Crocus Kettle Gourd Birdhouse-Final Steps

I have finished the kettle gourd birdhouse. It was very enjoyable to paint with such bright vivid colors for a spring design.



I added 3 coats of exterior spar urethane (sanding lightly between each coat) for a very durable and long lasting finish. Since Michigan has such sever temperature changes, I always use the best product for the most extreme conditions.

This is a close-up of the flower detail.

I tied a bit of raffia around the hanger and added some seed beads for a nice touch. What bird wouldn't want some home decor accents right?

The hanger I use is a heavy duty suede cord tied at the end.

The front view of the final product.

I hope you try painting one of these birdhouses for your use. Caution.....it's pretty addicting!

Have a great week,

Darlene

This is not what I Call Spring Showers!

Well needless to say we here in Michigan have seen many different types of weather at many different times of the seasons. Just last week Tom and I were enjoying warm 60's and starting to put our wonderful homemade compost into the vegetable gardens preparing them for a nice new crop of garden delights this summer.

This is our wonderful composter.....it may not be pretty it makes beautiful compost.

From coffee grounds and vegetable trimmings to this beautiful "Black Gold" compost. Who could ask for more and it's all free too!

We knew this great weather may not last so we have been outside almost daily planning some new projects for the yard. We will be building a pergola and putting in a privacy fence and a nice wooden picket fence for the vegetable garden.

After having some nice conversation about these projects yesterday we also turned on the news and NOT to our amazement we heard about a Winter Storm Warning heading our way for Sunday night. We both just laughed and decided to chalk it up to "Michigan Weather" again. This is what we woke up to this morning.....let's hope it melts fast. We have yard work to do LOL!!!!

Enjoy your day...

Darlene

Kettle Gourd Birdhouse-Painting Process Continued

Step 2 - Painting the Design

After you have basecoated your entire gourd basecoat the crocus design with a light buttermilk color. I usually thin my paint and use 2-3 coats before it has good coverage.

Trace a light outline of the petal details.

I did a light wash of pink over the light basecoat and then began adding shades of purple.

I added two shades of purple on these petals and then added the stems and leaves using 2 shades of green and 2 shades of brown.

I added the stamens and white dots using shades of gold, yellow, rust and orange. A few vein lines were added with the darkest purple shade.

The next post I will show you the top of the gourd design and the final touches.

Kettle Gourd Birhouse-Painting Process

Step 1 - Base Coating

I usually like to make the top section with a decorative edge and coordinating color but you can paint the entire gourd one color if you prefer. I mark a decorative edge around the top approximately 3" down from the top.

I used DecoArt Americana acrylic paint in Hauser Dark Green for the base coat. Since this color is very dark it takes 2-3 coats for nice coverage. Once the base coat is on I highlight over the entire area with Lt. Avocado and Hauser Light Green. It give the gourd a nice mottled look like you are looking through a nice blurry wooded area.

I draw out the flowers on paper and cut out around the pattern. Transfer your pattern onto the gourd using graphite paper. I decided to put two sets of crocus blossoms on each side of the entrance hole (in reverse directions) and then a set of three blossoms centered in the back. All the designs will be located coming from the bottom edge of the gourd as if they are growing from the ground.
I'll post more steps in the next few days everyone!

Darlene

Kettle Gourd Birdhouse with Crocus Design

HAPPY APRIL EVERYONE!

I'm in the mood for spring so I've been working on some new gourd birdhouses. This is one of the new designs for a spring gourd birdhouse. I thought I would share some of the process with you. Please feel free to use any of my ideas and paint a birdhouse for yourself. Change up the design and colors too! I'd love to see what you create. Please post a comment with a link to your creation. I love to see all the beautiful creations from the gourd artists out there :-)

First step.....Selection and Preparation

I always choose my individual gourd for a specific project and design. I have chosen this one for a wren/finch birdhouse with a nice spring crocus design. Sand and seal your gourd before drilling and drawing on your design.

I mark my 4 holes on the bottom of the gourd for drainage just in case wind blows and water gets into the birdhouse. You don't want those little babies to drown!

I also drill two holes for the hanger, 1 for the perch and a 1" hole for the entrance to the birdhouse (between 3-5" from the floor of the gourd).

Clean out all the loose seeds and debris that is inside the gourd. I use a dust mask so I don't inhale the gourd particles. They can cause lung irritation in some people.

The perch gets glued in with weather-proof glue.

I'll be back with more pics of the design and painting process later this week. Grab a gourd and paint along with me!

Have a great week,

Darlene

Handmade Mini Album - Part 2 of 2

I hope some of you are trying this mini album....it's fun to make!

After you have glued the spine you will need to add your decorative front and back covers.

Use the same gluing procedure getting out all the air bubbles with the bone folder as before. Then miter your corners. Run your bone folder around the craft board to make a slight indentation. This will help train your paper to fold up and around nice and neat. Go ahead and glue all edges of the front and back covers and smooth as before. Use the tip of the bone folder for a nice neat tuck at the mitered corners.


Now it's time to add the inside covers and inside spine. Just repeat the same process as the front of the mini album.

Once you have the spine glued then I run my bone folder down the edges and fold each cover back a forth a few times. Now it looks like a real book!

Punch two holes in the spine so you can attach a ribbon or fiber for the decorative handle. I use my cropadile for this since the crafty board is quite thick.

It should look like this.

Add your decorative handle by threading each end from the outside to the inside and tying a square knot. I add fray check to secure the knot.


I layer all my inside papers together and secure with 2 brads or eyelets. I attached two sequin flowers in the brushed silver brads for this book.

Now you have the front and back of all these paper sizes to scrapbook on. There's plenty of room for pictures and journaling and any other embellishements you choose to add.

Enjoy your book!

Handmade Mini Album Part 1 of 2

I really enjoy making these mini-books for scrapbooking specific themes. These can be used for baby, pets, specific yearly holidays, events (ex: sporting, showers, etc.) and by adding a few additional pockets you can hold all the ephemera you need to archive the moment.

Here is a little photo tutorial on the highlights of how I make this 5"x7" mini album. I hope you try one too. They are ADDICTING!

I cut my mat board to the sizes I need. One piece for the front, one for the back and one for the spine. I purchase "Crafty Board" for my books. You can get this from The Paper Mill store http://www.thepapermillstore.com/gsearch.php?substring=crafty+board&x=50&y=12 It's a 40 pt board and quite durable. There are many other sources also.





Then off to choosing all your cardstock for outside, spine and inside. I love the Club Scrap papers because of their thickness. I want my books to be as durable as possible. I believe that they will be passed down to many younger generations and many little hands (and big too) will be handling these mini albums. Durability is a must!



Mark the center of your spine cardstock and mat board. Centering is VERY important for a professional look.


I always use book binding glue for my book projects. I really like how easy it is to work with but it also makes the final product look professional. It allows me to make crisp edges and corners. The use of the bone folder helps achieve this look. Please use it, you can't go wrong and you'll never try to make another fold without it :-)

I first apply the glue on my mat board directly from the bottle. Then I take a brush (foam or bristle) and spread the glue evenly. Make sure you cover every bit of the mat board and spread throughout. It should have a nice amount of coverage but never runny or messy.


Add your cardstock and smooth out completely with the bone folder. Make sure you are removing any air bubbles if they have formed. In this pic I am doing the spine first.

Use the same process for the front and back mat board covers. I measure a line on the mat board for reference. I want to leave a small area between the spine and front and back covers so it can be comfortably folded.

For this bookI used a heavily textured paper on the spine that gives the appearance of real leather. Just LOVE it!

Once you have the spine glued, fold back and forth a few times. This trains the paper fibers to go where you want them to go for the end product.

In Part 2 we will finish the covers and the fun inside pages!

TFL

Darlene