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. 

Falling in Love with Gourds...

Sometimes I just have to go out to the Shed and have some seasonal fun...I hope you are too!  Welcome to Crackled Apples, a gourd patch of the Virginia Lovers' Gourd Society.

Aligning with the Museum

  

In a previous post, we said this year's VA Gourd Show will once again align its member challenge with the current exhibit at our host venue, the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley. The exhibit is Marvelocity: the Art of Alex Ross and our challenge is MarvelGourd! - combining gourds with marveliousness of action figures!  Here are 2 ideas so far:

👈 One idea is a long-necked bottle gourd, hands on hips, head titled back in a proud stance of being Rose. Long-handled dipper gourds will provide the curved limps of arms and legs and paper roses as ornament, rose tattoos as body decoration, and rose fabric as tights and hair clasp.

The other idea is the Super Gourder with the tool belt and a bunch of mini gourd projects, electric cords, paint brushes and tools hanging from a belt wrapped around the belly of a masked bottleneck gourd.👉        

Join us for the VA Gourd Show! It's a great place for holiday gifts, raw gourds for your own projects, and meet experts who can offer some advice! There's always more than one way to make your way around an idea.

Member Challenge, 2023!

 

Here we are moving into another new season without the legal responsibility of justification. What we enjoyed doing still persists: children's programs, school educational visits, quarterly chapter meetings with a project, and our annual show held at a museum. This year's Member Challenge at our VA Gourd Show in Winchester, VA is in alignment with the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley's traveling exhibit about Alex Ross, the artist behind the Marvel comics superheroes.  MarvelGourd! will be a challenge and an exciting opportunity to see what marvels we can come up with! 

Votive Candles, Safely

It's so surprising how the contrast of light and dark can be so transforming!  This gourd is open at the top and the bottom to be placed over a tea light which was not as luminous and as a candle's flame. However, because gourds will burn, it is vital NOT to put a candle in a gourd where can have contact with the gourd wall.  Cutting the top and bottom open allows the shell to be placed over a votive without fear of the candle burning to the nub and catching the gourd on fire. The design is done with Sharpies with various-sized holes made with a variety of drill bits.