Our newly retired birds & bees are now 25% OFF! These gourds will make a lovely addition to your Spring decor.

Orange Tweeter Bird:

Retail Customers receive 25% off while supplies last. (Regular retail price: $14.49)

Wholesale customers buy 2 and get the 3rd one free while supplies last! (free items will be included at the time of shipping. For every 2 items a wholesale customer purchases we will ship 1 extra item, while supplies last).

These little birds are sure to put a smile on your face. They are approximately 5 inches tall. Each one is sitting on a grapevine nest.

Click here to start shopping.

Signature Series Bumble Bee Gourds (Pumpkin Spice & Black):

Retail Customers: 25% off while supplies last. (Regular retail price: $36.99)

Wholesale customers buy 2 and get the 3rd one free while supplies last! (free items will be included at the time of shipping. For every 2 items a wholesale customer purchases we will ship 1 extra item, while supplies last).

Our Signature Series Bumble Bees are perfect for your spring collection. Choose from black or pumpkin spice color; comes with an amber electric light. Approximately 5 inches in diameter. Each piece is signed by the master crafter who created the gourd.

Click here to purchase the Black Bumble Bee Gourd.

Click here to purchase the Pumpkin Spice Bumble Bee Gourd.

 

 

We are very excited about February’s product of the month  – Gloria bunnies!

The bunnies pictured below are as a result of our designer’s effort to create this new product. Ben does the cutting and putting together, Ashley critiques them and adds color, then Denise adds the bows and finishing touches.

It all starts with the idea to create a new bunny. Our goal is always to reinvent ourselves and innovate what we currently produce. As we start to make them, each one takes on a personality of their own. Some creations turn out worse than we expect and some better. The bad ideas head for the trash and the very best ideas go into production. We are then left with one of a kind gourds looking for a home. The next hop for these bunnies will be to our retail store as the February product of the month!

The finished Gloria bunnies…

Our Gloria gourd bunnies will be available February 1st! We are holding a pre-order sale right now! Read more about the sale here.

We are excited to offer this brand new class on during our May Faire on May 5th- Create Your Own Spring Gourd Garland!

This new class will give you the opportunity to make this colorful spring gourd garland. This class has limited seating, so reservations are required.  All supplies are included in the $25.00 fee.  Please call 717-776-6029 x102 or email bethm@mbgourds.com

Happy Friday, everyone! We’re especially in the spring spirit today because it’s the first day of our Spring Open House events for 2012, which includes paint-your-own Easter eggs, baskets and birdhouses!

Last week we posted some ideas for crafting and painting gourd Easter eggs. Now that you have your eggs, today’s post is all about creative Easter baskets. Don’t forget: we have raw gourd eggs available for sale online or stop by our Retail Store today or tomorrow (3/16 and 3/17) to paint your own. We provide all the necessary supplies.

Blooming Easter Basket:

 

This beautiful basket is so cheerful and easy to make. Simply hot glue faux forsythia flowers to a plastic or metal bowl. Cover a wire hanger with ribbon, shape the wire using a coffee can, and hot glue to create the handle.

Papier-Mâché Basket:

 

This Easter Basket project is a great one to do with the kids. These “bird’s nest” baskets are made with shredded pieces of brown paper lunch bags and dictionary pages. Visit countryliving.com for the full instructions on how to create your own.

Rose Basket:

 

This beautiful rose basket is made from crepe paper. The bucket underneath is a simple plastic bucket made for mixing paint.

Abby Candy Dish Basket:

Our Abby Gourd Bunny is originally meant for a candy dish, however this unique gourd can be filled with any Easter treat or decoration. Just fill with Easter grass and your painted eggs for a lovely display or give as a gift!

We’d love to see your creative Easter baskets! Please share them on our Facebook page or Twitter page.

 

To continue our Gourd Easter Egg theme from last week, we have more inspiration coming your way. Painting and dying Easter eggs is a wonderful tradition. We have so many fond memories of dying Easter eggs each year with those we love. Continue a tradition with painting gourd Easter eggs! Your masterpiece and memories will last from year to year.

This coming Friday and Saturday (March 16th & 17th) we are offering the opportunity to paint your own gourd eggs at our retail store (as well as baskets and birdhouses!) Bring the family for this great activity. The cost ranges from $1.00- $12.00 and we supply all the gourds, paints and other supplies (No reservations needed). Kids can even enter their painted egg in our Kids Art Contest! Read more here.

Here are some gourd egg painting ideas to get the inspirations rolling:

Doodle Eggs:

 

To make these stark black and white doodle eggs, first paint your gourd eggs white and let them dry. Then, simply take a sharpie and draw different patterns, flowers, etc. on the egg. Let your imagination run wild!

Speckled Eggs:

 

We just love the look of these speckled eggs and they can be used in so many different crafting and decorating applications once they’re painted. Some of these eggs are tea stained and some have been dyed blue using blue food coloring. Since your gourd eggs will already start off as brown, you may be able to skip the tea staining step or use it to alter the natural gourd to your desired brown color. Creating the speckled effect is very easy – just dip brown craft paint with a toothbrush and splatter away.

Chalkboard Eggs:

 

Chalkboard paint is just so much fun. In addition to its endless uses, why not use it on your gourd Easter eggs? Include a few of these lovelies in an Easter basket and personalize with chalk for the recipient!

Gilded Eggs:

 

Probably the most simple painting project with gourd eggs, create these gilded gems by spray painting gourd eggs with different metallic spray paints. Display in a basket or glass container to make an elegant statement.

Isn’t gourd egg painting fun??

Bring the cheerfulness of Spring into your home with our 2012 Spring Collections. Bunnies, chicks, ducks, wildflowers, eggs, carrots – all hand-crafted from dried gourds. These unique pieces will last from year to year.  Just click on the photos to learn more about each product.

 

 

 

This Easter decorate your home with eggs! They are simple, beautiful, and nothing says springtime quite like them. There are a lot of projects that use real eggs for centerpieces and decor. When you use GOURD eggs, however, you have a special piece that can last from spring to spring. Here are just a few projects to try using gourd eggs. We found all of these projects on Pinterest!

First, purchase your raw gourd eggs here. You can paint and decorate them however you like! The inspiration is endless.

Create an egg and moss wreath:

 

This is so simple and beautiful. Glue Spanish Moss to a grapevine wreath. Paint your gourd eggs with beige craft paint and speckle with brown craft paint mixed with water-based faux glaze (1:2 paint/glaze ratio). Use a toothbrush to get this spatter effect.

Easter egg place setting:

 

Use a gourd egg to mark seats in a place seating! Your guests can take home their personalized egg as a favor.

Decoupage your gourd eggs:

 

Source: marthastewart.com via i dream of chairs on Pinterest

 

Use Mod Podge to decoupage beautiful papers or pages from a book to your gourd Easter Eggs for a beautiful display.

More Gourd Easter Egg inspiration coming soon!

The inside of your home isn’t the only place you will want to get ready for spring. As warm, spring weather is going to start showing itself more and more, here are some simple ideas to spruce up your outside, too!

Hanging plants on your front porch or around your doors will not only bring a pop of color to the outside of your home, but it makes your home look more welcoming.

Consider adding some chair cushions to the seating on your porch. Think about some seasonal colors that would go well with your home as well as your hanging plants.

Another simple solution – think about replacing your door mat! This minor change can give a mini face-lift to your porch.

Give our feathered friends a beautiful, unique home by adding one of our gourd birdhouses to your garden. Visit our website for this birdhouse and more birdhouse color options.

We don’t know about all of you but even though its still a little chilly, this sunny weather has been getting us very excited for spring time! Although the first official day of spring may still be a couple weeks away, we’re ready to get our homes spruced up for the warm weather to come!

We found a few great tips from Better Homes & Gardens to give your home that lovely touch of spring!

photo courtesy of Better Homes & Gardens

Add pops of color all around your living room! A brightly colored lamp shade, a vase or a great throw rug will do the trick.  Use your imagination to bring some of your favorite spring colors into your living room.

photo courtesy of Better Homes & Gardens

We couldn’t resist sharing this adorable spring project for your bathroom! A little bit of decoupage and brightly colored fabric can turn a typical bathroom mirror into a great pick-me-up for your bathroom.

photo courtesy of Better Homes & Gardens

The colors of fruits and flowers are so vibrant and beautiful, so why not mix and match them? These colorful orange kumquats and bright yellow tulips would make a great centerpiece!

For more tips on home decor for the spring, visit Better Homes & Gardens online!

Here’s another great spring decorating idea…

Add our cute little Abby Bunny anywhere in your home and you’re sure to get into the mood for spring.

Visit our website for more items from our spring collection. Happy decorating!

As you anticipate the idea of spring cleaning, you might also get the urge to organize and give your living space a face-lift. One task that is sometimes forgotten is our bookshelves! How do you balance your large book collection and make it look good at the same time? We have a few suggestions to get your creative gears working!

1. Alternate stacking books horizontally and vertically

2. In deep bookshelves, layer photos and books and stack figurines or other small art objects on horizontal books.

3. Our favorite suggestion is incorporating  Meadowbrooke gourds into your bookshelves to add a splash of character to your collection!

These gourds would make great additions to your bookshelves by adding crisp color.

Our gourdicopia collection (small splendors featured to the left) would also make a beautiful display on a bookshelf.

You can find these gourds on our website!

Have fun with your rearranging this spring and don’t be afraid to try something new!