Birdhouses are what I am hoping to make my gourds into once they are dried. Just take a dried gourd, drill a hole into it, big enough to get a jigsaw blade into. Use the jigsaw to cut a circular hole big enough for whatever bird you like, slap on a coat of outdoor varnish and you have a birdhouse. They look fine natural but personally I am into decoration so you may like to give it a coat of weather resistant paint and embellish from there. Paint flower vines around the hole, windows in the side, a cottage garden around the base, welcome sign above the doorway - the possibilities are endless. Finish with a coat of outdoor varnish to protect the paintwork and you have a beautiful garden accent for yourself or a gift.
Christmas house themes would look fantastic on gourds too - particularly if you are giving them at that time of year. Paint it in the same way you would a traditional gingerbread house, using the same decoration (candy canes, snow if that is appropriate, candles, pine trees, wrapped gifts, shingled rooftop...) and it makes a great Christmas gift for a friend or family member to bring out each year as part of their festive decoration, and the smaller ones can be hung on the tree.
Gourds look great simply hanging in bunches from hooks in the ceiling too, or from pot racks or the tops of window reveals. Leave them rustic with simply a coat of varnish or paint in brightly coloured Mexican patterns for a more Aztec feel...I have a vision now of a bunch of gourds painted in dark purples and midnight blues, with tiny gold stars and moons in iridescent paints so they shine at night. I haven't tried this either, but I wonder if you couldn't cut a hole near the bottom and burn a tealight candle inside?
How aboput an enchanted faery house for hanging over a bed? Paint the base coat in purple, dab on some glitter paint randomly over the surface. If you are not a confident painter, you could cut out some faeries from old calenders or magazines (Shirley Barber images are beautiful) and glue them on. Add vines and flowers in paint, a door either painted on or cut out, some mushrooms with spots and cover with a few good coats of varnish.
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