 As with any craft you always need ideas and patterns. Gourds are no different. When I was first inntroduced to gourds I was surprised at how many different kinds there were, theres dippers, eggs, apples, birdhouses and many others. My brother-inlaw gave me a few to work with a few years ago and I have been playing with them ever since. I even grew some myself and dried them out. My first gourd I did when I picked them out was a snowman. It was the perfect shape and it was the first thing I thought of when I saw it. So I went to work cleaning up the gourd and getting it ready for painting. I found in cleaning them, that hot soapy water with a touch of bleach works great along with a stainless steel scrubber. Once cleaned, scrubbed and dried they are ready for decoration. I painted up my gourd using acrylic paints and sealed it with an indoor/outdoor varnish, both of which you can find in your local craft store. Gourds can also be carved out and made into baskets, bowls, or whatever your imagination comes up with. I have a birdhouse gourd I decorated and painted using actual birch bark for my tree trunk and for a roof over the opening of it. Another one I did up as Mrs Clause, and have a black top hat for her which makes her look like a school marm. To see other gourds I've done visit my craft site at www.geocities.com/onelovnhart, also please visit my store for books on gourds.
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