Time for fun!

I have been working my fingers to the bone!  Well, not really but I have been extremely busy as of late.  I have a very nice lady who always wants a dozen or so "gifts" made to order.  I should know by now to start creating her gifts in January so I will not be rushed come November.  Still, here it is mid November and I am working like a mad woman to finish the projects.  The good thing about this lady is the fact that she is always very precise in what she wants.  Each year she will tell me that she wants gourds with red flowers and ceramic pieces.  Each year, I paint gourds with red flowers.  I do hope that these are going to different folks or otherwise some recipients will have nice collections of such gourds.  At least, I can never duplicate a gourd so each is different.  Still after a bit, I grow weary of painting red flowers and have to take a break.  I cannot just quit working on gourds altogether as then I will not want to get started again, so I take an about-face and work on entirely different types of gourds.  Some of these are a tad weird or funky but still they are fun.  One year, I painted dragons for my son's friends.  They were thrilled and it sure gave me something "different" to do!

My break this week took a turn to the more natural side of things.  I worked on two gourds that I think turned out rather well.  Both of these have a distinct "earthy" feel about them.  The gourd, itself, was scrubbed clean, cut, gutted, painted on the inside and then hand waxed on the outer portion.  The top was woven with pine needles and then trimmed with wooden beads.  I adore this gourd!

The other gourd that I completed just today is in the shape of a basket.  Again the gourd went through the same process of cleaning, painting and waxing.  This one however has a piece of old fishing net in place of the pine needles.  Seashells and a piece of rope were added as trim to give this one a definite "Bayou" feel. The waxing of the natural gourd made the outer shell almost appear to be worn leather.  Again, I am pleased with the outcome of the gourd.

These two were made for fun but have quickly become two of my all-time favorites!  I am anxious to get back to work on the few remaining projects that require my attention as then, I can play with the imagination once again!  Although, I do appreciate the kind lady's order, it is also fun to play!