Gourdgeous Halloween Crafts

Visiting Meadowbrook Gourds has been on my autumn wish list for years.  Since we head to at least one local pumpkin patch annually, check out past trips to Stoltzfus Pumpkins and Pumpkin Hill, a gourd farm seemed like logical addition to our fall road trip list.  

As we were pulling up to the parking lot there were squeals – yes actual squeals – when we saw the four pumpkin and squash-shaped cottages out front.  Honestly, I might have come just for this.  If I could get away with it, I would so have one of these in my backyard. 

Meadowbrook Gourds bills itself as a maker of Americana and hand-crafted farmhouse décor. Initially, I thought it was just a business that sold gourd crafts. After exploring their website, I was surprised to discover they feature Create Your Own classes for two weekends each fall. They also feature classes for winter crafts each year.  

Crafting Our Gourds

Not sure what to expect, I was a bit apprehensive about carving the gourds. No worries there as Meadowbrook staff take care of the prep work for your gourd crafts. You can tell from the photos that the gourds are expertly carved, and they have a wide variety of projects to choose from.  Since guests are not carving or operating any power tools, the classes are great for all ages and skill levels. 

With more than a dozen options to choose from the hardest part was selecting a project. The pic below is similar to the wall hanging I selected, although mine is not lit. Because their website shows some “retired” projects, I believe the options may change from year to year.

Next, you choose to paint or stain your project.  There were six different stain options. I selected the traditional orange but look at that green. You stain your project, and the staff remove any excess stain and “cure” it for you.  We had time to explore the gift shop while waiting for our projects to cure.

Exploring the Gift Shop

This was one of the best parts of the visit. The variety of projects they have on display is amazing.  Plus, they feature crafts for every season. The gift shop tour provided great inspiration for future craft projects next fall.  I love how they used the peanut squash to make these sweet little lambs.

After we finished exploring, I selected a few embellishments including a hanger, a medium leaf, and a tendril to finish my design.  There is a full wall of options available to complete your craft projects.  The staff drilled the holes for the hanger and that was it.  Viola!

I love how it turned out and the carving details at the corner of the eyes and the mouth. If you have any cool gourd crafts to share, add a pic to the comments section.  I would love to see what all of you are creating this fall.