Beginners will discover in these pages endless inspiration, comprehensive information, and fabulous color photos. Thirty-five projects, many with templates, range from practical (a Dotted Horse Utensil Holder) to whimsical (a clock that doesn’t tell time) to Holiday Easter “eggs” and splendid Christmas ornaments. “The results are gorgeous.”— Chicago Tribune. Gourds are easily obtained and fun to work with, having an infinite variety of peculiar shapes that lend themselves to imaginative uses. Host's Gourd Crafts for the First Time is a book of basic techniques for cleaning, decorating, and preserving gourds, presented in a question-and-answer project format aimed at beginners. A gallery of works by the author and other artists provides ideas. Peterson's Decorated Gourd has more sophisticated projects involving pyrography (burning) and woven and beaded embellishments. Most are in a folk-art style adapted to the gourd medium. Public libraries not having Ginger Summit and Jim Wedess's The Complete Book of Gourd Craft, which covers most of the same techniques, may want one or both of these for their crafts collections. Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.