{this moment}

Imagine a little boy holding a thimble. He smiles as he leans in to pour tea from the thimble for his guest, a little green wood gnome. The gnome sits on a stump of wood by a table that is also made from a stump and a bit larger slab of wood cut from a tree branch. His dish is a seashell, which holds an acorn. Behind him is a small, dark cavern filled with his treasures of crystals and geodes.


Sometimes the moment is hidden a bit. Like when your power goes off, your stove goes on the fritz and your car won't go at all b/c the check engine light is flashing. And it's raining outside. Blogger jumped in on the momentum and has changed the photo upload system it seems, and my outdated technology has missed the boat. If you know how to circumvent the issue, I'd love some pointers.

So, I'll keep looking for things to share and ways to share what I'm doing.

three green kids share the gnome love!

I fell in love with these little faces in less than three seconds. Then I read the story. It was totally enchanting. And they are recycled from trees. Nature, recycling and gnomes, three things that I love!

This tiny little gnome comes in his own recycled paper home. Only a child could create such amazing, wonderful sweetness.

gnome snowsuit revamp

While many people were kind enough to share their children's clothes with us, we have chose not to have clothing with cartoony or cutesy characters on them. Here is my solution - sew a wooly patch over the offenders!
This little gnome is simply a triangle of fair isle wool (felted), with a cashmere oval for the face. Inspired by the little gnomes from Fyn's birthday party. It took a little figuring to make sure the whole image underneath was covered by the new wooly gnome.
Since the wool is felted, I just sewed it on my sewing machine with a straight stitch! And, it didn't take long at all. I've washed it a few times in cold water and it worked great!

birthday details

This idea was introduced to me by one of the "wise waldorf women" in our county. Gnomes are made from felted sweater pieces and stuffed with wool roving. The pattern is basically a triangle, with a half circle cut out of each side. Then you stitch them up the front, with an "X" stitch. If you leave a little room at the bottom, you can use it for a finger puppet too! Put it on your finger and sing this little song!

I met a dusty little gnome,
he said we should clean our room,
round, round, round,
whisk, whisk, whisk,
clean our room.