Dry each gourd carefully with a soft cloth to avoid bruising or scratching the tender skin. Surface drying requires about 1 week and allows the outer skin to dry and set the gourd color. Gourds can be spread out on several layers of newspaper in a warm, dry room with good air circulation. Turn gourds daily and change out any damp newspaper. Another way to dry small gourds is to hang them on a line by stringing them through their stem.
Large gourds are generally too heavy to string.
The internal drying process requires about 2 to 3 weeks. Move gourds to a warm, dry, DARK area with good air circulation. Darkness helps preserve the color. Gourds can be decorated in any number of ways for all sorts of uses. You might want to start with a wax or polyurethane coating for a glossy finish.