You asked, we answered! Now, for the first
time, purchase bottle gourds by the size you want! And save
up to 20% off Custom Order prices with no minimums to meet!
High quality bottle gourds at discount prices!!!! Order
now while the selection is at its best! Click
Here!
View Our
Entire Catalog!
Create your own custom gourd orders, pick up a prepackaged gourd
kit, and find the tools you need to make your next gourd project
a true masterpiece!
"Thank you so very much for the Gourdzette.
I was so thrilled when I opened my mail... I have enjoyed this
newsletter more than you know and it makes me want to go to the
basement and start painting!"
- Maggie, Butler, MO
"I love your newsletter, particularly
the tips and ideas!..."
- Sioux G.
New to Gourd Crafting?
Get started now with the most popular gourd crafting kit on the
market!
(1) SAVE UP TO 40% ON
PRE-BOXED GOURDS!
Save money and buy your gourds without having to meet a BIG minimum
order! Pre-boxed gourds save time and money and that savings is
passed right into your wallet! Order your gourds by the box and
still get top quality gourds at discount prices! To place your
order, call toll free: (877) 420-2613. Or visit the Shop section
of our web site. Click
Here!
(2) OCEAN DRUM CLASS - SATURDAY, JUNE
5th
Held at the Welburn Gourd Farm, the coveted once-a-year Ocean
Drum class taught by Guillermo Martinez is nearly full! Sign up
now or wait another full year! Register
Now!
(3) ENROLL
TODAY FOR JUNE FESTIVAL CLASSES!
That's right! The moment you've been waiting for! With 24 classes
to choose from, you are sure to find a class or two that you just
have to take! Each class has limited space and some are only offered
once per year! So be sure to get the class you want before it's
full. Word to the wise: these classes do fill-up. In fact, some
already have been filled, so Register
now!
(4) STOCK UP ON GOURD CRAFTING SUPPLIES!
The 2004 gourd crop is in! Stock up on all of your gourd crafting
supplies! And California Gourds is the one-stop shop for all of
the latest tools, dyes, pastes, and books. If you've been putting
off getting that Detail Master, now is the perfect time to treat
yourself so you'll be ready when the gourds are! Order
Now!
(5) 2004
INTERNATIONAL GOURD ART FESTIVAL WEBSITE
Check out the newly updated website for this year's International
Gourd Art Festival. Want to know what hotels to stay at, what
attractions to see, and who the Featured Artists are, and so much
more??? Visit www.GourdFestival.com.
New information will be posted as it comes in.
(6)CAN'T
FIND WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR?
Send us an e-mail and let us know what your gourding needs are!
Your suggestions could be the next great deal on pre-boxed gourds!
Your needs are our business! E-mail us today!
(7)ADDRESS
BOOK UPDATE
It's time to update your address books with the e-mails for Welburn
Gourd Farm and California Gourds! To get information on Custom
Ordersor to contact Welburn Gourd Farm directly,
send e-mails to sales@cagourds.com.
To give product suggestions, inquire about an online or phone
order (other than Custom Orders) or to contact California Gourds
directly please send e-mails to sales@californiagourds.com.
(8)HOW CAN
WE SERVE YOU BETTER? California Gourds is dedicated to bringing you the best
gourds, products and service possible! Please let us know how
we can serve you better. What would you like to see changed or
improved on: web site? newsletter? products or services? Send
us an e-mail!
Step
one: Cut a small opening in the gourd. A simple method of cutting
a perfectly round opening is to use a “hole saw”
that has been chucked into a drill. Hole saws are commonly found
in any hardware or tool store and come in many diameters.
Place the drill portion of the hole saw into a starter hole
you’ve made near the stem of the gourd. Use steady, even
pressure to drill the hole. After the hole has been cut, use
a file or sandpaper to gently smooth any rough edges, and clean
the inside of the gourd before proceeding.
Step
two: Cut a small disc of pine or other scrap wood to act as
a stopper. Use a compass to draw a circle that is as close to
possible to the size of the finished opening. You want the lid
to fit snugly when it is done, so don’t cut it too small.
The stopper can be filed or sanded to fit properly if it is
a bit too large for the hole.
Step three: Method 1 - Choose a scrap piece of gourd that is
larger in diameter than the hole in the gourd to serve as the
lid. Use a piece that was removed from another gourd and has
a nice shape. Method 2 - Alternatively, choose a gourd piece
or other material that is smaller in diameter than the hole
to serve as a handle, and back it with another thin piece of
wood that won’t drop into the gourd. (See below) I use
1/8” basswood for this piece which will serve as the lid.
A small,
bulbous shaped gourd scrap can function as handle for the lid,
or use a gently domed scrap and add a handle made from wood,
antler or other material.
Step four: Glue the wooden stopper disc to the bottom of the
lid. Use good quality wood glue and clamps to ensure a good
bond. You can fill any little gaps later with wood filler if
needed. Finally, glue a handle to the top of the lid.
The
gourd on the left has a lid made from a small disc of basswood
and a gourd handle. (The larger pine stopper fits inside the
gourd opening and can’t be seen in the photo.) The gourd
on the right has a lid made from a basswood disc, and has a
handle made from a wood square with a scrap piece of gourd glued
to either side.
For an extra fancy lid, use a special handle that you have
made from wood or other material. After cutting the material
to size and shape, drill a hole in the bottom of the handle
and in the top of the domed lid. Use a dowel and wood glue to
assemble the parts and clamp.
Two
examples of lids made with a large gourd scrap (wider than the
hole in the gourd) and an added wooden handle. The handle on
the left has been further decorated with inlaid stone, and the
gourd scrap lid has been carved. The fetish bear handle on the
right has been carved from wood and the gourd scrap lid has
been carved and painted.
Bonnie Gibson is an award-winning gourd artist, sought-after
instructor, and one of this year's Featured Artists at the International
Gourd Art Festival to be held at the Welburn Gourd Farm
on June 26th & 27th, 2004.
To get started on your lidded gourd project, order a box of
Welburn canteens and kettles while supplies last! Last year
these high quality gourds sold out and will again this year!
Order
now!
If you have an article submission for The Gourdzette, we would
love to hear from you! Please send article or idea for an article
to editor@gourdzette.com.
CALENDAR
OF EVENTS
April 2-4, 2004-
Indiana Gourd Society Show in Kokomo, Indiana
April 10-11, 2004
- Georgia Gourd Society Show in Albany, Georgia. For more info,
click
here.
April 17, 2004 -
"It's a Gourd Day" in Elkton, Maryland -- This will
be an educational day for “gourding” with vendors
and classes at a wonderful facility – Fair Hill Natural
Resources Management Area. For more details, click
here.
April 16, 17, 18, 2004
- Gourd College, Asilomar, California. The California Gourd Society
will once again hold its members conference at the picturesque
Asilomar conference facility near Monterey, California. For more
information, click
here.
April 23-25, 2004
- Show Me Gourd Society Festival at the State Fairgrounds in Sedalia
MO. The Festival is on Saturday and Sunday with additional workshops
on Friday. For more details, click
here.
May 7-9, 2004 -
The 1st Annual South Carolina Gourd Gathering in Santee SC. For
more info, click
here or contact Cara Hollingsworth, President of SCGS at (864)
233-4951.
May 14-16, 2004
- Kentucky Gourd Show May 21-23, 2004
- The second Gourd Artists Gathering in Cherokee, North Carolina.
For more info, click
here.
June 5, 2004 -
a Great Gourd Gathering at the Condill Farm in Arthur, IL. For
details about attending or participating, contact Carolyn Ferdinand
at 618-457-7616 or TedFred@aol.com
June 26th - 27th, 2004 - 8th Annual
International Gourd Art Festival at the Welburn Gourd Farm. Applications
and more information available online at www.GourdFestival.com
July 10th, 2004 - 5th Annual Shingletown
Gourd Festival. The proceeds once again are donated to the Northern
California Burn Foundation Summer Camp for burned children. Festival
will be held on Saturday July 10 in Shingletown, California from
9:00am until 4:00pm, just 28 miles east of Redding on Hwy 44 at
an elevation of 3500' out of the heat of the valley.
FESTIVAL
UPDATE
Now
with this newsletter update, you can keep informed of the exciting
happenings of the annual International
Gourd Art Festival, held every June at the Welburn Gourd Farm,
the October Gourd and Pumpkin Fest, held every October at the
farm, and any shows where you can find dried, craft-ready Welburn
gourds.
International Gourd Art Festival
Next show - June 26 & 27, 2004
Learn how to create beautifully weaved pine needle handles
for your gourds! Class taught by the fabulous Toni Best!
Festival Classes
are Posted and Filling Up Fast!
From Beginning Gourd Crafting to Peruvian
Gourd Carving and so much more! Sign up today to get your
first choice picks of all 24 classes. With twelve classes
per day, you have the opportunity to take two! Plus, have
your friends sign up for two or more different classes and
swap tips and tricks! This is a once a year event that draws
teachers from as far away as Peru! Some classes have already
been filled! Register today to join in on all the gourding
fun! To see the complete list of classes, click
here!
TELL
A FRIEND
SEE
YOU NEXT TIME!
ABOUT CALIFORNIA GOURDS
California Gourds is the nation's leading online retailer of Welburn
Gourds. Welburn gourds are sold throughout the continental United States,
Canada, Hawaii, Australia, and more.
Known for their thickness, and easiness to clean, a Welburn gourd is
the gourd of choice for musical instruments, basketry, woodburning,
staining, painting, beading and more. Over the years, the Welburn gourd
has taken on an identity all it's own. If you have not yet worked with
a Welburn gourd, now is the right time to give it a try!
This newsletter is a copyrighted publication of California Gourds.
For information on reprinting this publication in whole or in part,
please contact the Editor of The Gourdzette, at editor@gourdzette.com.
To make this your last edition of
the newsletter, click on the link listed below.
Adding
a decorative lid can make a gourd vessel even more beautiful.
Instead of cutting the lid from the gourd itself, you can make
a decorative added lid using gourd scraps and scrap pieces of
wood. This technique can be used on any gourd shape, but it
works especially well with 
Step
one: Cut a small opening in the gourd. A simple method of cutting
a perfectly round opening is to use a “hole saw”
that has been chucked into a drill. Hole saws are commonly found
in any hardware or tool store and come in many diameters. 
Step
two: Cut a small disc of pine or other scrap wood to act as
a stopper. Use a compass to draw a circle that is as close to
possible to the size of the finished opening. You want the lid
to fit snugly when it is done, so don’t cut it too small.
The stopper can be filed or sanded to fit properly if it is
a bit too large for the hole. 
A small,
bulbous shaped gourd scrap can function as handle for the lid,
or use a gently domed scrap and add a handle made from wood,
antler or other material. 
The
gourd on the left has a lid made from a small disc of basswood
and a gourd handle. (The larger pine stopper fits inside the
gourd opening and can’t be seen in the photo.) The gourd
on the right has a lid made from a basswood disc, and has a
handle made from a wood square with a scrap piece of gourd glued
to either side.
Two
examples of lids made with a large gourd scrap (wider than the
hole in the gourd) and an added wooden handle. The handle on
the left has been further decorated with inlaid stone, and the
gourd scrap lid has been carved. The fetish bear handle on the
right has been carved from wood and the gourd scrap lid has
been carved and painted. 
