I created Out Of Our Gourd because I love decorating our home for the holidays.
When I was looking for items to decorate with, everything was the same, but I wanted different! I wanted my family and friends to feel the warmth and happiness that the holidays offered.
Then about 20 years ago I got a hold of a gourd, and the creative side of me exploded!
While there was a huge learning curve to working with gourds, it gave me what I was looking for. Unique!
Then 10 years ago my husband Ed joined me. Ed took over the cutting and cleaning of the gourds. He also is great at base painting, and yes he still does it by hand.
Meanwhile I still design, draw, and hand paint the smiles. When I'm not designing or painting, I'm busy making all the hats, bows, scarfs, etc.
We still believe in the handmade. While it is very time consuming, its the end result that gives you that "one of a kind" look that I love!