Davis is a unique artist, skilled in the art of turning dried gourds into stunning works of art that at least one local store owner can't keep from flying off his shelves.

With a slew of grandkids, Davis stumbled onto the hobby almost by accident a half-dozen years ago. She wanted a creative outlet and a way to unwind after a long workday, and she had a stash of dried gourds.

"I used to make teddy bears when the kids were little ... but I got bored with that as the kids got older," she says, noting that a road trip to visit family with her husband, Ted, provided creative fodder when they stumbled across a gourd and vegetable farm in Northern California.

"They had all these wonderful gourds, and they were just really intriguing, so we had picked up a few here and there over the years," she says.

"I kept looking at them and thought, 'I really should do something with them.' I enjoy working with my hands, and I didn't want to waste the gourds, so I looked online and realized there were a lot of beautiful things that could be done."

Going for a look that is both elegant and whimsical, Davis uses a combination of carving, burning and staining to produce some 150 signature creations each year.