It’s time for the February Product of the Month! Or, in this case, a whole family of MacBunnies.

This warm and sunny weather has us dreaming about the arrival of spring. And what better way to prepare for spring breezes and the Easter season than with this adorable family of gourd bunnies!

The MacBunnies are available in two sizes – the small (right) is approximately 2″ in diameter and the medium version is approximately 5″ in diameter (left). The medium MacBunnies also have an electric light installed with a kite cut-out in the belly and a bow tied around their necks.

And the colors! Our medium MacBunnies are available in pink, blue and yellow and our small MacBunnies are available in pink (complete with pearls) and blue (buttons down the front of his vest, too). The small sized MacBunnies also feature a puff of cotton for a tail.

Welcome the MacBunnies into your home this Spring.

With the final days of January just ahead, we’re soon thinking about Valentine’s Day here at Meadowbrooke Gourds. Our January Product of the Month is both charming and whimsical, a gift for Mom from her wee ones.

New for 2012, this piece of gourd art is approximately 12″ tall and comes installed with an electric light.  We think you’ll enjoy it as much as we do!

Of course, it’s not the only Valentine-themed gourd art that we have available in our online shop.

The Valerie Valentine Angels are available in two sizes.

The small version (shown above) measures approximate 3 1/2 inches in diameter. The medium comes with an electric light that shines through the heart vine cut-out design. Approximately 5″ in diameter.

Purple martins nest almost exclusively in man-made structures like a birdhouse constructed from one of our raw, cleaned gourds. If you’re eager to attract this large swallow species to your backyard, a dried and cleaned gourd can easily be constructed into a birdhouse.

 Procedure:

• Select a well-dried and aesthetically pleasing gourd. Remember, thick walls will ensure that the gourd birdhouse will weather the elements well.  Varieties with broad bottoms like Martin and Bottle make good choices here.
• Using a 2″ circle saw, drill a hole roughly 3 inches above the base of the gourd.  Work slowly to avoid splintering the gourd.  The circle saw bit will leave a clean-edged hole.
• The gourd will still be full of seeds and some internal membranes, so you can empty those out through the hole you just cut. Don’t throw away the seeds! They can be planted to produce your own gourds during the next growing season.
• Drill three small holes in the bottom of the gourd for drainage. 1/8″ will do nicely here.
• Drill two holes at the top of the gourd and thread either sisal twine or thin wire through to hang the birdhouse.
• You are now free to paint, stain or seal your gourd birdhouse in any way you’d like. Bright solid colors work well.

If you need some creative inspiration, here’s a selection of gourd birdhouses available at our online store.

Various gourd shapes make up our MBGourd birdhouses

Although we have many weeks of winter still ahead of us, it is fun to think about the coming of Spring. We just finalized the dates of our 2012 Spring Open Houses, which also puts us in the mood to talk about bunnies, chicks, and all things Easter!

For just a taste of spring in your home all year long, we suggest our dragonfly, hummingbird, or butterfly! These gourds are simple, modern, and beautiful. The light makes them a great option for a soothing nightlight as well. Just click on any of the images to purchase.

Dragonfly gourd with light

Humminbird with light

Butterfly with light

One way to add an interesting touch to your holiday decor is to use gourds as part of  your wreaths.

Our small Angel gourd, Emily, is pictured above attached to the wreath on our Retail Store door. Give the wreath some interest with pinecones and other ornaments.

Any of these gourd ornaments pictured above would make a lovely addition to your wreath!

Picture these little guys on a rustic, snowflake wreath like pictured below.

image courtesy ochristmastress.com

Or get really creative and craft a wreath in the actual shape of a snowflake:

image by Little Things Brings Smiles (click for original post)

The gourd snowman ornament would look adorable in the center of this unique, rustic display!
Click here for the tutorial on how to craft this snowflake wreath. The instructions are for a much smaller decoration, but you can always make it larger to fit any door or space.

Visit our Retail Store to pick up your Christmas pickle! Not sure what we’re talking about? The legend of the Christmas pickle goes like this…

In Old World Germany, the last decoration placed on the Christmas tree was a pickle – carefully hidden in the branches. Legend says the one who found the pickle on December 25th would be blessed with a year of good fortune (and a special gift)!

Relive the tradition with your family and friends year after year with our gourd pickle ornament!

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, which means Christmas decorating season will be in full swing in just a few days!

Add gourds to your Christmas tree this year for a beautiful display. Here are just a few of the ornaments we offer…

Brambles Boy Ornament

Brambles is also our November product of the month! He is 2 inches in diameter. Buy him here!

These ornaments are hand-painted by Jessie Geesey. There are five different ornaments to choose from.

Jessie's Penguin Ornament

The penguin ornament is 4 inches tall. Click here to purchase.

Jessie's Tall Santa Ornament

The tall Santa is approximately 6.5 inches tall. Click here to purchase.

Black Friday is the perfect time to get your gourd ornaments and other Christmas gourds! Here are the details of our Black Friday sales. Also, on Saturday, November 26th, children ages 5-12 will have the opportunity to paint a gourd ornament for only $5. We will provide the tissue paper and bag ready for gift giving. We hope to see you there!

In yesterday’s post we talked about ways to use our Gourdicopia collection to create a stunning Thanksgiving table. We have even more ideas for you today!

Instead of using a bowl or container, create a Thanksgiving centerpiece spread. We absolutely love this table design by Kim Krejca. (view her original post here.)

image by Kim Krejca

Using Williams-Sonoma Great American Turkey dish towels as inspiration and a starting point, Kim used items she had around the house to create this lovely spread.  She incorporated artichokes, pears, dried gourds, pomegranates, artificial white pumpkins and autumn leaves, but the possibilities are really endless!!

Photo by Kim Krejca

Another way to enjoy the rustic simplicity of a raw, cleaned gourd is to craft it into a gourd luminary centerpiece. Just be sure to use an LED tealight in your dried gourds and not a real candle.

image courtesy of marthastewart.com

These examples by Martha Stewart are a great starting point for inspiration! The best thing is, once you create your luminaries they will last for years to come.

November 1st means it’s time to start planning your Thanksgiving dinner and family get togethers. Let Meadowbrooke Gourds take care of beautifying your table with gourds!

Here are just a few of the options we love from our Gourdicopia Collection:

Create a grouping of petite and small splendors in a decorative bowl, container, or even another gourd as shown!

Group medium and large sized gourds on the table for a modern, simple display.

There are so many options with these small gourds and gourd bowls. Have fun designing your perfect Thanksgiving centerpiece! Click here to purchase.

If you’re looking for a quick and easy fall decorating project, here is an idea that we just love.

Simply take your small, fresh ornamental gourds and pumpkins and spray paint them different metallic colors of your choosing. We love the look of gold and a taupe-silver together.

You can display these sophisticated beauties in so many ways! Group them together as shown on a cake stand for a gorgeous, simple centerpiece, or display them in a large bowl mixed with pinecones, twigs, and other fall elements.

metallic gourd centerpiece

You can also take this technique and apply it to dried gourds for an arrangement that will last from year to year.

Click to purchase this raw, cleaned gourd

2 inch bottle gourds (shown above) would make  for a lovely arrangement. Mix the dried gourds in with the fresh gourds and pumpkins for an interesting, fall display.