How to prepare gourds for painting

Many cavity-dwelling birds love to nest in gourds. They're safer for nestlings than birdhouses with a ledge or porch, and a variety of bird species inhabit them. Lots of people paint gourds white to attract birds and keep nestlings cool on hot days; others paint them decoratively and elaborately.

Make your own birdhouse from an ornamental gourd. It's fun and easy to create, using a gourd, exterior paint and a wood dowel for a perch.

Gourds are among the oldest of cultivated plants, dating back to 2200 B.C. They were commonly preserved and used as containers or carved into scoops. Gourds today are grown in a variety of types and sizes from small ornamental gourds to large birdhouse gourds.

Drying and cleaning gourds for for painting or crafting projects is easy to do yourself at home if you follow a few simple steps.

A swan gourd is a large gourd with a hard shell, a round belly and a long swooping top that makes it resemble the graceful swan. Swan gourds can be used in many crafts, including basic painted gourds for outdoor or holiday decorations or cut and dried gourds for baskets and bird feeders.

How to stain natural gourds for fall. We will be using these gourds in our fall mantel decor.

Making Gourd Birdhouses: Birdhouses made from gourds are a fun wintertime craft and make a great project to do with kids. There are several varieties of gourd which make great birdhouses -- You can sometimes buy them at your local farmers' market, or if you're in it f…

Ornamental gourds grow wide enough to make a natural birdhouse, but first you have to dry them. Drying (or curing) the birdhouse gourds will leave you with a hollow shell for birds to move into. Provided you have dry and sunny weather, you...

Video Spotlight To prepare a gourd for crafting, first you will need to remove the dirt and mold growing on it. To do this, I soak the gourd in a solution of

You've purchased some gourds and are ready to create! First, you'll need to clean the mold and grime off the outside. Read how to here.