Jan,

I hope your heart and your spirits are doing great. I know how hard it is to be away from home, and I hope the remodeling and your health lead you back there soon.

My gourds are either curing or rotting in my garden shed right now (not sure which, they look hideous, mold and flesh-like skin peeling away, think that's a good sign but hard to believe it). I have big plans for the birdhouse and kettle gourds if and when they are ready. Also have a couple of canteen and kettle gourds in the same predicament, a couple of pears and apples, but am holding out less hope for them as they are shriveling and looking awful.

I do have a few egg gourds dried and ready for crafting. I am hoping to do something outside the realm of X-mas ornaments right now, I am trying to come up with something that is pretty and fun that can decorate my spring, summer, and fall gardens. I painted some a cream color and have dipped dried fern and Japanese maple leaves in contrasting colors and pressed them over the white paint to form little vignettes. If my hands are steady enough, I thought I'd write in green ink the name below, sort of make outdoor hanging botanical prints. I plan on hanging them (after a coat of poly) from tiny eye screws and bringing them in during the winter months.

Yeah, that's lame, but that's where I'm at right now with my gourds.

Get better soon and inspire me!

Take care,

Kate

Kate,
Thanks for your response. I am feeling better and trying to walk daily
It looks like it could be another week before we can paint, then clean up the construction messes and put things away, then we'll move back home. ...and they told me they would be done by the end of Feb. haha

It sounds like your gourds are going to be full of surprises once you get to them. We have left ours outdoors all winter for curing. It seems to be a better test of gourd quality (if they make it through the winter, they'll be strong and sturdy for crafting.)

I like your plans for the egg gourds. As botanicals, they could be hung in the outdoor gardens as plant markers, or indoors you could hang them in your houseplants. I've been known to hang miniature birdhouses in my indoor greenery and plants.

Again, thanks for sharing.
Jan

Hi Jan, Glad to hear that you are doing better every day. Sometimes it seems like stressors come in waves, and a remodel can be such a stressor! I only wish you did have room for some gourds to work on. They can make the time pass so quickly. I had been working exclusively on gourds for months but signed up for an 8 week painting class in January. It has been so hard to make the shift. I find I have little focus for the painting even though I like it a lot. Several months ago the symphony society asked me to make a gourd for their annual silent auction so I have been torturing myself with its creation. Started several, set aside all as not good enough. Last week I took an old partially started gourd off of the top shelf and things just fell into place. It is a large bottle gourd with the end cut open to look like a hollyhock flower. The leaves are a lovely irridescent green on a blue background. I hope it has enough appeal for the auction. I think it turned out well, anyway. So, the weeks have evolved: Mon thru Thurs at the practice, Friday for gourds and Saturday, painting. It's a busy life. Soon it will be time to think of getting seeds started and dreaming of a big crop. I wish you great health and a beautiful remodel. Jan

Hi Jan, I'm with you on bored. I'm so ready for spring and planting gourd seed. I'm getting some luffa seed to plant this spring from a sweet lady in Orlando. I'm coiling jute around the top of a bowl shaped gourd and sewing it with sinew. Spray painted inside brown. On outside I traced around leaf shapes I had traced and cut out of a clear milk carton, basically made stencils. Then with a Q-tip I applied brown shoe polish without getting on the stenciled area. Then rubbed in the rest of the area with a soft cloth. Turned out good. Thinking about making little trinket boxes out of egg gourds after I've grown them this summer. Hope all works out with your remodeling project. It's the pits. Been through that already!