GOURD HEAR OUR PRAYER

I'll admit it's a little nutty to be thinking about holiday decorations in early June, but lord knows the season will be upon us before you know it! In fact, this is a great time of year to pick up phenomenal deals on holiday decorations, dinnerware, etc. on several websites (Pottery Barn, for example, has a sale and clearance section on their website with ornaments for as low as $1.99, same goes for West Elm, Williams Sonoma and many others). When it comes to setting a festive holiday table I love to use natural elements (nothing like a colorful leaf from the backyard to use as a place card, pine cones spray painted silver and gold as table or tree decorations, etc.). Last week we popped into the Home Depot and picked up gourd seeds for $.99/pack and plopped them all over our yard. Gourds grow just about anywhere with full sun (we grew them on our front walkway in Pasadena, California and everywhere in our yard in New York). Fast growing, not only to gourds look cool hanging around in your backyard in the summer and fall, they'll look even better sitting in your home during the holidays. Paint them, hang them in a window, use them as a vase, cut them in half to create an interesting bowl. While I love the glitz and not-so-glamorous sparkle of holiday apparel, I love sprinkling my decor with a few real treats!

TIME TO COMPLETE TASK: 7-10 days for gourds to start growing. Approx three months in full sun for average size gourd to appear.
COST: Gourd seeds are $.99/pack at any home improvement store or garden center.

STRESS LEVEL: OH GOURD these are cool! LOW