SPRING GOURD ORNAMENT

By: Tammy R. Brown

This is a quick and easy project that anyone can do. I can see
many types of candy added to this for a cute little gift. I
different background variety would be soft sage green.

PAINTS
Decoart Americana Acrylics
Light Buttermilk                          Canyon Orange
Honey Brown                                Holly Green
Milk Chocolate                              Soft Sage Green
Grape Juice                                 Cadmium Yellow
Baby Blue

BRUSHES
Loew Cornell brushes: #4 filbert, #0 round, #8 filbert, 18/0 liner
Debbie Mitchell #4 stippler

OTHER SUPPLIES
Banana gourd cut with zig zag edge using the bottom section of the gourd not
the stem end
Decoart Duraclear Satin Varnish                transfer paper
Sand paper                                                    awl
24 guage craft wire                                      old stencil brush or toothbrush

LET'S BEGIN
Make a circle around your banana gourd 3" from the bottom all the way around the gourd.
Use that as a base and draw zig zap up and down around it, making some peaks tall and
some lower. Insert a knife into a small area for your starting point and cut the gourd along
your lines. Clean the gourd inside and out.

Base coat the entire piece with light buttermilk using the #8 filbert brush and let dry. Repeat
at least once more. Using the #4 filbert dip one side of the brush into honey brown & water
(1:1) gently shade around the top edges of the gourd.
Using the awl make a hole on each side of the gourd to insert your wire into.
Reduce or enlarge the pattern to fit your project, then transfer the design onto your gourd
using the transfer paper.

Base coat the basket with honey brown using the #4 filbert brush, shade along each side with
same brush, dipping one side into the milk chocolate. Make your basket lines with the round
brush and milk chocolate.
Using the Debbie Mitchell stippler brush, dip into soft soft green and lightly pounce grass into
the basket and under the basket. Let dry. Repeat using the holly green.
Using the round brush paint the eggs: canyon orange, grape juice, cadmium yellow, and baby
blue. When they are dry, use the 18/0 liner brush and lightly highlight the top side of each.
Also highlight the left side of the basket and the handle of the basket.

When all is dry, dip the stencil brush into holly green and spatter the entire piece, let dry
and varnish twice, allowing to dry between each application.