This quick DIY holiday ribbon adds whimsy to your porch or entranceway .
merry holiday gnomesoutside your front dooroffer a impulsive take on the time of year — not to mention a conversation starter . We ’ll show you how to make the friendly fig with just a few inexpensive material in an good afternoon .
Why gnomes ? And what ’s their tale ? Christmas gnomes — small , white - whiskered creatures in pointy red hat , a kind of house elf — are tied to Norse folklore creatures known by various public figure such as “ nisse ” in Norway and “ tomte ” in Sweden .
Credit:BHG / Alicia Long
The Back Story
Centuries ago , in hopes of grow a pegleg up on the long , dark winter , farmers would impart bowls of rice porridge crown with butter outside their doors to curry favor with the creatures . In return key , the animal would protect the family and peradventure even clean house the barn . If see red , though , they might undermine your harvest or cause other trouble .
By the mid-1800s , the gnome began to take on more of a alert , mischievous Christmas elf appearance . In some homes , Danish children retain the custom today by leaving a type of sweet porridge out for the nisse , sometimes with black currant juice or a Christmas ale . The custom is similar to the one in which some families leave cookies and milk for Santa Claus .
BHG / Alicia Long
Credit:BHG / Alicia Long
What You’ll Need
Equipment / Tools
Materials
Instructions
How to Make a Gnome Porch Decoration
Stack Pots
Each dwarf starts with a moldable gardening pot , so the first measure is to adjudicate how many gnomes you want to make and how big you require them to be . We used an 8 - inch potty pile on top of a 12 - in good deal for a marvelous gnome and just one 12 - inch pot for the myopic gnome . If you ’re stacking pots , place them open side down and use hot gum to glue the lowly pot to the larger one . Let the glue dry out altogether .
Attach Moss
Once you ’ve prepped the pots , glue wander sheet moss onto them . Start with a 14 x 48 - inch canvas of moss and cut into three long strips . Then , reduce each striptease into 14 - inch - long sections . start at the base of the bottom bay window , use hot glue and a glue gunman to glue the strips vertically to the pots . There will be approximately 5 column inch not covered at the top . paste the strips so they slightly overlap on the sides until the entire body of the pot is covered .
Add a Greenery Beard
Next , cut back several stem of imitation greenery ( we used cluster greenery to make the beard seem white ) and hot glue them to the front of the pot to make a beard shape . Once you ’ve glued the verdure down , shave around the border as necessary . When the beard is complete , hot glue a fleece dryer lump directly above the whiskers ( this make the dwarf ’s nose ) and use false berries to accessorize the beard for a more festal feel .
Form the Hat Structure
To form a structure for the gnome ’s chapeau , use a zipper sleeper to tie three 22 - inch dowel rod together at one last , create a tripod shape . Place the end of the dowels into the heap ’s drain holes so that the wide part of the tripod is at the bottom and the zip - tied ends are at the top . If your pot does n’t have drain golf hole , you could only secure the death of the dowel to the top of the skunk with hot gum .
Add the Hat
To make the signature marvelous , pointy hat for your gnome , start with a 27x27 - in square of fleece fabric . First , fold the square in half and make a diagonal cut from the inner folded bound to the out open edge . Next , hot glue the right sides of the fabric together at the cut crease and let the glue ironical . Then , turn the fabric proper - side out and aim it over the dowels to create a hat .
Add Arms
To give your little gnome arms :
We recommend displaying the dwarf in a ironical , traverse expanse to protect it from extreme winter weather .
“ Norse gnomes : A history of gnomes in Sweden , Norway , and Denmark . ” Scandification .
Credit:BHG / Alicia Long
O’Brien , Sam . “ The Danish Christmas Porridge That Appeased a vindictive ‘ House Elf . ’“Atlas Obscura .
Credit:BHG / Alicia Long
Credit:BHG / Alicia Long
Credit:BHG / Alicia Long
