit your needs. Whatever works!
Once you have the doodles just the way you want, add the water and fish (make sure to follow all the instructions for introducing the fish to a new bowl). Note about the fish: A commenter mentioned that Beta Fish thrive in fishbowls, but Goldfish do not. Good to know!
Tie a ribbon on and it’s ready to give!
Created with Amy Christie for Design Mom.
Miss B
December 17, 2013 at 1:20 pmNot to be a bummer, but…you can’t keep goldfish in a fishbowl. Or, I mean, I guess you _can_, but you shouldn’t. It isn’t very humane and they’ll likely die pretty quickly. Goldfish need (1) way more space than that, and (2) filtration. Two goldfish in a 10-gallon filtered tank is pretty much as crowded as you want them to be. A betta, however, will do perfectly well in a no-smaller-than-a-gallon unfiltered tank (as long as you provide a plant or two or a large rock to serve as hiding places), so that would be a good fish-gift.
Design Mom
December 17, 2013 at 1:57 pmGood to know! I wish they would tell you that at the pet store. I’ll add a note to the post.
Madhavi
December 18, 2013 at 9:38 amYes, I came here to write the came thing. It is VERY inhumane and you are essentially watching your goldfish aphyxiate to death. People think, or fish in fishbowls dont last very long, but there is a reason why – they dont have enough oxygen or space. Please Gabrielle, please put a statement about this on your post or else the ignorance will just continue. They need filtration.
Madhavi
December 18, 2013 at 9:43 amAddendum, I see you did. Thank you. Would you consider putting a statement near the beginning of the post? The photos are lovely but I am afraid they give the wrong idea.
Barbara
December 17, 2013 at 1:22 pmI donated! It WAS very satisfying to see the ticker go down by one!
But Why Mommmy
December 17, 2013 at 1:30 pmI donated! So glad to help out this holiday season.
But Why Mommmy
December 26, 2013 at 3:25 pmJust realized I may have donated anonymously. But I do have my paypal receipt showing Renee Fensin.
Ashley
December 17, 2013 at 1:40 pmI donated! I’m so thankful for healthy kids in my life and would love for those in the hospital to have some holiday cheer!
Becca
December 17, 2013 at 1:54 pmI donated! Thanks for the reminder.
Design Mom
December 17, 2013 at 3:23 pmThank you, Becca. Glad the reminder helped!
Amy Jo
December 17, 2013 at 1:57 pmDone! Happy holidays to you and your family!
Irina
December 17, 2013 at 1:59 pmI donated! Happy Holidays to Everyone!
Megan
December 17, 2013 at 2:33 pmThank you so much for reminding me to donate! I just did. :)
Terri
December 17, 2013 at 2:35 pmI donated! Happy holidays.
Monica
December 17, 2013 at 2:59 pmI Donated! Merry Christmas!
Ceridwwn
December 17, 2013 at 3:08 pmI donated in my nephew’s name, David sacran
jessie hansen
December 17, 2013 at 3:14 pmI so donated. Just for you Gabby. Hope that makes you feel special, I usually only donate to the ALSA.
Design Mom
December 17, 2013 at 3:22 pmTotally makes me feel special! Thank you.
Naja Luz Tepe
December 17, 2013 at 3:16 pmI donated! Happy Holidays to all!
Megan M.
December 17, 2013 at 3:44 pmI donated! CMN is a charity anyone can believe in… I love donating to them.
Annie C.
December 17, 2013 at 3:51 pmI donated! Thank you for the reminder. My baby (thankfully) has only ever been in the hospital for her birth but I know that we are lucky. My heart and prayers go out to all those kids and their families that will spend holiday time in the hospital. Much love and Merry Christmas!
Nan
December 17, 2013 at 3:57 pmI donated today!
Mercedes
December 17, 2013 at 4:02 pmDone!! Thank you!!
M.Young
December 17, 2013 at 4:04 pmI donated! Thank you for all you do.
Brent Morris
December 17, 2013 at 4:04 pmI donated.
Nicole Smith
December 17, 2013 at 4:12 pmJust donated under Nicole Smith. Thank you so much for bringing awareness to such a amazing organization and worthy cause! Happy to help where I can this Holiday Season. Thanks for sharing this and all your other wonderful things!
craftyashley
December 17, 2013 at 4:20 pmI donated. What a wonderful way to help sick children! Thanks for making me aware of this opportunity to give this holiday season.
Chantalle
December 17, 2013 at 4:33 pmI donated! What a worthy cause. Hospitals have been on my mind, as I’ve heard Hayward’s hospital is sending babies home who don’t have blankets! Our RS collected diapers for them, but I kind of want to call over there to know what there is a need for, cause it’s hard to believe that’s only just over the hills! (Pleasanton)
Julia A
December 17, 2013 at 5:48 pmI love that you are able to choose the hospital where your donation will go. I donated and was able to support a local hospital.
Also, I had a gold fish that I kept in a little glass bowl for YEARS. I won him at a county fair, brought him home in a plastic bag and was astounded when he was still alive – he even came to college with me two years in a row. I had him for more than 4 years.
His name was Rover. :)
Valerie Albanese
December 17, 2013 at 6:32 pm(I made a little donation for a big cause and want to thank you for helping me do that)
It’s so easy to get consumed by life-especially during the holiday season. I’ve been bookmarking your email updates (glad I subscribed) and today’s post REMINDED me what I wanted to do after reading your initial “call to donate” to Children’s Miracle Network hospitals — so today, instead of writing a reminder or putting it off– I donated and I feel great and thank you for doing what you do!!! (PS I definitely posted this under the lunch menu article–messed that up but definitely didn’t mess up my donation which was so easy to do on their website)!!
Christy Ghazimoradi
December 17, 2013 at 6:54 pmDonated!
Liz
December 17, 2013 at 8:04 pmI donated, happy to help!
Ashley Liles
December 17, 2013 at 8:30 pmThank you for raising awareness of this charity. I just donated to our local children’s hospital!
Emily Bailey
December 17, 2013 at 8:57 pmExactly a week ago my 10yo was in the hospital to have a diaphragmatic hernia repaired. He was only in for one night, and he’s doing great-even went to school today, but it was certainly a startling reminder that there are so many kids hospitalized for very serious reasons. It must be so hard on those kiddos and their families. I happily donated to the cause, I only wish I had more to give. Happy Holidays, thanks for all you do!
Corina
December 17, 2013 at 9:13 pmThank you for sharing this opportunity to donate to the Childrens Hospital. I’ll be making a donation in the name of a young man, my daughters age, who was a part of her baby group 14 years ago. Today whilst the other babies from that group , are living all over the world , experiencing high school and looking forward to Christmas , he is struggling and fighting to overcome the immune response to a bone marrow transplant to treat lymphoma. I have been wondering many times what could I send or do that could help him and his family, and the idea of a quiet distraction, is very appealing. However I can’t help but admit that I am conflicted about the idea of an animal used in an ornamental/decorative way that doesn’t take into account it’s needs particularly for a healthy habitat. I’m sorry to bring negativity to your post , but I felt I had to share. There are places that have banned the use of fishbowls. The reasons are set out in this site..
http://www.answers.com/mt/fish-bowl
(I really loath fishing derbies too- all those fish bred for amusement.)
Now, a properly maintained aquarium (ie one that is large enough and with a filter) would be a great thing for a hospital patient, especially a child, – perhaps there are companies that could provide a”rental” service with visiting carers to mainatain them for young patients? Wouldn’t that be a fabulous service. Not as fabulous as beinghealed of course- so I’ll go make a donation for Nils now.
Maddy
December 17, 2013 at 9:31 pmWhat a great cause to champion! We donated!
Juliette
December 17, 2013 at 9:33 pmI donated. Thank you for bringing this forward, I take my daughter’s health for granted and this reminded me that we are so lucky, we have to help others.
Mary W
December 17, 2013 at 9:36 pmI donated! Normally I choose St. Jude but I love what this organization as well. :-) Tis the season of giving!
Kate
December 17, 2013 at 9:44 pmGabrielle, this is such a great cause. Just chiming in that another much appreciated thing people can donate is blood. My brave and beautiful 3-year-old niece is fighting leukemia and has received many transfusions that are just one of the things saving her life. Every time Hazel receives blood we all think about what kind stranger might’ve taken the time to donate it.
Rebecca Moss
December 17, 2013 at 9:56 pmI donated :-) Thank you for raising awareness.
Lisa
December 17, 2013 at 9:59 pmThank you for the information and motivation to donate. I feel thankful that I’m able to donate to such a wonderful cause.
Kat T
December 17, 2013 at 11:51 pmThank you for this. I donated under my son’s name: Luke Thompson. He’s scheduled for surgery at seattle childrens hospital next month. The doctors and nurses at these hospitals are angels. And the children are just the sweetest.
Thanks for this post!
Miriam
December 18, 2013 at 2:27 amI’m sitting at home in my apartment sick and have been watching Christmas movies after Christmas movies. Last night I watching one about a little boy with cancer, I cried my eyes out. With your post today I just had to donate, thanks for posting!
Lisa Belt
December 18, 2013 at 5:44 amI donated in the names of my healthy sons, Sean and Luke Belt. With deep gratitude.
Gentry
December 18, 2013 at 5:52 amI donated! We have a CMN hospital in Tucson. Thank you for what you are doing to help raise funds to make the lives of these children more cheery!
Doodle Fish Bowls with Design Mom | this heart of mine
December 18, 2013 at 6:01 am[…] pic I shared last week. The fish were purchased for a really cool DIY I did with Design Mom – fish bowls with custom doodles! I am happy to report all three(!) fish are still alive. Two have been named super complicated […]
Gillian Helm
December 18, 2013 at 7:56 amThanks for the reminder and the opportunity to donate :) I am so grateful for my healthy little guy and donating to those kids reminds me to continue the gratitude. Happy holidays :)
sangeetha
December 18, 2013 at 8:35 amI donated and was so excited that I could impact a local hospital too, where I have taken my kids before and they do such a phenomenal job – thanks for posting about this
Sandra
December 18, 2013 at 9:43 amThanks for the reminder. We donated and our thoughts are with the children that have to spend their christmas at the hospital.
I have to agree that a goldfish would be unhappy, but a beta fish will do fine in a bowl and is even prettier to look at!
Emily
December 18, 2013 at 10:06 amOK, you convinced me. I donated. If it were one of my kids, I would be pushing for more donations. I am so blessed with healthy kids, so I will donate for someone else’s kids.
Gail Frentzel
December 18, 2013 at 11:24 amI donated! Thanks for making me aware of the opportunity to help.
wolfie
December 18, 2013 at 11:54 amI donated, am thankful for my healthy children. x
Sunny B.
December 18, 2013 at 12:45 pmI donated. I’m thankful to have healthy and happy nephews and hope these donations go a long way to help others not so fortunate. Thank you for sharing and Happy Holidays to you and your family Gabrielle!
Andrea
December 18, 2013 at 1:02 pmDonated!
Jen
December 18, 2013 at 2:30 pmI donated. Adorable DIY, and so nice of you to run this promotion to encourage the donations for such a great cause.
Holli
December 18, 2013 at 2:33 pmI donated (Holli Yoho). Wish I could do more. Merry Christmas!
Luzi
December 18, 2013 at 2:40 pmDonated!!
Stacy
December 18, 2013 at 2:42 pmI love that I could direct my donation to my local (relatively) hospital – WVU Children’s, that makes it even better for me! :) Thanks for the nudge!
Lucie Beeby
December 18, 2013 at 3:22 pmDonated!! Thank you Gabrielle – for shining light on such a great cause. I am so lucky to have a healthy 4 year old son but – as anyone can tell you – life can change in an instant. Nice to see you always, ALWAYS using your blog in a positive way. It’s heartbreaking to think of these children spending the holidays in a hospital. $5 is not a lot to ask to help bring a smile to a child’s face. From one mom to another – THANK YOU and Merry Christmas to you and your family.
Zoe
December 18, 2013 at 5:30 pmThank you! I just donated and it was a perfect thing of joy. Despite being majorly broke giving always makes me feel GREAT!!
Yulia
December 18, 2013 at 7:36 pmI donated! Thank you for the information and motivation to donate. My heart goes out to every sick child this holiday season and I am ever so grateful for all the blessings our family has. This is a great organization that helps millions of kids in need.
Allison McClymont
December 18, 2013 at 7:48 pmMy son was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease this summer, and we’ve made about a dozen trips to our local hospital since then for clinic visits, treatments, and yes–even the dreaded overnight stay. I feel blessed and lucky that he’ll be home with us ( and in good health) this holiday, but know that might not always be the case. What’s more, every time we’re there, I see a child whose needs are even more dire than my child’s and am reminded how quickly things can turn, for all of us. Thanks, Gabrielle, for thinking of these kids and encouraging your readers to give. I did, and it feels great!
Kelly
December 19, 2013 at 12:35 amJust donated :) Happy to help-thank you!
susan altfeld
December 19, 2013 at 6:55 amThis is such a worthy cause but the number of hospitalized children is way too high, at least if you are talking about in the US. There are fewer than one million hospital beds total in the US, so even if every one were full, there would not be this many patients.
Shani Ferguson
December 19, 2013 at 7:34 pmWonderful cause. I was pleased to donate.
Hayley Frink
December 19, 2013 at 9:22 pmI donated – and I loved that I could pick our local hospital. It’s nice knowing you are helping sweet kiddos, but even more awesome when you know that these are kids in right in your own “backyard.” Thank you for raising awareness for this cause!
Hayley Frink
December 19, 2013 at 9:25 pmPS, I apparently donated “anonymously”, unless it took my name from my paypal account. But I did save a web file of my transaction for proof! :)
Erin
December 20, 2013 at 4:32 amOur family donated! And if you donate more the tracker moves down in relation to the donation amount…nice feature for the kids to see! Happy holidays!
Smile List #4
December 20, 2013 at 5:03 am[…] 4. I can’t wait gift someone my doodle on a fishbowl. […]
Brandy
December 20, 2013 at 7:16 amThe perfect cause. Donated :)
Anne M.
December 20, 2013 at 8:23 amThank you for helping with such a great cause. I donated.
Martha
December 20, 2013 at 9:52 amI donated. I’ve been having to take my baby to the deep suction clinic at the hospital the last couple of days. A child having to spend Christmas in the hospital breaks my heart!
Angela
December 20, 2013 at 12:43 pmI just donated!!
N Hernandez
December 20, 2013 at 12:53 pmThank you for bringing this to mind. I donated in memory of my mother.
Mark M
December 20, 2013 at 11:27 pmWhat a fun idea! And a great cause! We happily donated!
denise matuzak
December 21, 2013 at 8:42 amI do feel warm and fuzzy after donating!
BP
December 22, 2013 at 3:28 pmI donated under BP. Fun giving opportunity! Thanks, Gabby!
Aleena
December 24, 2013 at 7:29 amDonated! Cheers xx
Tamara Stenberg
December 25, 2013 at 7:46 pmI donated!
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January 8, 2014 at 11:00 pm[…] J’ai trouvé ce DIY sur ce site : http://designmom.wpengine.com/2013/12/the-perfect-gift-custom-fish-bowl-free-downloads-win-an-ipad-mini/ […]
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September 19, 2014 at 6:17 am[…] of it all! Fresh from the ‘why didn’t I think of that’ files, comes these loved-up fishbowls by Design Mom. I want to make one immediately! Need bowl! And fish! This is all part of the latest […]
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