One World One Heart OWOH

Hi there and welcome to my blog!! My name is Barbara Moore and I am a Gourd Artist living in Arkansas, USA. I love creating one of a kind Art pieces using the humble gourd. I love the fact that you can grow it, dry it, clean it, and then use several different techniques, everything from inks, dyes, and paints to decoupage, clay, wood burning and carving to create an Art piece that is truly unique, special and one of a kind. No two gourds are exactly alike and no two Artists work in exactly the same way.

Right now I want to show you the first prize that I will be giving away to some lucky blogger who comments on this post:

This is an apple gourd and is made into exactly what it represents. Doesn't it look like a nice shiny apple? I will post another prize later on if I receive enough comments. In order to be eligible to win the apple:
     1. You must be a blogger (from anywhere in the world)
     2. You must leave a comment on this post  (and a way to reach you if you win)
     3. The winner will be announced on February 17 and I will email the winner as well as post it.

This is my first year to participate in the OWOH event and the last year that Lisa plans on doing it. I hope there are many,many,many bloggers who join in. I can't wait to read you comments!

Snowy Day!

Woke up this morning to three inches of snow, more or less. It has been snowing all day so far and it really looks beautiful. I know that people back East are getting really tired of so much snow but this is the only snow accumulation that we've had so far this year. Wouldn't you know I had to get out in it today? Been at home all week and the one day I have to get out and accompany my husband to the doctor's office it snows.

I don't have any idea as to why the pictures above turned out two colors like they did but you all get the idea of the snow don't you? Unfortunately our temps tonight are supposed to dip down into the single digits. Can you say Brrrrr? I do not plan on going out anytime soon I can tell you! My prayers are with everyone who is dealing with disasterous weather right now, but I'm going to enjoy looking out at that snowy scene for a few days at least. lol

The Burial of a Nine year old and the 911 Flag

As many of you know, today is the memorial service and burial of Christina Green, the youngest victim of the Arizona Shooting a few days ago. Christina was born 9-11-01, a day that will always be remembered by the American people as a day when terrorists and their acts of senseless violence changed our country forever.

As a fitting tribute to Christina and also to the American people, the 911 Flag is being hoisted by two fire trucks over the door of the church where Christina's funeral will be held. Every person attending her funeral will pass beneath that flag.

I have seen that flag and touched that flag and placed a stitch in that flag as an act of repairing it and this great country of ours which has been ripped apart by the events that occured on 9-11. This past November, my husband (who's a veteran) and myself spent the majority of Veterans Week in Branson, MO. Every year that city puts on an extraordinary series of events which honor our nation's Veterans. The Veterans Coalition held a special service regarding the 911 Flag which has been touring the country asking people to be a part of repairing the Flag. The Flag is escourted by a member of the New York Fire Department.

A wonderful ceremony was held which included the history of the flag and how it came to be and was rescued from the ashes of 9-11-01. It was said that as that flag is mended so will our country be. Oh my how I wish that flag were completely mended! We gave a donation on that day to help with the cost of taking it across this country of ours and to help meet the needs of the wonderful people who have undertaken this project.

I hope that this flag and the little girl who was born on this day and tragically taken 9 1/2 years later will help to unite this country of ours and all of its citizens. I pray that the God who watches over us will lead us and guide us in all that we do and my sympathies and condolences are with the family of Christina today and always.

Barbara 

Hello My Blogger Friends

As you can see by the link on my sidebar to Cindy Adkins "I Owe It All To Him" featured blog artist button, yes my very kind friend has featured me on her blog. I feel so honored that she would think of me. Cindy is just that kind of wonderful person that anyone who has met her here in blogland knows is just the sort of special person that you really need in your life. She lifts her blogger friends up and genuinely cares for them. She has been such a great supporter of my gourd art that I would like to show you a few more of the pieces that I completed before Christmas:

Each gourd that I work with is grown here in the Ozarks. After growing for three months the gourd is left on the vine until the vine turns brown. Once the green gourd is harvested, it must dry over a period of another two - four months. After drying the gourd has to be cleaned by scrubbing all the mold off of it before it can be transformed. If a gourd is opened up up you must wear a mask while cleaning it or especially cutting and sanding it. I then do my thing so to speak to it. I use many different techniques on the gourds that I work with such as cutting, burning or carving and several different methods of applying color to the gourds. I've heard it said many times by artists who work with gourds that each particular gourd "speaks" to them and I have heard that call. Each one is unique and lets you know what it should become. Some gourds will set there for a long time before you figure out what they need to be, while others you know immediately. Working with gourds has really become a passion of mine and something that I truly love to create with. I thank you again Cindy for telling others about me and what I do with the humble gourd.

Some Pics and Prices for you

Well here I am with a few minutes today to post some pictures of my work along with some prices (I hope). The first picture is of a nativity that I've made that I'm ever so proud of:

Price $65.00 + shipping

This picture was taken in the daytime and it really doesn't do the piece justice as to how it looks in the dark.

The next picture up is of a smaller filigree piece that is really pretty:

Price $40.00 + shipping

I took a really terrible picture of this next one but the lighting was bad. This piece has a lot of engraving all over it with blue in the engraved spots and green over the rest of the piece:

Price $45.00 + shipping

I hope someone loves this next piece 'cause it's a real beauty! It's topped with a deer antler with turquoise inset and beads in the front and a deer head woodburned on the back which is colored in waxes. There is leather coiled on the top and engraving on the sides. The background of the piece is colored with dye. The whole piece is coated with sealer to preserve it:

Price $55.00 + shipping

                                                           Price $20.00 + shipping
Looks just like the real apple doesn't it? Of course it's much larger and you can't eat it! This piece hasn't been opened up.

Once again this is not the best picture but it is a fantastic piece. When I first saw the gourd that makes up the body of this piece, all I could think of was.....pheasant. I do believe it turned out to be a quite beautiful pheasant if I do say so myself:

Price $100 + shipping



All of my pieces are cleaned thoroughly both inside and out. The inside of the gourd is finished off with a coat of paint and the outside of the gourd is sealed completely with a coat of polyurethane to keep it nice. All you have to do is dust it with a feather duster and keep it out of direct sunlight.

If there is a particular thing that you collect or have a perchance for you can let me know about what you're willing to spend on it and I can create something for you that's custom made. Just contact me and let me know what you like or you can certainly purchase one of the pieces that I've shown you today. I have only one of each of these so it's first come first served. Thanks for looking at my art and for being so supportive of me.



Catching Up

Well folks here I am again trying to catch everyone up on what's been going on in my life. All I have to say is I've been Very busy working on my Gourd Art. I now have pieces in six different places and they have been selling well. That of course makes me very happy. I have been trying to read up on what everyone else is doing and how you're all getting along though. It's just hard to read all the blogs I follow and reply to very many. My slow time will be the first three months of the year, and I say slow without really knowing that for sure, it's just what I've been told. I do plan on working on some competition pieces when I get the time and enter my first competition in April.

I haven't really done any decorating since we're not going to be home for Christmas and my hubby didn't want to drag out all the decorations if we weren't going to be home. :( I have however been listening to a lot of Christmas music, I just love it don't you? The gifts are all coming along nicely and I'm just about done with that. We'll be going to El Paso, TX for Christmas and spending a couple extra days with one of our sons and his family.

I shall try to write a little more soon and show some pictures of Gourd Art pieces that I've completed. I do want to show a nativity that I designed and made. I've made two as the first one sold in a day, I just put the other one in a shop day before yesterday so we'll see how this one goes.

I'm gonna run  for now and hope to talk to you more soon.

I'm Baaaack!!!

I'm so sorry that I've been gone so long but I've been SUPER busy for the last few weeks! I now have Gourd Art pieces in a gallery in Hardy, AR and in a gallery in Norfork, AR. I'm so excited and happy to say that I've sold not one, not two, but THREE of my pieces in the Hardy Gallery!! I want to thank all of my blogging friends who told me to go for it, 'cause I do believe you all helped give me the courage to give it a try. Right now I'm working on some pieces for a two-day juried craft/art show in November plus I have another gallery in Harrison, AR that I want to have pieces in by the first of November. I'm also pleased as punch to mention (if I haven't already) that I've gotten my first commissioned gourd art piece ordered and I have to have that one made by the middle of December. I want to show you some of the things that I put in the gallery in Norfork, AR.

I didn't get pictures of all of the pieces but I hope to get the rest of them soon. I made a pheasant that I'm particularly proud of, (kinda like I was proud of the penguin mother and chick). What do you think? All the ones with toppers on them are boxes and the lids lift off. I'm working on an open piece right now that has flowers and butterflies on it. I think it's gonna be a pretty one also. In addition to all the gallery pieces that I've made, my hubby and son helped me make some very inexpensive things to put in a craft shop at a pumpkin patch about an hour and a half from home. We just got those placed in the craft shop last Friday and there were several of the little pieces that sold already. If you would like to purchase a Gourd Art piece from me, just send me a message and I'll be happy to give you a price quote. These pieces would make awesome Christmas gifts! Plus they are all Ooak pieces. Gotta run for now my friends, but I would like to mention that I've been thinking about a giveaway, maybe when I hit 100 followers????

Hugs XX   Barbara



Sunday afternoon fun

The hubby and I took off yesterday afternoon to attend the 2010 Ozark Mountain Artists Studio Tour. The tour was spread out over a "Lot" of road in Boone and Newton Counties in Arkansas. The organizers of this studio tour went through a lot of effort to put this tour together. Anyway you pick up a map along with the names of the artists and their particular medium or mediums that they work in and off you go! There were artists who work in silver jewelry, egg tempura, acrylics, batik, woodturning, photography, ceramics, fabric, pen & ink, pencils, mixed media and mosaics. We started out in Harrison, AR and headed down Hwy. 7 to our first stop and after seeing the sign for the artists on the Hwy. we traveled down a dirt road for 3 miles until we came to the first studio. Some of the artists had their tours in their studios and some in their homes. We traveled approximately 180 miles round trip and had a wonderful time meeting a lot of artists and enjoying their art work. We didn't get to see and meet all the artists listed on the map but now we've got other places to visit next year. We'll have to see some of the ones we saw this year again. I'm such a bad person, as I didn't take any pictures. Everything was so much fun that I totally forgot to take any pictures anyway. It was such an amazing tour and we met some really nice people who were sooo hospitable. They were just as interested in my art as I was in theirs. It was a beautiful sunny day and a great thing to do on a Sunday afternoon. Wish you could all have been there!

Hugs XX
Barbara

Gourd Art and more Gourd Art!

Before I get started on this post, I first want to thank every one of my blogging friends and not blogging friends who come to this blogsite and read my posts and make comments. You've all been so uplifting and encouraging in your words. You really have given me the courage to take that first step out there in marketing my artwork. I really love creating with gourds and I'm so happy to have pieces already in one Gallery! I owe a good deal of that happening to my friends who have told me to "go for it", "your work is awesome" etc. I've prayed about this a great deal and I'm hoping that this is truly what the Lord has in mind for me to do. I've asked him to give me the talent and to help me express my talent thru my work in Gourd Art. Here are pictures of my latest work. If you see something that you would love to have just contact me and I'll get you a price list.

I've got to say, I'm terrible about uploading and posting pictures but here's seven of the newest pieces that I've made. I hope you like these also.

It looks like all prayers have been answered in regard to the weather around here. We got rain all day long yesterday and today it has been raining and sprinkling all day also. God does answer prayer, our ground has been so dry that it's cracking open all over, except for the places we've been watering. So far the gourds that we have planted are doing alright but the garden is a wreck. We're still getting just a few tomatoes and peppers but that's about all. Our Stevia plants are doing very well and we'll be harvesting them soon. Stevia is not hard to grow once you get the plant established but getting them established is another story. The root system is very close to the surface. They like to be kept damp but not wet and they definitely don't like to dry out. Once they're out in well fertilized ground though they do very well as long as they have water. The bugs leave them alone altogether. Yippee! We had a terrible time with bugs in the garden this year. We've tried organic methods of insect control but they didn't work very well and I'm not going to put insecticide on something that's going in my mouth! I hope everyone else has had better luck in gardening this year. We've got a very dear friend named John who let us come pick tomatoes from his garden (He's got a very green thumb) and we made 42 jars of Salsa from the tomatoes we picked! He's also growing some gourds for me and I can't wait to see how they turn out! I think I've done enough talking for one post. I know, I should post more often. I will try.

God Bless you all!

The latest Gourd Art!

Sorry it's been so long since the last post, but I've been extremely busy finishing some gourd art that I had already started. Did you guess what was in the picture? Well here it is.....

Yes, it's a lovely Vase to put your dried Fall flower arrangement in!

It is even more impressive in person. The interior is a bronze/suede looking color. The background is green and the leaves that are carved around the vase are multi fall colors.

I have taken the advice and encouragement from all my blogger friends and have entered my pieces into the "Gourd Fine Art Show" at the Ozark Classic Crafts Gallery in Hardy, AR for the month of September,  the "Gourd Fine Art Show" at the Riverview Emporium Gallery in Norfolk, AR for the month of October and I'll have my pieces at the "Craftsfest" at the Baxter County Fairgrounds in Mountain Home, AR on November 19th & 20th. Yes, all my art pieces will be for sale at each of the places that I just mentioned. I would like to show you a couple more pieces that I've completed along with prices. I will be happy to ship a piece out to you and add the postage to the final price if you decide you would like to have one of my pieces. The following is a piece that took considerable time to make and is three different gourds put together. I love this piece, and I think it is very special.
 

Price $125.00

What do you think of my lovely penguin mother and baby? I am very happy with it.

Price $35.00

This container is done in Fall colors, with leaves engraved on the top and engraving around the edge. I used dyes on all of the outside and paint on the inside.

Price $ 35.00

This container has dyes, waxes and paint on the outside and paint on the inside. It's done in lovely Fall colors.

I have been so happy with my Art and I feel that I've finally found my calling. The Gourd Art that I showed you in my last post is also for sale, just contact me at lmoore@flippinweb.com for prices. I hope you enjoy my Artwork as much as I enjoy creating it. I'll have more later on in the week I hope and your not gonna believe one of them. Let's just say that it represents something from the animal kingdom. I would love to hear from you all as I really value your opinions.

My Gourd Art

In case anyone has been wondering what I've been up to in the past few weeks besides fishing..... Oh yes, I've been fishing again! I'm the one that caught the only brown trout for the day also. hehe That is one hobby if you will, that is soooo relaxing and fun, especially on the White River where I live. The temp of the water doesn't get above 52 degrees so you can guess what that does for the air just above it, yep it's much cooler than the regular temp and if you do get hot just stick a hand or foot in and you'll cool off immediately.

But I digress from the point of this post...Several posts ago, I told everyone about a Gourd Festival that the hubby and I went to in Sedalia, MO. We both took classes there and I showed you the cute penquin and snow angel that I made in my class along with pics from the gourd art at the festival. Well about a month ago the second son was here with his family and I took the daughter-in-law and granddaughter to a craft show while the guys went fishing. The first thing I spotted when we entered the door was a wonderful gourd art booth! Needless to say I stopped and looked and oohed and aahed and talked to the women and was invited to come to some gourd art classes! It took me a couple of weeks but I did go to the class, which is taught by Joyce Campbell, who is an amazing gourd artist! I've been going to class for three weeks now and have a few things to show that I've made:

The picture above is a container which could be used for many things

How do you like my funky chickens? hehe And don't forget the beautiful swan!

Here's a glimpse of one of the projects I'm currently working on.......

Got any ideas on what this is going to be?

I really feel sooo honored to be taking classes with such an amazing artist and...she told me that my work is good enough to enter into a show with her in October!! Woo Hoo! I've never thought I was that talented but I'm happy for the opportunity to sell my wares, so to speak. I've got to get several pieces done in the next few weeks, 'cause I'm GOING FOR IT!

I would love to hear some input from all my blogerrette sisters and everyone else who reads my blog. Do you feel I'm a good enough artist to sell my wares or what?

Hugs XX

Barbara

Fishing

A little while back I mentioned that I was going to get to go fishing with my hubby and two of our sons. When I did there were a couple of people who said I needed to post pictures of the event. Well I'm happy to say that the guys did let me go along, but since we had all the trout we needed at home, we did a catch and release day. That was so much more fun because we could catch twice as much or more and boy did we ever! It was definitely not a slow fishing day at all but I only managed to get one picture of the sons, and Richard's Brown Trout. That was the only Brown caught that day and he was big but we didn't think quite big enough to keep.(A Brown has to be at least 18 inches long) The other son, David caught a nice big Cutthroat Trout but released it before I could snap a picture. Other than that we caught Rainbow Trout all day and a bunch of them. I think my hubby caught the largest. I know fishing isn't quite the thing for a  lot of people but I just love it, especially when the fish are biting. Oh I didn't mention that this fishing trip was on the Fourth of July did I? What a great way to spend the Fourth and then we caught the fireworks that evening. I was very sunburned, even though the sky was overcast but extremely happy at the end of the day. Here's the one picture that I got to take:

Good looking men aren't they? Richard,(the one with the fish) had stopped over on his way from El Paso, TX to Georgia where he was going to school. He's a Major in the Army and had just moved his family from  Monmouth, New Jersey to El Paso,TX the previous week and had  to leave them for four months to attend a school that the Army wanted him to go to in  Georgia.  Anyway, I love to fish and will probably go again this week as soon as the thunderstorms quit. I bet we've received six inches or more of rain in the last two days. We've really needed the rain but it would have been better if it were spread out. I hope that this week is a good one for all of you and that you get to do something that you love to do.

                                                  Barbara

Happy Fourth of July!!

Hello all fellow bloggers! I would like to wish everyone a very Happy 4th of July! I'm so very proud to be an American and to live in this great country of ours. I'm sure that there are many bloggers out there who live in other countries who think theirs is the greatest but I would have to argue with that. I hope that all your holiday preparations ended in a fantastic fireworks display!

I've got to also take the time right now give a big  "Thank you" to Cindy from Whimsical Musings! She has presented me with the Versatile Blogger Award! I am so happy and also humbled.

It came with these instructions:

1. Thank the person who gave you the Award.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Pass the award along to 15 Bloggers who you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic!
4. Contact the bloggers you've picked and let them know about the award.

Here's my list:
1. I have several collections, teapots (over two hundred), ruby red glass, doilies, teddy bears, Mary Engelbreit everything!
2. I love crafting and crochet!
3. I love to go fishing and will be going tomorrow with my hubby and two of our sons. Do I have it made or what? They really help me.
4. I also love to garden even though there are some things I can't do now, and besides the veggies I have flowers blooming all Summer.
5. I'm disabled and wondering what happened, but I just put on my big girl panties and deal with it.
6. I started taking classes today in Gourd Art. I'm lovin it.
7. If you don't know it, I recently joined the Bloggerette Sorority Sisters and I'm lovin that too!
I will be notifying all of the bloggers I have chosen within the next couple of days. I love all the wonderful people I've met in blog land!


Barbara

The Blogerette Sorority

Wow folks, I've got to tell you that I've really had a time getting this picture into this post! I'm just as thrilled as can be at becoming a member of the "Blogerette Sorority". This has been rush week and I've been gone for the majority of it. Anyway as a condition of our "Rush" we were required to take the picture from "Some days are Diamonds blog" which is above this post and add our own picture to it. I didn't have time to do a whole lot so I used some Mary Engelbreit background and then put the Sorority picture and a picture of myself next to it. I'm no expert at messing with pictures and such that's for sure. I've also had the Sorority button on the right side of my blog for awhile now. So far this has been a really fun thing and I do believe it will bring a lot people closer here on the blogesfere. If you so feel inclined, please join us in the Sorority. There isn't any time limit to becoming a member.

Hugs XX
Barbara

Summertime

Summertime and the plants are growing and the flowers are blooming! I just had to take a picture of my favorite Hosta, Hydrangea and Astilbe. We also have Daylilies, Shasta Daisies,Clematis, Roses and Rose of Sharon blooming all around the yard. Our garden has finally started to take off. It seems like the vegetables are running close to a month behind. I know it has to do with the Spring we had. Right now it's not getting below 70 degrees at night though and in the 90's during the day. We could really use some rain here even though several people perished in the SW part of the state this past weekend because of flash flooding. I've been so sad over that and especially sad over the loss of several children.

This is a red and white hotpad that I made as part of the June 2010 CAL on Crochet Soiree. Hope I win a prize.  The Summer Sling Tote that's pictured above was made for my oldest Granddaughter. I hope she likes it. She picked out the yarn from some pics that her Dad emailed to her and the lining is from some vintage fabric that I picked up at an estate sale. Her twin sisters call her a hippy.LOL Personally, I like her style 'cause she's her own person. Our oldest son will be here late Thursday evening with his family on their move to their new home in El Paso, TX. He's a major in the Army and is being assigned to a new place. Counting the son who's staying with us for awhile and this son and family there will be 10 people in my house for three days. It should be fun though. Everyone is over 21 except for the youngest who is 13. I know there will be fishing and swimming going on. I'm gonna have to quit chatting away and get the house cleaned up and ready. Ick Hope you all have a fun filled week.