Last month, we took the boys to the Alabama Gourd Festival in Cullman before seeing the new sculpture at Ave Maria Grotto. I was really excited about going to the gourd show this year, because our friend Wade Wharton (who has the great art environment in Huntsville) let us know that he entered and won in the toy category!
Besides people entering their own creations, there are *several* people there selling the gourds they grow themselves. We bought two of these pumpkin-shaped gourds – I think they were each less than $3 each:
I took a regular craft foam brush and coated each with Minwax PolyShades 1-Step Stain & Polyeurethane in Antique Walnut Satin #340. The reason the one on the right is so much lighter is that even though I shook and shook and shook the little can, the dark stain stayed on the bottom. I just thought it would turn darker with time! Finally on the second, I dipped the foam brush far into the can and found all that dark stain…but actually, I like having them both a little different:
I stained and left them outside all day – so pretty!
It’s one of those have-to-stop-here places if you’re going toward Pulaski. If you catch them at the right time, they’re making the fried pies fresh and you can leave with a hot one. Oh yes.
It’s too late in the season now to make one, but all it is is just several ears of Indian corn cut in thirds, a hole drilled through the middle of each, and a wire frame inserted through the hole in each corn section. Definitely going to make a couple of these next year for friends!