Love the color! Did you use Gourdmaster dyes? It almost looks like their rich mahogany. I love that stuff! It brings out the beautiful pattern on the gourd but makes it an outstanding color - almost like richly stained wood. Great job! This was a drum I made out of a gourd and used the Gourdmaster dye on. I can't remember which color but it made it look like stained wood.

I have some homemade soap that I have made. The bars aren't really pretty but the soap has a rich nice lather and does not dry out your skin as I have added oils and shea butter to it. I have a batch with a spicy scent that is brown and a batch that has a orangy scent that is a light rusty sort of color. There is no coloring added--that is the color the fragrance oils made the soap. I also will be making more soap in the last part of April, if you'd like to request something. Let me know.

letta-I use leather lacing,copper wire,jute.They all seem to hold up pretty well but of course wire is best.I drill holes in the top of the gourd and run the material through that.Just tie the jute or leather in a knot and leave a 2-3 in length.I pull the leather or jute through the hole then so the knot is at the hole then dab on a little bit of wood glue to hold it.Sometimes I string beads on the ends of the material.When I use wire for hanging I drill holes in each side of the gourd about 1 inch or so from the top.Cut a 1/4 in. dowel rod so there will be about 1 inch of rod sticking out from each side of the gourd when it is slipped through the holes.Glue the dowel in the holes with wood glue so it doesn't slip out.You can paint the dowel the color of the gourd or a contrasting color or stain it.When the glue is dry cut your wire to the desired length adding about 6 inches to allow for twisting the wire around the dowel.Twist the wire tightly around each side of the dowel.I sometimes leave a length of wire on each end and twist it around a pencil and add beads for decoration.You can also use the leather strings or jute for the hanger with the dowel too.Just add a little glue to assure it doesn't slip off.I use the dowel on my larger gourds and the apple gourds.Hope this has given you some ideas....................Lillie

That's how I dry my gourds. I wait till that moldy skin comes off easily and wash it up. You'll have some nice looking gourds. It's called green cleaning. Sue