Did you know that you can do all sorts of "functional" things with gourds? Yep, gourds are arguably one of the most useful and incredible plants in the world! Grown and cultivated for thousands of years, it is thought that gourds have been widely used and crafted into a wide range of useful and beautiful objects throughout history and in almost every culture in the world.
Pretty cool, huh?
There are a lot of different types, sizes and shapes of gourds around today. Generally, gourd varieties easily cross with each other and new sizes and shapes are created all the time. There are some more "standard" types of gourds though and those are often the types you'll find when purchasing seeds or mature gourds.
Hard shell gourds (Lagenaria siceraria) are often named and classified by their shape and/or their use. For example, there are bottle gourds, canteen gourds, kettle gourds, dipper gourds, etc. and they can be made into anything from bird houses, musical instruments, art and sculpture, kitchen utensils, cups, water vessels, bowls, and more.
Many contemporary gourd artists make lamps from gourds.
I gave it a try and here is my first (very simple) gourd lamp! This is a rather small gourd (about 7 inches tall and 5 inches in diameter) and I created a very simple pattern of lines and holes using my trusty Dremel. Then, I made a large hole in the bottom and inserted a small craft light bulb into the bottom of the gourd.
I think if I were to make more of these, I would create a wood base on which to mount the light bulb unit (and hide the cord through) and then mount the gourd on top of the wood base. But, since this is my first stab at a lamp, I didn't make a base for it. The light bulb has an expandable clamp around it that allows it to fit securely in the bottom hole of the gourd... with the cord it's a little wobbly, but once it's sitting flat and lit, I think the lamp looks great!
How fun is this gourd?
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