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    Home » DIY Projects

    Painting Gourds for Color & Whimsy to Your Fall Decor

    by Patti Estep · Sep 17, 2022

    Jump to How-to Card
    Three colorful birdhouse gourds over natural gourds.

    Painting gourds adds a  little whimsy and color to your fall decor. Create a small hole, and you have a cute birdhouse look for your mantel or other vignettes. 

    Three decorative birdhouse gourds on a table.

    Painting gourds is a great project to do with the kids, or even with a group of girlfriends when hosting a girls' night out. The process is pretty simple and the cost is minimal. Perfect for decorating during the fall season or any time of year.

    This post contains some affiliate links (that means if you make a purchase after clicking a link, there’s no additional cost to you, but I will earn a very small commission. ) i.e. as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.  Click here to read my full disclosure policy.

    Old gourds that were cut at the top to create a bowl and painted.

    The gourd bowls above were painted by my daughters and me over 15 years ago. We were on vacation at Wintergreen resort, and they offered this wonderful activity for families. 

    I remember that they used dried-out gourds for this project. They were already carved for us. All we did was paint them with leather paints provided by the resort. 

    Three dried gourds

    Supplies

    • dried gourds
    • leather paints
    • drill with a hole saw blade
    • spray polyurethane
    Dried gourds with holes cut in the side to look like a birdhouse.

    Preparing and Painting Gourds

    You can also dry gourds that you have grown in the garden and use them for this craft. You can also buy them online in a variety of shapes. Since I had these old gourds lying around, I decided to paint them for our fall mantel.

    First I drilled a hole to give them a birdhouse look. All you need is a small hole saw blade that you can attach to your drill. Use a nail to make a pilot hole first. That helps keep the drill from jumping around.

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    Note: These painted gourds are meant to be decorative birdhouses only, and should be kept indoors.

    Painting gourds to look like birdhouses.

    Clean out the gourds by shaking out any old seeds or fiber. There were quite a few old seeds inside. I wonder if they are still viable.

    Then use some sandpaper or an emery board to smooth out the opening.

    Three painted gourd for a decorative birdhouse look.

    In Wintergreen we used leather paints and that is what I used here. The colors are very rich, are easy to apply, and don't tend to fade.  I'm not 100% sure but I bet you could use craft acrylic paints or alcohol inks instead. Either way, give them a good coat or two of spray polyurethane after the paint is dry for extra protection. 

    I really like the way they turned out. Vibrant with a nice cozy autumn feel. 

    Patti signature

    More Fall Decor DIYs:

    • Make Pumpkins from Scrap Wood
    • Create a Natural Dried Fruit Wreath
    • Alcohol Ink Pumpkins
    • Painted Pinecone Wreath for Fall
    Three painted birdhouse gourds in green, yellow and deep purple colors.
    Painting gourds adds whimsy and color to your fall decor. Add a little hole and you have a cute birdhouse look for your mantel or other vignette.
    Print
    5 from 1 vote

    How to Paint a Gourd Birdhouse

    These decorative birdhouse gourds are easy to create with dried garden gourds and paint.
    Prep Time5 minutes mins
    Active Time1 hour hr
    Total Time1 hour hr 5 minutes mins
    Course: Decorate
    Yield: 1 or more
    Author: Patti Estep

    Equipment

    • Drill with a hole saw blade
    • Sandpaper
    • Brushes - sponge and smaller paintbrushes for detail.

    Materials

    • Dried gourds
    • Leather paints
    • Spray polyurethane

    Instructions

    • Drill an entrance hole in the front with a hole saw attachment.
    • Remove any old seeds or loose material from the inside.
    • Sand the edges of the hole.
    • Clean gourds with a little soap, bleach, and water and allow them to dry to prevent mold.
    • Use leather paints to cover the outside of the gourd. Let dry then add accents as desired with a small brush.
    • Once dry give the gourd a coat or 2 of spray on polyurethane as a sealer.

    Notes

    These are meant to be displayed indoors as they would get ruined outside in the elements.
    If you don't have a hole saw attachment you could drill a large hole and use a craft knife to make your opening.
    You could try using acrylic paints for accents or over the entire gourd instead of using leather paints.
    Tried this project?Tag @hearthnvine on Instagram
    « Roasted Cauliflower Soup with Garlic and Spinach
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    About Patti Estep

    Patti is the creator of Hearth and Vine, a home and garden blog filled with projects to inspire your creative side. She loves crafting, gardening, decorating and entertaining at her home in Pennsylvania. When she is not working on a project at home or searching for treasures at nurseries and thrift stores with her girlfriends, you’ll probably find her with family and friends, at a restaurant, or home party enjoying new and different food adventures.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Joyce

      February 19, 2020 at 11:59 am

      HI, these are great! I am not crafty and love simple. Do you know if you can buy gourds already cleaned out and do you have an affiliate link for something like this?

      Reply
      • Patti Estep

        February 19, 2020 at 12:15 pm

        Joyce, I have seen them for sale at craft stores but you can also buy them online. I do have a link in the post. Just click the bolded area under gourds. Have fun!

        Reply
    2. Carole

      September 11, 2017 at 8:08 am

      These are cute, love simple crafts that make a fun statement and your color choice was perfect. Its been forever since I've painted something like this.... Great idea!!

      Reply
      • Patti Estep

        September 11, 2017 at 8:22 am

        Hi Carole,

        I'm so glad you like the gourds. Though I do like their natural beauty, it was fun to paint them and add a little color to my fall decor.

        Reply
    5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

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