Gnomes are all the rage right now. This little DIY Dollar Tree Gnome is such a cute and easy craft and it can be made using items mostly from the Dollar Store.
Little Gnomies can be made for any season of the year by simply choosing socks that match the holiday. My plan is to make a few more just because I like cute and easy.
These little guys are so much fun to make and I'm going to give you step by step instructions in this blog so that you can share the gnome love this holiday season.
How To Make a Dollar Tree Gnome
Supplies needed:
(All of these supplies were purchased at my local Dollar Tree with the exception of the styrofoam ball and the piece of buffalo plaid ribbon I used)
* Bag of beans (any bag will do)
*1 Mop head (My store had just the heads but you can buy the entire mop and detach)
*1 pair of socks or 1 sock you have around the house
*twine
*1 bell
*Some greenery
*hot glue
*Styrofoam Ball (Walmart)
*Piece of ribbon (Buffalo Plaid Walmart)
Instructions:
Start with your bag of beans and the mop head (remove the mop head from the bag). Leave the mop head attached to the plastic piece. You will hot glue the mop head to the bag of beans.
Once the mop head is glued down, go around with your glue gun and make sure to secure the mop head further and then flip the mop over the beans.
You will then begin the process of breaking apart the mop threads to make the gnome hair. This part takes the longest and is probably the messiest.
Keep going until all of the threads have been separated and you have a thick head of gnome hair to work with.
Once you are finished with this step, you may choose to give your gnome a hair cut. I did choose to do this. I went around and took off about 3 inches from the gnome hair.
Now, take one of your socks and cuff it on the open end. Place it over your gnomes head.
Take a piece of twine and tie off at the top of the mop head to create the definition in the hat.
You will then take another piece of twine and do the same at the end of the sock.
At this point, we are going to add the nose. I decided to paint my nose so that it would stand out from the white hair. This is totally up to you. I mixed some red and white paint to give it a pink color. Split the gnome hair down the middle and then place a large dollop of hot glue on the nose before placing it on the bag of beans.
Once the nose is attached, take the hot glue and secure some of the hair around the nose so that it stays in place. Now go around the hat, lifting the lid doing the same until you have made it all the way around, securing it to the gnome head.
The next step is to secure the loose parts of the hat to the gnome head with hot glue.
The only thing left to do is to embellish your little gnomie! At this point, you can let your imagination go wild. Use whatever materials you have extra and really give it some character. I wanted a holiday theme for mine, so I added some Christmas greenery and a touch of buffalo plaid.
How absolutely stinking cute and easy was that? Just look at how adorable he is!
I guarantee you won’t be able to make just one! Thankfully, they are so inexpensive that you can make several of them without breaking the bank.
Even if you don't consider yourself to be a crafter, these are great for the beginner or born crafter. They are just tons of fun to make and hands down, one of the most fun and successful crafts I have worked on in a long time. Also, I know that things tend to sell out quickly at the Dollar Tree, but these items pretty much stay in stock or are easy to find at other discount stores.
Here's your homework!
If you decide to make yourself a little gnomie, I want to hear all about it. Better yet, send me a picture and your craft may just get featured in an upcoming blog!
Christina is a wife, mom, full time corporate America day job worker and a born crafter. Her hobbies include: reading, photography, crocheting and of course multi-crafting. Current ventures include blogging and graphic design.
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