Gourd clock photos

I finally got a few photos taken *actually my hubbie did it* of two of my mini gourd clocks. We had a busy weekend with our oldest daughter home, with her two little girls. They are one and three years old and both of them are happy, joyous toddlers. We LOVE having them here!

Today I'm continuing my cartooning unit with my art kids. We learned about Charles Schulz and Roy Lichtenstein the previous two weeks. Today our artist is Keith Haring. After learning about an artist we are sketching in note books. Each student will have a collection of cartoons by the end of our unit. They will then pick and choose features that they like and put together their own, unique cartoon character. Hopefully, they will use the character in a short 3 or 4 panel comic strip. It has been really fun for me to learn about cartooning and some of the artists who are famous because of the cartoon or comic strip look of their work.

I hope to get the mini-gourd clocks listed on etsy after the Valentine Art Show on Thursday.

Gourd clocks, Valentine's Day Sweetheart Show and Sale

I've finished almost all the mini-gourd clocks...just haven't had time to photograph them. I'm generally really pleased with how they turned out. The one I like best, I just finished. I took the thin skin that usually holds the seeds inside the gourd out, stained it with some thin oil paint and let it dry.

Then I attached a gourd piece to the back of a small round gourd and paper mach'ed the outside of the gourd with the skin. I'm in the process of coating it with poly-acrylic, satin. It is cool, if I may say so myself! I need a few more of the mini-clocks, though. Our only outlet doesn't have any in stock (and hasn't for several weeks). I ordered 15 from Klockit, but should've ordered 20.

I'm helping organize an Art Show and Sale especially for people to shop for their Valentines. A local jewelry store is hosting - we'll serve some wine and snacks from 4-7pm and be there to mingle about. Eight artists are involved and a couple of other retails spots are going to be especially for the event, too. Hopefully, it'll be fun and a rousing success!

Gourds are next on my agenda

Wow, it seems like I've been gone for a long time. I visited our daughter's family in Minnesota, helped her in her classroom with an art project (she teaches 3rd grade - we did plaster masks on our faces) and came home sick. Then it was Christmas with my parents and a couple siblings and off to Mexico for a family vacation, beach-side. How fun to ditch the winter gear, wear sandals and soak up the warm Mazatlan sun!

Now back to teaching, trying to get my online shop up and running and sewing doll clothes for our grand daughter. I finished that project this afternoon(without a pattern or measurements - I wonder how good my memory will be?), and called her to tell her the clothes are on the way to her house. She was so engrossed in telling me something or other about Cinderella and her cousins, that I don't think she ever caught on that I sent a present her way. She is three and cute as can be!

I am excited about creating a new 'batch' of gourd mini-clocks. I ordered the clock inserts tonight and hope to start cleaning the gourds and leveling the bottoms a bit so they stand without going bottoms up! I can't decide whether to stain or paint them, maybe I'll do some of each. I'm going to add some naturals, like long pine needles, twine, copper and leather lacing to some of them. I love gourds; I think they are beautiful little sculptures. I'll post some photos when I get one finished up.

I hope the new year is off to a wonderful start for you and yours!