By Carol Duvall
It has long been a problem for periodicals to remain timely when they are prepared so far in advance of the actual sale date. So, when HGTV's staff was preparing the fall issue of HGTV Ideas magazine in July and wanted pumpkins on the cover, there was no place in the United States where real pumpkins were in season. Undaunted, HGTV's staff simply decided to substitute gourds and ordered a generous supply of basketball-size gourds from Lena Braswell's Gourd Farm in Wrens, GA. The gourds were distributed to a number of HGTV's on-air hosts with the request that they "do something" with them. Well, I turned my gourd decorating into a family affair and enlisted the help of my son and daughter-in-law to carve a gourd version of a jack-o-lantern. My daughter-in-law, Rita, drew the rather severe features, while my son Michael carved them out using a Dremel tool and I added the finishing touches by drilling holes across the top of the head and filling them with toothpicks. Michael also carved an opening in the back so a candle could be placed inside. Quite in contrast to the primitive look of my gourd was the labor-intensive version that my producer, Linda Watson, decorated. Linda started by sanding, and sanding, and sanding to smooth the surface and remove the mottled look caused by the mold that had formed. She cut an opening about four-inch diameter across the top, and painted the entire gourd with Liquitex metallic bronze paint. Around the opening she placed several carved grapes and leaves made from a product called Carved Magic. When dry, she colored them with Krylon's new gold and silver leafing pens. It was quite spectacular looking.
RESOURCES :
gourds - Lena Braswell
Lena Braswell Gourd Farm
1089 Hoyt Braswell Rd.
Wrens, GA 30833
Phone: 706-547-6784
Krylon metallic/leafing pens
Available at local craft and hobby stores.
Krylon Products Group
Website: www.krylon.com
Carved Magic deluxe grape cluster- discontinued
Iridescent (Metallic) Bronze - Liquitex
Available at Michaels or fine art supply stores.
Liquitex
11 Constitution Ave.
Piscataway, NJ 08855-1396
US
Phone: 732-562-0770
Toll Free Phone: 800-445-4278
URL: www.liquitex.com
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