Halloween Gourds And A Super Hometalk /Home Depot Giveaway

Hello friends...welcome back to my nest.

I hope everyone on the east coast survived hurricane Irene this past weekend.

In my part of Virginia we got some wind and a good amount of rain, but nothing dangerous.

 Before Irene, you can see the storm clouds beginning to roll in.

 However, she was gone almost as quickly as she came.

Prayers go out for the lost lives that were reported.

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 On to the 'gourd' part of my post...

My sweet friend Phyliss gave me some gourds a few years back.

 I painted a few as folk art Santas.

This gourd reminded me of a pumpkin....so.......

 Hello Annie!!!

You know how everyone is always saying how the paint in the can top dries super fast, so quick...put that top back on.

I took care of this problem by using the paint from the top on my first brush strokes....no paint to dry and problem avoided!

 I gave my gourd two coats of Old White using an inexpensive chip brush.

She is pretty just like this...but I have more plans for her.

 

I searched my stencil stash and believe me, it's big!

A spider..perfect.

Using a lettering and a curly cue stencil I went to work.

 I did an all over Henna tattoo style design

I added some black spiders and the words

WITCHES 

ABIDE

Isn't she great?

Next time I will place the letters a little closer together, but I think this will do for now.

 For the second gourd, I found a cool font at 1001fonts.com and printed it out.

Using graphite paper, I traced the word Booo ! onto the gourd.

Using ASCP in Graphite and a liner brush, I hand painted the letters in

Believe me, you DO NOT have to be a decorative painter to do this.

Just take your time and have a steady hand.

Sidenote:

Do you have any idea how hard it is to hold a gourd..a paint brush and a camera at the same time????

YIKES!

My gourd has a natural crack and I think it gives her great character.

There will be no wood filler used today ladies.

ASCP Old White and Graphite with clear & dark wax

So here she  is... 

Griselda the Ghost

Pretty Bootiful, huh?

Helpful Hint:

   On a piece of waxed paper, mix a little clear and dark wax.

Apply allover and then using your finger...YES, your finger, apply more around the lettering and face.

I love how it gives a little more depth

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Ok....On to the best part of this post

A HOMETALK GIVEAWAY!

I just discovered this great website HOMETALK.COM, and it is just that...you can talk about all things to do with your home.

DIY projects, room makeovers, new construction, remodeling or landscaping. You can pick the brains of designers, carpenters, licensed building contractors or professional painters.

You can also chat with DIY bloggers from all over.

The best part of HOMETALK is that it is absolutely, no strings attached, FREE!!

I have only been a member for a few weeks and already I have shared photos of my slipcover projects, my kitchen restyle and of course I have spread the word about Annie Sloan.

You can leave comments on member postings and they on yours.

Got a question for an expert...you will have an answer in most cases within the day or faster!

It is fun..very friendly and very informative.

Although I am a new member, the kind folks at HOMETALK contacted me and asked if I would be interested in hosting a Giveaway.

Twist my arm why don't ya!

This is how it will work...

You have the chance to win a $50.00 gift card to Home Depot.

How cool is that!

IT GETS EVEN COOLER!!

If I get 500 or more entries, HOMETALK will double the gift card to $100.00

Do you know what you can buy with $100.00????

A new power tool...small appliance...new kitchen hardware..paint, paint and more paint...etc...

You will get 1 entry for commenting and following here and liking HOMETALK'S Facebook page or joining in here.

You can rack up additional entries by posting this giveaway on your Facebook or Tweet about it.

Just be sure to come back and post it in my comments each time you share. 

Remember...leave a comment for EACH time you share this Giveaway.

So spread the word because the more bloggers who comment, the better the chance of someone

winning $100.00 instead of $50.00.

I know you ladies are good at networking...I am counting on you to work your magic.

I would love to be able to give $100.00 to one of you handy bloggers, so link...link...link!

I am doing this strickly for you guys, I am not being compensated at all.

I will run the Giveaway for one week, until midnight September 4th,2011.

The winner will be chosen on Sept. 5th by Random.Org.

Good luck everyone...now go spread the word!

PS...thank you Jason!

UPDATE:

This Giveaway is now 

CLOSED

Thank you to all who participated.

Until next time...be kind and stay creative.

Sharing here this week:

Dittle Dattle

Hope Studios

Savvy Southern Style

Metamorphosis Monday

Motivate Me Monday

SewStylish Boutique

Transformation Thursday