From Gourds to Birdhouses

-


When I was searching through YouTube for videos to watch on various types of crafts, I came across some that were on designing gourds. I found it fascinating and thought Sharon and I should give it a try. I purchased three pear shaped gourds that I thought would make great birdhouses. It was a fun project and we did learn that cutting holes in gourds is not an easy tasks, especially if they are dry.

After trying to make the perfect size hole with a drill, we ended up breaking the gourd. We didn't want to do that again, so with the tools we had, we drilled small holes around the penciled circles we drew for the birdhouse openings. After we drilled several holes, we took a flat head screwdriver and tapped between the drilled holes. This worked and we didn't break the gourds. We took exacto knives and trimmed off the jagged edges and smooth out the holes with sandpaper. After that, we found small tree limbs for a perch and drilled a hole to put them in.

Next came painting. I have acrylic, glow-in-the-dark and fluorescent paints for our gourds. We used them all. Sharon wanted to try painting bubbles on a blue background but wasn't happy with the results. She painted it green and made it look like a cactus. Since she painted a bunch of rocks to look like cactus, she wanted to try a design which was more to her taste. She paint it a mandala design. It turned out amazing.

As for me, I wanted something more southwest so I decided on a snake. Sharon suggested that I have the mouth open where the opening of the birdhouse was. I liked the idea and drew it on. It took several layers of paint to get it where I liked it, so I am delighted on how it turned out. 

We are both growing gourds in our gardens to hopefully be able to design more.

FIRST GOURD:



I glued it back together, painted it with black chalk paint, added clay roses on one side, and glued a lacy doilie on the other side. I was experimenting to see if I liked putting clay on gourds. I am not sure if I do. I painted the roses with bright neon colors.

PREPPING THE GOURDS:





FINAL DESIGNS:







Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

26 Bar Ranch (John Wayne Ranch)

-
Image
Immersed in the Hereford’s history in Eagar, AZ, sits the 26 Bar Ranch.   It was first known as the Milky Way Ranch in the 1940’s with its big white show barn which housed many Hereford cattle.   The barn is now a local landmark.   In 1964 the ranch became the 26 Bar Ranch or John Wayne’s Ranch, who was one of the owners.   Wayne, along with Ken Reafsnyder and Louis Johnson, his business partners, kept the ranch until John Wayne’s death in 1979 from lung and stomach cancer.   Lately, I have heard rumors that Bigfoot has been seen near the ranch.   I don’t know if that is true or not, but it would be worth checking out.  John Wayne and Louis Johnson
Read more

The Haunted Strip Mall

-
Image
This unassuming strip mall, on 19th Avenue & Northern in Phoenix, has an Albertsons, Starbucks, Einstein’s Bagels and other shops or offices, and would never thought to be haunted, but it is. Many years before the strip mall existed on this site, there used to be several eroded buildings standing there. These structures were murky and eerie and abandoned for many years. There was much speculation that the buildings were haunted and ghosts have been reported wandering around the grounds. Between the deteriorating walls of these dark dwellings, apparitions and other strange occurrences had been seen and heard by eyewitnesses. Young kids and teens would dare each other to investigate the buildings at night using only a flashlight for protection. They would find an open hole in the fence to gain access and slowly, as a group, would enter a building. They never lasted the night claiming to hear crying, and whimpering sounds coming from the long dark passage. Only a few brave souls wou
Read more

Cowboy Mummy Found in Desert

-
Image
  There are many strange stories in the Arizona files. One that is told is about the mummy found in the desert near Gila Bend nicknamed “Sylvester”. Many believe that he once was a 19th century cowboy, a con that loved to play cards. Stories are told that he finally got caught cheating and was shot in the stomach. He made a hasty exit while bleeding profusely from his wound. He got as far as Arizona’s Gila Bend desert when he fell off his horse and died face down in the sweltering heat. Shortly afterwards, he was covered by the blowing sands, which appeared to have dried his body overnight. This apparently preserved his body resulting in the mummified form he was found in. The more believable story was that he was found shortly after death and preserved in a high level of arsenic. Arsenic was used to stop the physical occurrences of a corpse rotting by killing bacteria and insects that invaded it. This custom of using arsenic was found to be poisonous by the 1900’s and never used
Read more