How to Chip Carve a Gourd YouTube DIY Video

In this quick 5 1/2 minute video I share how to chip carve using a 1/4" u-gouge. It's a tedious technique to use on gourds, especially when you want the chip carving to be the focal point and need to do a lot of it, but it gets easier over time and the results are gorgeous! Make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel for more gourd tutorials! My next video involves macrame on gourds so you don't want to miss that!

© 2013 Bernadette Fox

Silent Night, Holy Night . . . a very Merry Christmas to all!

Wanted to give a warm wish for a blessed Christmas season to all my blog readers! At the same time I thought to share one of my latest gourd creations I custom made for two sisters. They were looking for the perfect Christmas gift for their mother who collects both gourds and music boxes. After finding my Etsy shop they quickly inquired about making a gourd out of a music box. Of course I said yes, I thought it would be a perfect gift! I made the music box using an 18-note music box that plays Silent Night and decorated the gourd with silhouettes of the Nativity scene that I carved around with a special texture reminiscent of snow falling. Embossed silver stars dot the night sky. Three ribbons I carved and painted in gold serve to both separate each beautiful Christmas scene and unify the whole piece with elegance and majesty. The Bethlehem star draws the eye and serves as the knob to open the hinged lid.

May the Star of Bethlehem be your light throughout the coming year! Merry Christmas everyone! 

© 2013 Bernadette Fox

Deck the Halls with Boughs of . . . Gourds!

My previous post I mentioned the techniques I wanted to try out on my next gourd creations. Well, I did try out quite a few of them, but the one that I am having lots of fun with right now is wax painting! I decided to decorate small, ornamental gourds with wax - transforming them into ornaments for the tree. I think they came out very well and sold most of the ones I made at a recent craft show! Check out the video I just uploaded on YouTube about how I made them. If you are not into making them yourself, but can't resist them, then stop on by my Etsy shop to purchase a few in time for Christmas.

I am in the process of making a bunch more to decorate my family's tree so check back again to see a photo of our decorated tree!


© 2013 Bernadette Fox