Painted Mini Garden Gnome

This little project was just for fun. My friend over at WhollyPiecemeal gave me this kit:


Notice you have to be over 3 years old and that it comes with three colors of paint and a plastic brush. Well, I'm over three so that's covered and the paint and the brush went straight to the trash.

I used 12 colors of acrylic craft paint plus mixtures and about 6 brushes to paint my little fellow (he's 3 inches tall) and this is how he turned out:

I like how he looks woodsy and his little (and I do mean little, as in small and difficult to paint) face has personality. Yes, there are tiny white highlights in his eyes!

What are you doing just for fun? Leave a comment and let me know.

Gnome Craft – In My Garden!

I took a little break from finishing up the latest book, Let’s Crochet! and did something completely different. This is a little gnome doll made with a wire armature body and wool felt clothing. He posed in my potted plant

and then had to take a stroll in the garden.

The inspiration was a book called The Gnome Craft Book" by Thomas and Petra Berger. I found it at my local library and thought it looked interesting. Turns out it was first published in Dutch and translated into English. That explains a lot.

It’s not like the craft books we’re accustomed to. There are lots of techniques and the authors assume that readers know how to do quite a few different things from knitting and embroidery to simple wood carving and wire work. Even the little fellow here would have been quite difficult if I hadn’t already known how to make wire armature dolls and had the proper tools.

The dolls eventually suggest their names but he doesn’t have one yet. Any suggestions?

A Hummingbird in My Garden

A hummingbird came to my garden for the first time!

It was here yesterday and checked the feeder my friend Carolyn gave me. Naturally, the feeder was empty because I've never used it for that. It's been for decorative purposes only.

So, maybe 10 minutes after I saw the bird, I had hummingbird food made and the feeder cleaned out. (Got to love the Internet for getting information quickly.)

That included the time it took to chase a garter snake out of the back screen porch. I found him when I bolted through the porch to retrieve the feeder.

Well, the food had to cool and then it rained, so I figured the little hummer wouldn't be back. But, I was wrong. It's been back a couple times today too. Now, I can't stop looking out the window every two minutes or so.

Postcards from My Garden

A card for a friend - it's ready to go in the mail tomorrow. These little 4x6 postcards are just the thing to keep in practice with paints and such when time is short.

I sketched the plant and flower head in pencil, quickly painted with watercolor, lettered and inked with a black gel pen. Overworking with the pen is always a danger, so I let it rest a bit before finishing up. It took hardly any time at all from the garden and my back porch.

Everyone Needs a Little Whimsy in Their Life

Happy Holidays All! We are settling in for our Christmas break and I am working on a variety of projects, and nursing an unpleasant cold as well, and thought to share one of my gifts with you. This was from a good friend who knows me well. I was so excited that I actually jumped up and down. It is a kit for a miniature fairyland forest. Look here to see the product information. It even comes with the little fairy house!

This is a perfect gift and shows how well my friend knows me as the fairies have camped in my garden this past summer. Here is a picture of the camp among the flowers. You can just see the rosemary on the little bed and the wee fire pit is ready for the evening fire.


Another bit of whimsy in my life is the WhimpleTree Bunny Cottage. While it is still in progress, the outside is not painted yet and some niceties inside are missing, the residents seem happy with it. Mr. and Mrs. Bunny are hand made, to scale, bunnies living in this one twelfth scale doll house. The furniture and decorations are moved and varied with the seasons - and Mrs. Bunny's whims!

Here is Mrs. Bunny downstairs with the Christmas tree and other decorations. The table base is a tree stump sculpted out of Creative Paperclay and then painted and sealed. The stove is from a kit and there are crocheted and tatted rugs on the floors. Mrs. Bunny really likes her cast iron stove and she has a sewing machine upstairs.



Because it is the holidays, Mr. Bunny felt that the outside of the house should be a little more festive. Here he is on the front porch with the wreath and garlands he put up.



There are quite a few more things to do in addition to painting the outside of the house. The Bunnies would like a comfy couch downstairs, Mr. Bunny's garden is not finished, they might like some clothes, and not to mention all the accessories that make a house a home, but they seem happy in the meantime so it will be an enjoyable process to complete and furnish the house.

I hope you enjoyed this little bit of a whimsical diversion. Now, back to all the projects waiting!