Going for the recycle and fun aspects...

In this project, the goal will be to enjoy the fun aspects of using recycled materials combined with gourds - one is good use of man-made materials and the other is good use of an agricultural product.

So, what is a gourd?  The gourds used for this project will be hard shelled gourds, the inedible part of the squash family.  Gourds have been used for  years, in many cultures, as grain carriers, dippers, bowls, jars, and even musical instruments!

Here are charts of gourd shapes available from the American Gourd Society. All are hard shelled gourds useful for making projects. Once dehydrated, they have a wall structure similar to wood whereby it can be cut, sanded, painted, etc., much like what a person could do with wood. As shown, there is a wide variety of shapes. For hourglasses, they cannot be used for the sand containers, but the handles of the long handled gourds could be used as separators for the top and bottom (is that the right word? - what are the parts of an hourglass called?).