Christmas Santa Gourd

Materials:

medium size gourd – lean and dried
acrylic paint
purple leather dye
gold metallic acrylic paint
artist paintbrush
2 miniature ribbon flowers
5 decorative upholstery tacks
pre-fabricated Santa head/hat
1/4" wooden dowel
3 steel plated 1" floral rosettes
scissors
hammer
felt tip dots
hand saw
100-grit sandpaper
white and green holiday ribbon for scarf
glue gun and hot glue sticks
paper clay
awl
compass with pencil
instant glue
white all-purpose rock
clean cloth
plastic butter knife
safety glasses
rubber or latex gloves
wood burning tool
clamps

1. Draw the cutting line with pencil at the top of the gourd. Use an awl to punch a hole to insert the saw along the cutting line. Cut off the top of the gourd with a hand saw. Wear safety glasses while sawing. Sand the top smooth and level with sandpaper.

2. Wearing rubber or latex gloves, apply purple leather dye to the gourd (figure A) by rubbing it on with a rag. Let dry.

3. Attach the pre-purchased Santa head with hot glue to the hole in the top of the gourd and let dry for 10 minutes.

4. Using paper clay, shape two arms and mold them to the body of the gourd. Create detail in the arms and hands using a plastic butter knife. Remove the arms from the gourd and dry for 24 to 48 hours. Paint the arms with purple dye. Let dry. Paint the band on the wrists with gold metallic acrylic paint. Let dry. Attach the arms to the body with hot glue.

5. Add jacket details to the front of the Santa gourd using a wood burning tool (figure B).

6. Use clamps to keep Santa's beard out of the way. Place a length of white ribbon around Santa’s neck and cross it over on the chest. Place a decorative tack where the ribbons cross and hammer the tack in. Wrap a length of green ribbon around Santa's neck slightly below the white ribbon and cross it over, and then secure it with a tack just below the white ribbon tack. Place a tack in the center of a metal rosette and hammer the pair below the ribbons (figure C). Add two more tack/rosette combinations down the front of Santa’s belly as jacket buttons. Trim the ends of the ribbons and hot glue miniature ribbon flowers to the ends of the white ribbon.

7. Draw a circle on Santa’s bottom with a compass and mark the locations for three legs. Punch holes for the legs with an awl and enlarge to fit 1/4-inch dowels. Cut three dowels to length for the legs and secure into the holes (figure D) with instant glue. Paint the dowels with purple dye. Attach felt tip dots to the bottom of the legs.

Display your Santa gourd during the Christmas holidays!