Gnome for Christmas

 I admit, I was really drawn to the gnome theme this year for Christmas.  Not only did I make them for my ornament exchange, but I decorated with them around my house, too.  Here you can see a couple of them on the mantle and fireplace.  I added gnomes to the tree, as well.

Here are a couple that I put out in the hallway when you first come in the front door.  They are everywhere, tucked here and there all around the house.  I found the larger ones at my favorite store, Marshalls Home Goods.  

I decided not to use red and dark green for my Christmas colors this year.  I added gold and silver to my tree and got some cute little houses at Target in the Dollar section.  I even found some cute fabric to use as runners in my stash with some soft pastel Christmas images on it.  I even made some pink hearts for the table and to hang on the tree from my sweater stash!  I love making things from used sweaters.  :)

I had to look around for a bit to find pink wrapping paper but eventually found some that I thought would work from Walmart.  I made homemade tags to match, too.  Here's a photo of Ginger guarding the presents.  She didn't like me putting them under the tree because that's where she likes to sit!  

What colors or theme did you decorate with this year?  I like to pick a theme and carry it through my house.  It's one way that I like to be creative during the holidays.  :)

Gnome Ornaments for the Holidays

 You see them in all the stores.  These cute little gnome figures seem to be the trend for this year's holiday decorating.  So of course I just had to make some!

This year I decided to decorate my home with soft colors other than the usual red and green.  I found some cute gnomes in the stores and I'm using them for my Christmas decor this year.  They are muted colors and so I decided to go along with that scheme.

I looked a couple of patterns online and then decided to make my own pattern.  I love to make things from old sweaters and I pulled out a few from my stash (4 bins worth) and started sewing.  Their little bodies are pretty much a Letter "U" sewn and stuffed.  Then I added the beards made from some fake fur that I had.  I found that it works better if you sew the top of the beard before cutting them out to keep them from fraying.

I stitched the hem and the sides of a triangle to form the hats and then glued all the pieces together.  Then I added the nose and the pom pom.  Each one is a little bit different and somehow they seem to have their own personality.

These four look like they're singing in a old-fashioned quartet.  LOL

They look really sweet on my tree and go right along with this year's theme.  

 

What do you think of the gnome theme this year?  Maybe there's just a little bit of mystery behind their folklore that makes them appealing.  These little gnomes found their way into my home.  And into my heart.