The Anniversary Gourd & Peace Pendant
Richard from Nottingham, Great Britain contacted me about making a gourd for his parent's 50th anniversary.
I was going to send him an e-mail with lots of questions such as what color scheme, what they may like on it, etc. I had the e-mail all typed up and didn’t send it off right that moment. I’m glad I didn’t! It hit me like a flash later on, two people sitting on a bench in silhouette.
Richard informed me that I was spot on. His parent’s have an iron park bench in their yard. I love it when I can tune in like that!
I submitted a prototype, he made a few changes and together we came up with the perfect design.
It’s on its way across the ocean and I’m eager to hear his reaction once he sees the gourd “in the flesh” so to speak.
My current project is a peace sign pendant for one of Rex’s co-workers. He wanted a peace sign necklace for his girlfriend and couldn’t find what he wanted. He took a peek around my site and figured I could make it!
I carved the pendant out of a spare piece of gourd to create a 3-D peace sign. This piece has allowed me to try two new things. The first is to make a pendant no larger than a half dollar. That’s my smallest one to date! The second is to try a white wash underneath alcohol inks in hopes the color would stay true.
The gourd skin will change the color of watercolors and inks. For example, when I use Dr. Ph Martin’s Payne’s Gray on a gourd, it turns to a lovely deep green and when I used Adirondack Alcohol Ink in Wild Plum, it turns into a lovely shade of burgundy. It’s simply something one must be aware of when using gourd skin for your canvas.
I’m happy to report my experiment worked and I’m excited to try it on some larger pieces!
It’s Craft Show season! I may be MIB (Missing in Blogging) as I need to be in The Lair crafting and creating fun things. These items will be for sale on-line also so keep your eyes out for them.
If you are looking for a unique hand made gift or have an idea in mind that you haven’t found anywhere else, please contact me. I’d love to help!
Have a Wonder-Filled day and enjoy the journey!
