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Greetings everyone!

We’re excited to share that we have a really cool project and technique planned for our June 13 meeting.

Ready to play with alcohol inks?

Our members, Amanda and Charlene, have some fantastic techniques and creative ideas lined up for us. They have generously offered to lead this project and share their expertise with the New Mexico Gourd Society.

Amanda and Charlene are new members of NMGS, and we are so grateful for their willingness to jump in, teach, and inspire us. Thank you both for sharing your time, creativity, and knowledge with our group. We appreciate you!

We will call this class: FUN WITH ALCOHOL INKS

The photos above offer a sneak peek at the colorful alcohol ink techniques we’ll be exploring at our June 13 meeting. Please review the class details HERE, including RSVP information, supplies provided, and what each participant should bring.

We are excited to learn, create, and have fun together.

Caryl Goodman
President, New Mexico Gourd Society

Happy April!!!! I finally came up with a sample for our April Project. which is 2 weeks away. We can do egg shells later at a future meeting.

“Fun with Sand and Pigment Powders” Also known as (unfired) Raku.

This will be such a fun project! The possibilities are endless.

In my sample, I used a black base. However, in doing more research, I see “Charcoal/soft black allows colors to show more ‘nuance’.

Warm taupe/stone adds an interesting touch.

And Brown, terracotta, and even ochre add interest.

For another fabulous look, use a metallic base color.

Now, for the pigment colors, I used two colors, purple and blue. You could also “Use a gradient color scheme: ie. Copper/burnt orange/deep red. Earthy look: Olive green, moss, ochre, and soft bronze.

Jewel tone richness: emerald/burgundy/deep plumming/antique gold. See what I mean about being endless???

This should be a fun class/project.

Please RSVP YES OR NO by Tuesday, March 31.

You will need to supply a gourd/ shard. I used a small gourd. 3.5″ tall. In my sample, I used regular Placitas dirt. (That is all I had on hand) I will have sand available if you prefer.

I’ll get back with you on the cost and supply list after I get a better count of how many are coming.

Caryl Goodman – President 

Good morning friends! Happy February!

Morning everyone. So excited to share our project for the March meeting. 

Our very talented Barbara Lewis has offered to lead the meeting. We are going to make “Gourd Pendants“. 

We will be meeting at the Placitas Senior Center so that we can Wood burn the pendants. If you do not have a wood burner, you can always use your identi pen.  (we have some available for purchase). She will help us add beading to our pendants.

So, do you have a wood burner? Who doesn’t have one? Are you comfortable wood burning? If you are new to wood burning, I suggest you get your burner out and start practicing. Straight lines. then zig zag lines. Then if you’re brave, circles. Get comfortable with your burner. 

We are still working out the details. So more info to come shortly. We would like  a “head count”. Please RSVP YES or NO by Friday Feb 27. 

In the meantime, you are asked to cut your own gourd  shard. The best size is about 2″ circle, 2″ oval, rectangle, triangle. You choose. (see example below) You should sand the edges and paint the back and sides. (black)  

If anyone need help cutting out a shard, let me know. 

We will cut the hole on top for the cord at the meeting. NMGS is supplying the beads and cord for your project.

See MARCH EVENT for the supplies you need to bring. Colors you want to use. acrylics, ink dyes, alcohol inks.  Whatever you prefer. (If you use ink dyes, bring your heat gun) 

GENTLE REMINDER: Annual Dues are due. Only $20 for the year. (In case you haven’t already paid) 

Please RSVP by Sunday February 27th.

Caryl Goodman – President 

Good morning friends! Happy New Year!

Hope you all had wonderful Holidays. My daughter & family were visiting from North Carolina. It was wonderful.

Anyway, here we are! January 1st! I am sorry I hadn’t gotten this out sooner. But it has been a very busy time.

We have a fun project planned for January. We are going to cut and paint feathers out of Water color paper. 

As you can see from the images, any color works. Plus you can snip the paper edges to look a little “fringy”

I will get a supply list out today or tomorrow. Along with more details, but I wanted you to see the project and mentally start planning your colors.

GENTLE REMINDER: Annual Dues are due. Only $20 for the year. (In case you haven’t already paid) 

Please RSVP by Sunday January 4th.

Caryl Goodman – President 

Hey everyone!!! 

Super excited to continue working on our Gourd Spirit Jars for the December Meeting.

Dar, our amazing teacher, will be joining us in December to share her clever hints, tips and tricks.

At our November Meeting, everyone jumped in and created their own project — a very creative “Gourd Spirit Jar.” With so many imaginative minds at work, each one turned out beautifully unique.

It was a fun and inspiring afternoon for all! Let’s finish our projects and bring them to the December 13 meeting to show Dar. She will be so impressed.  And if you can’t attend the meeting, share a photo and I will make sure she sees it. 

This meeting will be at the PLACITAS SENIOR CENTER. Before I start ordering any additional supplies, I need for each of you to RSVP “YES or NO” if you will be joining us on Saturday, December 13th.

Please RSVP by Saturday November 22nd.

Caryl Goodman – President 

Hey everyone!!! 

Super excited to share the project for the October Meeting. It is a small gourd night light. 

You will learn lots of different skills in this project. Wood burning, how to make a “cut out”, Carving a channel in a gourd. We will use ink dyes for the color. 

You will need to supply your own gourd. This gourd happens to be  8′ tall and 5.5″ wide. Any shape will do! A supply list will be sent by email and also posted on the October Project page.

Does everyone have a dremel type tool? And a wood burner? I suppose you could use an Identi pen instead of a wood burner. 

Also, you may want to “practice on a shard how to cut out a shape in a gourd. I will send the bits I used in my micro carver. 

Also, start practicing your wood burning skills. 

Before I start ordering supplies, I need for each of you to RSVP “YES or NO” if you will be coming on October 11. This meeting will be at the PLACITAS SENIOR CENTER.

Please RSVP by Saturday September 27.

Caryl Goodman – President 

Greetings everyone!

Gosh, it’s been a busy past two months, with the Placitas Gallery Show, which was a huge success, and a busy Mother’s Day weekend. I hope everyone is enjoying the warmer weather in Albuquerque and getting outside to do some gourd cleaning, wood burning, and carving.

We have an enjoyable project for our June Meeting, a Zentangle Pot or Bowl. As you can see from the photo, the Zentangle looks great on Natural or White.

Our next meeting date is June 14 from 1:00-4:00 pm at the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. CLICK HERE for more details.

Keep in mind, you may want to paint a border around the top of your gourd. An additional option is to add beads at a later date. (See photo above.)

If you have any questions, please feel free to email or text me. I’m always available to answer questions.

Caryl Goodman – President

Hey gang, CLICK HERE for information on next month’s project.

We will be carving a thin line around the stencil lines we have drawn in. If this is something new to you, I suggest you practice on a shard. You want a nice, smooth line.

See you soon.

Thank you!

Caryl

Hey guys, I have been working on samples to share the techniques we will learn at our February Meeting.

Embossing, gold leaf, gesso texture, tissue paper texture, and patina, two different colors blue and green. See the photo above: All these techniques will enhance your Gourds.

Please click the February Meeting Link for the Supply List and other details for our February 9th meeting.

See you soon.

Thank you!

Caryl

Greetings gang!!!

Oh my, what a fun meeting we had last Saturday. What a fun project!

Everyone created such fun Magnet Gals. We even had Wilma and Betty show up. Also, a cute kitty cat!!!! Lots of creativity in our group!!!! I’d love to post your finished gals, so please send me a photo.

Charmain and I are changing up our project for February. Trust me; you’ll love the change up!!!

We will do some fun, hands-on practice and demos – highlighting several fun techniques.

• Embossing powder
• Gesso texture technique
• Tissue paper texture
• Patina (green and blue)
• Gold Leaf

All these techniques can be used to enhance your gourds.

We are working out the details and will update the February Project Page with the latest info for this exciting project.

You will want to bring 4-5 Shards to try these techniques. (You might want to bring a small box to take the wet shards home safely)

Caryl