The World According to a Gnome... by our AMAZING Featured Artist Tina Walker

Hi and Hello Amazing Crafting Products friends! Did you know today is International Faerie Day??! Well, it just happens to be and this project is perfect for today!

I have a small confession to make. I'm a little bit obsessed with Gnomes right now. The other day we were talking about our next crafty project at work {I work in a location where it is primarily men, so us women stick together by crafting – I can't think of a better way to spend 'work time'  ;) }.

The subject of terrariums came up as our next craft project, and we start talking about the cute little fairy and gnome gardens that many people create. One thought led to another, one idea to the next, all leading up to my project today, a Gnome Home. I thought it would be fun to create my very own Gnome Home and Gnome person. 

I wanted to create a house that looked like it would be hidden under a large tree, only visible to those lucky enough to spy a Gnome.

After searching Pinterest for Gnome Home inspiration, I decided to create a stone house, full of depth, texture, and age, but creating a house from actual stone would be heavy and filling in the space between stones difficult.

But what about a resin house? Yes!!!

I cut a piece of scrap cardboard in approximately

a 3"x3" square and glued small stones to the surface.

   

I mixed up a batch of Amazing Mold Putty and gently shaped the mold putty to my rock square. Once it had cured, this is what I created! Please CLICK HERE for mixing/preparation.

Now for the wall construction...

Using Amazing Casting Resin and a mixture of black, brown, and white Alumilite Dyes – I mixed up some resin and created 4 separate 'walls' {CLICK HERE for mixing/preparation}. For the 4th wall, I cut the resin into smaller pieces so I could add my front door. In hindsight, I should have kept the 4th wall intact and simply glued the door to the wall.

The resin walls were a flat color, so I painted them with several shades of PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Acrylic Paints to mimic how stone would actually look. I also added a few sprays of spray mist to blend the colors together and to create 'color' in the cracks between my resin stones.

Don't the resin walls look like real stone?

I was super pleased with how they turned out.

To assemble the walls to create the house, I initially added a bit of glue to the corners for some stability. I realized that this wasn't going to be enough to keep the walls together, so I thought it would help by adding some resin to the corners of the house, creating a strong. solid base.

**A TIP** I applied some artist tape to the inside of the walls to keep the resin from seeping through. Worked perfectly.

   

I added a bit more paint to blend in the new resin to the old.

Here's a close-ups of the walls.

Now on to the door...

To create the door, I cut another piece of scrap cardboard into a door shape and glued small popsicle type sticks to the cardboard. Once the glue had dried, I cut the sticks into the door shape.

I painted the door with the same PaperArtsy Fresco Finish paints and some rusting powder. I wanted a rustic looking door, full of wear and tear.

I added a large, oversized door knob, and aged it with alcohol ink.

Once the door was dry, I glued it to the wall front. 

To finish my Gnome Home, I painted a large piece of corrugated chipboard with more Fresco Finish Paint and lots of Rusting Powder. I wanted the roof to look like a metal tin roof. I think it turned out fantastic.

But what's a Gnome Home without a Gnome??

I couldn't find the perfect gnome, so I bought an old vintage one from Etsy and made my own with Amazing Mold Rubber and Amazing Casting Resin. Please CLICK HERE for mixing/preparation.

Here's my original gnome getting ready for a dip

in some Amazing Mold Rubber. What a lonely little guy.

Side Share: Here's my little Gnome army. Remember I told you we were creating little Gnome Terrariums at work? Here's some of the gnomes right after they were cast. I still need to add some Alumidust to them to liven them up a bit.

And an entire army of Molded Gnomes!

I 'painted' my casted gnomes with Alumidust - that's it! No paint, just Alumidust. Love the look it gave to my Little Gnomies.

One final piece I wanted to add my my Gnome Scene, was a cobblestone path. I used my wall mold for casting. Once the resin was set, I cut it into smaller, path sized pieces and applied the same painting technique.

 

To finish my Gnome Wonderland scene, I added moss and painted bottle trees. I also added some gold Alumidust to the inside of 2 small glass vials with a drop or two of alcohol ink for aging. 

Thank you Susan and all of the Amazing Crafting Products friends for allowing me to share my creations with y'all this month! I've enjoyed being here and I hope to see you all around Cyberland! :)

Thank you again! Have a wonderful day! ~ Tina

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You can see more of Tina's scrapbook, Home Décor, and mixed media projects on her blog, "A Dog's Life" at http://adogslife-thirteen.blogspot.com.