Celebrate Autumn Gourds

You can't have fall without pumpkins, but sooner or later they end up in pies or the compost pile. There's a cousin of the jack-o'-lantern, though, that's fun, colorful and a lot more permanent. Design expert Natalie Daise shares new ideas for that other icon of autumn, gourds.

Gourds make perfect accents for a fall harvest table. Daise has turned small gourds into votive holders by cleaning out the inside, cutting a design with a craft knife and adding a little paint. She's also turned a long-necked, flat-bottomed gourd into a vase by simply cutting off the top. Polymer clay is used to embellish the long neck. She's even put a larger gourd to use as a bread basket.

Use gourds to hold candy. First clean out the inside, paint a design on the outside and add a beaded handle. Children can embellish their own with stickers.

Instead using a pumpkin for your jack-o-lantern, use a gourd instead. Clean out the inside and cut the design with a craft knife or simply paint on your design with craft paint.