We’re very excited about one of our newest gourd collections – Wildflowers. The new collection could be described as “rustic chic”. Each piece is natural in color with a beautiful flower to decorate the center.

The medium lit gourds are approximately 5 1/2″ in diameter and comes with a green electric light that shines through the vine cut out design.

Medium Lit Wildflower Gourd

The small is approximately 4″ in diameter and comes with a rawhide tie around the neck of the vase.

Small Gourd Vase

How beautiful would one of these gourds look as part of a rustic bookshelf display like this one?

image courtesy homeportfolio.com

We are sending all of our blog readers a virtual gourd bouquet to say Happy Valentine’s Day! We hope it is a wonderful day spent with those you love.

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

Raw gourds at Meadowbrooke Gourds

For all of you DIYers out there or for those that are just interested in what we do at Meadowbrooke Gourds, here is some insight into one of the steps in gourd crafting- drying.

For those that want to craft and paint their own gourds without the hassle of growing, drying, and cleaning, we do offer raw, cleaned gourds in many shapes and sizes online here.

Here at the farm after the first frost, we cut the gourds off the vine and line them up in rows. There they sit until the snows melt and the ground thaws. By that time they are close to 90% dry. Then we pick them up, and the can begin thier journey to our washing and crafting rooms.

Gourds in our zone in Central Pennsylvania grow from June to October or until the first hard frost hits.  The frost will kill the vine and it will not continue to grow.  After the hard frost hits, pick your gourds and let them dry outside over winter, off the ground (skid, picnic table, etc.) if you can.  It is okay to place them on the ground-they will just take a little longer to dry.  If a gourd has a matured to a hard shell a frost will not harm it.  If a gourd got a late start and is not mature, the frost will make it rot.

A quality gourd will go through a skin decay molding process-this is normal as long as the gourd is still hard and not mushy to the touch.  Do not get discouraged if your gourds look terrible and may even smell.  Small gourds dry faster than larger ones.  Some really large gourds can take up to June the following year to dry completely.  Your gourd is completely dried when it weighs only ounces.  For most, this is around March or April.

Please let us know if you have any gourd drying questions! We’re here to help.

Happy 2012, everyone! We hope you are having a wonderful start to the new year.

We are excited to introduce our first Product of the Month of 2012  and we are thinking Valentine’s Day! Our new Valentine Vine gourd is red in color with a vine cut-out and is 12″ tall. It comes with an electric light. This would be a special gift for someone or just for yourself!

Purchase our new Valentine Vine gourd here.

Meadowbrooke Snowmen are one of the most beloved aspects of our winter collection. The best part is, these gourds can be displayed all winter long well after the holidays. Invite these “snowy creatures” to warm your home this winter.

Charlie Collection

Brambles family

Frosty Collection

Our #1 Selling Winter Product -Nick Collection

Oliver collection

Lana

Stanley family

This sale is ONE day only and while supplies last so get your order in early on Tuesday, December 20th!

Shop at http://www.mbgourds.com

Happy Holidays!

Meet our #1 selling winter product- Nick!

This gourd snowman head is white in color with a black top. He has an orange carrot gourd nose and a gourd pipe. The large is approximately 8 inches in diameter and comes with an electric light.

Nick will warm up your home all winter long!

Purchase online here.

View our other snowman collections:

The Stanley Family
Oliver Collection
Brambles
Lana
Frosty Family
Charlie

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.