To make this adorable sunflower you will need a medium size *gourd, some grape vine, a hand full of **money plant seed pods, and acrylic paint. Tools are as simple as an xacto knife or other cutting tool, a wood burner, (although paint can be used in place of the wood burning on the leaf and center "seed" area) white and wood glue, wire, thread, and hot glue to secure the gourd pieces to the vine.
* I will post step by step pictures as soon as I make another sunflower, but I think the instructions are pretty simple.
Begin by cleaning the outside of your gourd. Simply place the gourd in a large mop bucket of water and scrub it using a copper scrubber. Copper will not scratch the gourd surface, so please do not use any other kind of scrubber.
Next, draw a circle on the base of your gourd in the size you would like your flower head. Carefully cut it out using your xacto knife.
Pull out the seeds from the gourd and use them in all kinds of craft projects and jewelry. Draw two leaf prints onto the gourd. Carefully cut them out. Save all of the remaining gourd for many other gourd projects. (Check out my other blog postings for ideas).
Gather a bunch of grapevine from a wooded field or fence row. Or buy vine at your local craft store. Take 3 or 4 pieces of vine, soak them in water to make them pliable, cut them in 1-2 foot lengths, then twist them together to form the stem.
Take your round gourd center and notice the little natural "belly button" where it grew on the vine.
Using your wood burner, or small paint brush, make straight strokes beginning at the center and work around the "belly button" staggering each row as desired. This creates the look of a seeded sunflower head.
Stain or paint the leaves green and let dry before continuing to the next step.
Next, burn or paint your leaf pieces to create veins. Once your leaves are ready, apply a clear sealant to your gourd pieces.
Take your money plant pod skins and soak them in yellow acrylic (or paint each one individually). Once dry, glue them around the round gourd head in layers. Make sure you lay out a row before gluing to make sure you have them centered around the seed marks you burned or painted. White glue works best for this step.
To attach your flower head to the vine stem, use hot glue or wood glue and let it dry over night. This alone will not keep the head secure. I usually take a needle and thread and make a few slip stitches up through the gourd, back down and around the stem until it is completely secure. Just make sure you use a thread that is the same color as the seed strokes you burned or painted and pass your thread through these marks. Gourds are very soft and you can sew through them with very little effort.
Do the same with the leaves. It is a bit more difficult to make them secure, but if you sew them or even brace the back with a dowel, they should stay in place.
The last step is to place your flower in the garden, on the wall, or in a vase. So cute!
* If you need a gourd, you can get one dried and ready to go from me: email admin@explorecreatecraft.com and I will give one to you free (if you will pay the $5 shipping). Or you can get them on Ebay, or through gourd farms like the Welborn Gourd farm.
** I also have money plant pods. I can ship you 100 pods for $1.00. Just email me.
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