Gourd Fun!

So yesterday I dug out a box of dried gourds and began the completely new adventure of cleaning then in hopes of making some birdhouses and gourd art. I started out with crusty, moldy, dirty dried gourds. After figuring out the cleaning process (which took all day) I realized I was having a blast.

You can see here how this one gourd looked before cleaning and now how it looks as I have turned it into a birdhouse and am currently adding some artwork.

The mottled brown color in the tree trunk I drew is the natural color on the gourd left from the mold. I was able to incorporate it as part of the theme. I think part of why I was so engrossed in cleaning those gourds was to see what kinds of mottling and patterns were left behind from the natural molding process.



This gourd is not finished in these photos. I will be adding a touch of color here and there and testing sealants etc. So stay tuned to see how it turns out.