Luminary for Dark Nights of Winter

Winter can be a dark time. Weather and shortened light cycles can make it seem like one day moves into another with barely any notice. 

The Crackled Apples use this time to visit with other gourd enthusiasts. Navy Captain Connolly came up with this luminary using a metal topper and glass beads. Holes were drilled to mimic a starburst and the beads were glued into the holes. A light inserted into the bottom glows enticingly!

Varying the glass bead colors or possibly going with clear beads might be brighter.  The beauty of this technique is not being able to see the light source on the interior. The topper adds a majestic touch!  Good job, Mike!

Other Terrific Action Gourds!

 The three winners were cast by a close number of ballots from the visitors to the Shenandoah Valley Museum during the show. The ballots for these were strong and demonstrated they were super power figures as well!

            

 

Mama's Angel - angel power for all mamas!

Purl - Super Knitter - yarn erupting from her head        ready for power knitting (notice the mask in one hand)

The Masked Matryoshkas - A rogue gourd patch known for villainous ways. Bootlegga and Opportunista, aka The Eye.

Super Sweetie - A super-hero fairy gourd speaking softly but carrying a big stick. 

Gourd Action Figures!

 As described in a previous post, the Virginia chapter aligned its Member Challenge to the current exhibit, Marvelocity!...the art of Alex Ross.  Members offered several versions of gourd-y action figures.

The winners were PollyOptic Protector, Screech, and Call Out the National Gourd! All were innovative use of gourds and various techniques.