Can this santa be saved?

Can this santa be saved?



This is the very first gourd santa I ever created. It is signed on the bottom, ‘Ginga’s Santas’, 1992.

Sometimes - well, oftentimes- painted gourd crafts get weevils from within, long after the craft figure is painted and finished into it’s decorative transformation. This, of course, can be prevented if the bottom of the gourd is taken off and the seeds are removed and the inside scrapped clean.

( notice the small , round holes...the bugs eat their way out.)

With my gourd santa figures I liked the added interest of the sound of the dried seeds inside, rattling around when shaken.

This, of course, was my very first experience working with gourds in any kind of craft projects. It was all guess work for me - trial and error!
I had never even seen one of these santas except in magazines. But I was pleased with the finished figure I had made. I liked the old world look of this santa.

I went on to make others-learning as I went along. In time I was adding papier mache trim- for beards and fur cuff on hats and and coats!

After a couple years of displaying this original santa at Christmas, I discovered the tiny holes...and some fine dust where he had sat on the shelf! Oh my! My santa had bugs-was being eaten from the inside!! Nothing to do but quarantine him in a plastic bag with a good dose of insecticide... tie the bag tight for a good, long spell of time! I did this!

I was still in the ‘figuring out phase’ of my santa making, but I liked the idea of the seeds inside and wanted to keep it that way. I knew I could take the bottom off if I chose to go that way...but I wanted to try this first! After some time (maybe weeks) I felt it safe to remove my santa, knowing the bug problem would have been resolved!
(The tiny bugs leave the gourd and die from the spray treatment in the closed up bag! :( Sorry!)

Meanwhile I had been busy with other, more elaborate styles of santas...much fancier than this first one had been. I did lots of crafts for shows and gifts during that time.

I always intended to do the proper repairs and the necessary repainting and refinishing for this poor old guy...but , somehow, he ended up on a shelf in my laundry room! There he has sat for many years, gathering dust and lint. NOW-he’s badly in need of renovation. After looking at him I’m afraid he will, indeed, need his bottom sliced off and the seeds and dust removed...but we’ll see! I’d rather keep him with his original signature and date ! I DO know for sure he will need some bug holes repaired and some new paint and varnish and some new holly trims!




However, I hope I can keep his original face...not that it's that great...but it is HIS! No one wants a complete change-do they?? ;)

Can this santa be saved?
The time has come!
We’ll see!






Note:

I continued to leave the seeds inside the majority of the gourd santas I made because I liked them better that way. A few more developed bug problems but most did not! My header shows some of my later santas.

Junie
of ' Ginga's Santas'