Joy

What does this little gnomette think she's doing??? She's celebrating Christmas, of course! But at this time of the year I can see why you're surprised. Would it help to know that Christmas is Joy's favorite time of the year, with all the cheerful carolers and gift giving and stocking stuffing and tacky sweater wearing... it's all so fantastic that this year she has decided to simply celebrate the Christmas spirit all year long! Or perhaps she's just preparing for the next Christmas? We may never know which. All we know is that there is nothing that makes her happier than setting up the decorations of mistletoe and acorns hanging from the trees. And a happy gnome is a... well just that... happy. And who can fault her for that?

Wee Twisted

If I were to say you're a little twisted, you may take offense to that statement and be left wondering what I meant by it. But that's not the case for gnomes - they'd know exactly what I meant and they would be flattered. It might even be the best compliment one can give to a young gnome who is nearing the point in her life where she will be leaving the clover patch and venturing on her own into the big garden. When a young gnome is told she is a wee twisted, she knows that means she has a lot of potential - all wounded up in that twist, ready to burst into the world! She'll be able to accomplish so much in the garden, or even beyond the garden wall, if that's where her twist leads her. She knows that if she puts her mind to it, there is nothing she can't accomplish. "Go out and change the world?" she asks. "I accept that challenge!"


PERSONAL GNOTE:
I just LOVE this gnome's twisted top. It's kind of hard to tell in the photos, but it leans to the left before leaning back to the right again. It's absolutely adorable!

Blossom

Be honest... there is no better time of the year than when the big cherry tree blossoms with its puffs of pink and white, right? Lie if you have to. This wee lady won't hear anything other than an agreement. And why not agree with her? You know she's right, and Blossom has no doubt either. She wears a lovely branch of cherry blossoms because she knows that this is time of the year is special - the sun begins to shine and the plants begin to come to life again. What's more... this is the time of the year when the wee wee little gnomeshkins are born! And there is nothing Blossom likes more than being a mommy to her wee-est ones.

Keeper of the Friendships

If I were to ask you how many friends from your past you have kept in touch with, what would be your response? One? Two? Perhaps even five? That number just seems so small, even to a wee little gnome. Gnomes keep in touch with every friend they meet along their adventures and they consider them to be very close friends indeed. All of them - from the clover patch to the mint lane. How many does that mean? Why put a number to it when you just know they make you happy? And how do the gnomes keep track of all their friends, old and new? Meet Amie, the keeper of friendships. She catalogs all the friendly interactions that the gnomes pursue, and boy is that a big task! But she loves to do it because she knows how important friendship really is... just look at the smiles it brings and the tears it dries? There is nothing better than a good friendship.

Wee Arrival

This wee-est of wee ones is a new arrival to the gnome community. Most gnomeshkins are born in the spring time when the grand cherry tree blossoms, but occasionally a lucky gnome couple gets a surprise at other times of the year. And boy are they lucky! Just look at this wee fellow. Look at his wee flowers and his wee nose. Certainly you've never seen anything cuter? His mommy and daddy certainly think so and count their lucky clovers that he has come into their lives. Congrats Mommy and Daddy! And as the Gnomish blessing goes: May you always be a wee ahead of your wee one so your wee one may never wee on you!

Sparky

Have you ever thought that you know everything there is to know? Not this little fellow. He just wasn't satisfied with all the things there is to know about the garden life he and his friends have. He knew there was more out there, even beyond the garden wall and the big blue river, and he wanted to learn about it! Not only did he want to see what's out there, he wanted to learn HOW it all works too. And look what he found - a string of lights! Won't the gnomes back home be impressed? He's excited to tell them about how he discovered a world of high tech inventions galore. They taught him that P=IV and V=IR and since he strongly believes with every micro-ounce of his body that Knowledge is Power... does that mean Knowledge is proportional to Resistance? Hmmm... maybe there's some fuzzy math in there? Perhaps he just forgot to divide by two or carry the one?


PERSONAL GNOTE:
Ok, so this was a super cute idea, but he didn't turn out nearly as cute as what I had hoped for. Perhaps I need smaller lightbulbs? Perhaps round lightbulbs? Perhaps I just picked the wrong colors? I don't think I like black gnomes. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I know I'd do him differently if I could.

Lemon Drop

Have you ever heard the saying "When life hands you lemons, make lemonade?" Of course you have! And that's why the gnomes just LOVE getting lemons as presents - they LOVE making lemonade! This little Lemon Drop is particularly fond of the sweet concoction so lemons are always on her wish list. A day where he's handed lemons is a good day indeed.


PERSONAL GNOTE:
I love this one's little story... written for someone I know who is going through a rough patch. I'm really enjoying writing stories that are perfect for a gnome's recipient. I sure hope the gnomes can make my friends and family smile like the do for me.

Guardian of the Strawberry Patch

It's no secret that strawberries are delicious, but the ones that are grown by gnomes are particularly sweet and juicy. So it should come as no surprise that the town council voted unanimously the strawberry patch needs to be protected. Not just anygnome can qualify for such an important job. We need a master of the mind, a master of disguise, a master of all things green... who better to protect the patch than a master gardener?! Now that the strawberries are safe, the gnome colony has no worries about having enough berries for their upcoming strawberry festival. It's one of the best events of the year!


PERSONAL GNOTE:
I absolutely love how this little fella turned out. I love how short and fat he is... and his strawberry-ness. It's going to be hard for me to part with this one!

Little Miss

This Little Miss has a BIG personality. She recently learned that she needed to control her daily intake of berries, which are found in abundance in the community gnome garden. But did she let that hold her back? Oh no! Her personality is much too fun for limits! Instead, she decided to adorn some flowers to match her favorite berries (raspberries and blackberries, of course), and she wears them with pride. She is such a kind joyful little gnomette and all who meet her love her to pieces. What they like most about her is that when they're around her, they feel loved and supported. Anygnome who has the ability to fill others with those feelings of warmth is a gnome you want for a friend!

Wee Posse

Can you guess who the members of this wee posse are? Well I'll give you a hint... the leaders are none other than Ellie and her best friend Brynnie. All gnomes are known for being well-liked with lots of friends, but these two are closest of friends, which is well known even in the gnome community. As a gesture of how much they mean to each other, they even exchanged some of their flowers - a gnomes most prized posession. And of course, both gnomettes are proud big sisters! They love taking care of their baby sisters and showing them how to do things like build bug castles or play "ring around the spider." They think that everygnome should have a baby sibling.


PERSONAL GNOTE:
As soon as Ellie saw the set, she loved them but she did insist that the gnomes needed pets. Specifically, Rocky Racoon and Bucky Bunny from the Elliot story. Interesting request, don't you think? Well I'm unsure of my ability to make animals but out came a pet hedgehog and bunny for the wee posse. Not too shabby.

Funny thing about these gnomes... I seem to have found the perfect toy for pets. After the untimely death of my first gnome, I probably should have been surprised when I put these four on the table, walked away for a couple minutes, only to return to find them gone! The cat had found them and excitedly "helped" me look for them for almost an entire hour! What is it about wool that makes animals think "That was made for me!? Thank you!"

The Gnix Gnomes

Just take a look at these ladies! Look at all the confidence these little gnomettes have. These wee three all come from the same patch of clover. Together they are known as the Gnix Gnomes. The eldest is so proud of her two grown daughters and loves to hear updates on their little happenings. The two wee seestors, both so similar and yet so different, love to snack on blueberries while they just sit and chat about their adventures. The gnomettes spend most of their days tending to different corners of the garden, but there's nothing they look forward to more than the opportunity to reunite for more story telling.


PERSONAL GNOTE:
I'm absolutely LOVING making these little gnomes and I can't stop! To date I've made 12! So I've decided to start posting gnomes stories occasionally. And the girls love them too. Ellie always asks me "Who is dis gnome?" and assumes that each gnome represents a real person. And it was from her that I got the idea to make the gnome's story match the specific recipient of the gnome - it adds an entertaining twist to my new obsession. Addie loves the gnomes too - she likes to grab them and bounce them up and down, babbling away just like she sees us do when we play with them. I think she likes the fuzzy feel in her hands. But I digress... I hope you enjoy the Gnomes to come!

Gniffer's Gnomes

A whlie ago, I bought these two fellows from my favorite Etsy shop. I quickly came the conclusion that I had to learn how to make these little guys for two reasons. 1.) If I bought all of the ones I loved, there would be no gnomes for anyone else to bring to their home and 2.) There would also be no money in my bank account to bring anything else to my home. But, please... feel free to give her your business. They're adorable!

And here is my first Gniffer-made gnome. I. MADE. HER. Can you believe it??? Not bad for my first try! My little fellow looks older and wiser than the Etsy ones, and her flowers are huge... perhaps a gnome's flowers grow with old age? This wise soul taught me a lot about the ways of the gnomes. She loves to pass on her knowledge to anyone who is willing to listen to one of her stories of her many adventures beyond the garden.

So... Why has Gniffer decided to learn how to make these little gnomes? I have no freakin' idea. There is just something about the wee ones that make me smile. They seem to give me a hint of magic in my life. I like them. I look at them and I have to smile. They make me happy. Enough said.

So now I'm making more. I'd love to make them and post stories about fantastic cute little gnome adventures like the Etsy seller has in her shop, but then I'd be nearing the point of blog-overflow. Regardless, I may end up with a whole colony of little Gniffer gnomes who live in my purple Gniffer glass bottles and old Gniffer steamer trunks (two other obsessions of mine). Or perhaps you may end up with one showing up at your house some random afternoon. They might make occasional appearances here. Who knows. All I know is I'm bringing more into the world. Life is good.

UPDATE: Sadly my little old gnome passed away last night. Merlin got to her. May she rest in peace.