Gilded Striped Decorative Gourds

Styling another shoot and needed some props for a bookshelf.  So I gilded these "he" & "she" gourds that I had around and never figured out what to do with it.  They look much more interesting in their gilded state.  They would look striking on a mantel, marble shelf, window ledge or where ever.

Gourds (these are 12" and 10" tall)
Tape
Metallic paint (Rust-oleum metallic accents)
Paint brush
Paper 

Tape the gourds in the striped width you like.  Here they vary from 2" to 1 1/2" wide.  It took about 4 - 6 coats of paint since I didn't use primer.  I painted with pots of paint vs. spray paint as I didn't want to tape up entire gourd and wanted a more hand painted look to it.  Let dry between coats.  Peel the tape off carefully when fully dry.  Now your ready to display them.