June 2011

In this first installment of In The Good Old Summertime series I will be sharing a handful of rhymes. You will notice as we go along that I will be sharing many different rhymes. Unfortunately, today many children know few or no rhymes. It truly is a shame because learning rhymes helps children in many ways. 

*It aids in language development
*It helps children develop reading skills by learning patterns
*It helps young children develop math concepts
*It aids in memory development
*It encourages creative expression and dramatization
*It instills a sense of cultural belonging
*It becomes part of the socialization process
*It helps children become confident public speakers

Many of the rhymes that we learned as children were taught to us by our parents. Most children could recite any number of nursery rhymes. But most of the rhymes we learned in association to games, came from older children and peers on the playground or in the neighborhood making learning rhymes a highly social affair! I say, "Three cheers for rhymes!" and hope that you share many of these, and rhymes you learned as a child, with your children. It really is good for them :)
  
Before you can even think about playing many outdoor games, you have to figure out who goes first, or who is "It". Although occasionally "It" was a desirable position, like when we played Statues, more often than not, you did not want to be "It". For that reason, there were many ways designed to determine who was "It".
 
Most methods of choosing "It" involved a counting rhyme. For that reason, these are often referred to as Counting Out Rhymes. There were some very simple rhymes, and others that were more difficult than the game itself! I just taught the wee ones One Potato, pictured above. They had so much fun this actually became the game, with them repeating the choosing process over and over again.

Here is a list of the Counting Out Rhymes we used.  There are almost as many variations of these rhymes as there are groups of children that use them. I am sharing our version :)
 
NOTE: Depending on the Counting Out Rhyme and the group of children, sometimes the first person picked is “It” and sometimes you go until the last person standing is “It”. It really doesn’t matter… just make sure everyone knows the rules before you start! Traditionally, we stood in a circle around whoever was saying the rhyme. In our group, whoever thought of the game got to be the "chooser", pick their favorite rhyme and perform the Counting Out.
 
NOT IT
Definitely the easiest Counting Out Game. When someone suggests a game like "Tag", everyone yells "Not It". The last one to say "Not It" becomes "It". Fast, but sometimes confusing as to who is the last one to shout "Not It".

DIRTY ROTTEN EGG
When someone thought of a game, they'd yell, "The last one to the porch (or tree, or where ever) is a dirty rotten egg!" Everyone would run to the destination, and besides becoming a "dirty rotten egg", you were also "It".
 
ONE POTATO
1 potato, 2 potatoes, 3 potatoes, 4,
5 potatoes, 6 potatoes, 7 potatoes, more.
(This was my personal favorite. People stood in a circle with their 2 “potato” fists in front of them. The chooser said the rhyme going around the circle hitting each fist in turn. When she came to “more”, the fist that was hit was put behind the player’s back, and the rhyme continued until 1 fist was left in the middle. That person became “It”.)
 
EENY, MEENY, MINY, MOE
Eeny, meeny, miny, moe,
Catch a tiger by the toe.
If it hollers let him go,
Eeny, meeny, miny, moe.
My mother told me to pick the very best one and you’re [not] it!
(We always said “and you’re it”. A “It” was selected and the game began.)
 
INKA-DINK A BOTTLE OF INK
Inka-dink, a bottle of ink,
The cork fell out, and you stink.
(That’s where we quit. One person was out and we moved on. This is the full traditional version.)
 Not because you're dirty,
 Not because you're clean –
Just because you kissed a girl behind the magazine,
And you are it!
 
ENGINE, ENGINE, NUMBER NINE
Engine, engine number nine,
Going down Chicago line.
If the train falls off the track,
Do you want your money back?
(The person you land on would say “yes” or “no”. You continue spelling out yes or no)
N.O. spells no,
You don’t get your money back.
                OR
Y.E.S. spells yes,
You shall get your money back.
 
BUBBLEGUM, BUBBLEGUM
Bubblegum, bubblegum,
In a dish,
How many pieces,
Do you wish?
(Whomever the rhyme ends with chooses a number.  That many numbers are counted. The person you stop on is out and the play continues.)

ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS
We used this method when there were just 2 people playing a game. This was used more to see who went first, rather than who was "It". The play was simple. There were 3 hand gestures that could be made:

a closed fist was a "rock"
an open hand was "paper"
and your pointer and middle finger extended sideways in a "V" were "scissors"

You would make a fist and count off 1, 2, 3 shaking your fist in front of you with each number. On 3, you either made the sign for a rock, paper or scissors.

The winner was determined in this manner:
paper could cover rock so: paper beats rock
rock can break scissors so: rock beats scissors
scissors can cut paper so: scissors beats paper

If both people used the same gesture, it was a tie and repeated until a winner was determined and they could go "first" or they were "It".

NOTE: We played Rock, Paper, Scissors when we were children, however, I have since learned an addition to this game that the geek in me must share. It is played like above with 2 more gestures. It is...

ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS, LIZARD, SPOCK
To learn about the game and its rules, check out this site http://www.samkass.com/theories/RPSSL.html

Can you think of any other rhymes or methods you used as a child? Do share!

First and foremost, we would like to thank April, from Felt-o-rama for hosting this awesome giveaway. If you have never shopped at Felt-o-rama before, we hope this little tour of her shop will encourage you to try some of her wonderful products.

Next, we would like to thank all our lovely readers that entered. If you didn't win this giveaway, don't worry. We have a giveaway planned for most weeks throughout the summer. Maybe next time :) But for now, here are the two lucky winners...

Submitted by Smartchick on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 11:11.
What beautiful felt. I would love to try the wool felt. So I can make some big gnomes!

and

Submitted by Cynthia S on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 20:54.
I love the wool blend felt. Lovely colours!

To claim your prize, simply email us at weefolkart@yahoo.com, giving us your snail mail address and let us know whether you want the bundle of Recycled-Eco Felt, or one of the Woolpets Needle Felting Kits. Make sure you let us know which of the 7 kits you would like to receive. You have 1 week to contact us we the information or a new winner will be selected.

Once again, thank you to all our dear readers that entered, and thank you, April of Felt-o-rama. We are delighted to have you join us as a sponsor, and we are grateful for your generosity.

In the summertime I could spend hours playing Jacks. And when I talk Jacks, I must talk Grandma Pearl. My Grandma Pearl taught me many things, including how to knit, BUT as a child, I was most impressed with her Jack playing expertise. This old lady was a Jack playing wizard! When she pulled out her little bag of Jacks, she was 10 years old, sprawled out on the floor, flinging the ball, and picking up Jacks at break neck speed. Impressive. When I first started playing, I was all thumbs and felt terribly clumsy. But, Grandma was patient. She gave me tips, gave me more than my fair share of "start overs", and was willing to bend the rules on more than one occasion. 

But her patience paid off. Before long, I could play Jacks with the best of them. I even became a rival to Grandma Pearl, although I never surpassed her Jack playing prowess. For years, in the summertime I never went anywhere without my jacks and jump rope. Yesterday, Fairy spent the night. It was great fun giving her her first Jacks' lesson. When she was leaving this morning, she said, "Gammy, I think I need to borrow these." Borrow indeed. I will be ordering more Jacks this afternoon!

A few suggestions for teaching Jacks to children. Most Jack sets come with 10 - 15 jacks. When children are first learning the game, use only 5 or 6 jacks until they have mastered the technique. Using less jacks makes the game go faster and it is easier to hold less jacks in small hands. 

Jacks is a game of skill and requires a certain level of fine motor skills. If your child is becoming frustrated with the game, put it away and try again in 6 months. Fairy was trying to pick up the jacks and catch the ball without success. She is 6 years old. I thought maybe I should stow them away until next year, but she wanted to keep trying. So, I removed the metal jacks and I had her practice throwing the ball up, letting it bounce once, then catching just the ball. When she was doing that consistently, I had her throw the ball up, and slap the floor before she caught the ball. Although she is still chasing down the ball frequently, she is pleased with her progress. When she gets comfortable, we will start adding the jacks. Trust me, even adults will need to go through a learning process, but, it is worth it. Jacks is a great game to play with friends or alone. It is inexpensive, needs little space to play, and is an easy take-along game. Enjoy!

BTW... this evening I will be announcing a fun In the Good Old Summertime giveaway. Check back later :)

These are the rules and variations as I learned them from Grandma Pearl.
  
Equipment:
1 small rubber ball
10 - 15 jacks
Jacks should be played on a hard, smooth surface like a floor or a table.

Note: When playing with small children, you can play with a smaller number, like 5, to make the game go faster and so they can easily hold all the jacks in their hand.

Safety: The jacks and ball present a choke hazard. Keep them out of reach of children under 3.

Determining Who Goes First
To determine who goes first, place the stack of jacks on the back of your hand. Throw the jacks into the air. When the jacks are off your hand, flip your hand over, and try to catch as many jacks as you can in the same hand that threw the jacks. The person that catches the most jacks goes first and the play continues clockwise.

Fouls
A player fouls and loses their turn if:
the player does not catch the ball after it bounces once
the ball bounces more than once
if the player drops a jack or the ball
if the player picks up the incorrect number of jacks
if the player touches any jacks other than the one(s) they are picking up
When a player commits a foul, they have "fouled out" and they lose their turn to the next person. When it is their turn again, they must continue at the level they fouled out on.

CLASSIC JACKS
Throw your 12 jacks on a table or floor. NOTE: It's easiest to collect the jacks if you throw them so the jacks fit in a 12" circle. If the jacks are too far apart, it makes picking them up harder. If two jacks are directly on top of one another, you may use the "kisses rule", which allows you to pick up the two stack jacks called "kissing cousins", and drop them again. This is only permissible if the jacks are directly on top of one another, not if they are simply close and next to one another.

Onsies:
To begin play, the ball is thrown into the air. While it is in the air, pick up 1 jack in the same hand you threw the ball with, and catch the ball in the same hand after it bounces on the table or floor once.

You may now transfer the jack you just picked up to your other hand, and continue picking up the remainder of jacks, one at a time.

Twosies, Threesies, etc.
After a player has successfully completed a level picking up one jack at a time, play continues in the same manner, only this time the player must pick up 2 jacks at a time, which is called twosies. When a player has successfully completed the level picking up 2 jacks at a time, he moves on to 3 at a time, or threesies.

Winning
The game goes on progressively adding 1 jack at each level, until the first player reaches the level where they successfully pick up all the jacks at one time. The have won this round of jacks. 

Note: For levels where the jacks cannot be divided equally, you pick up the required amount of jacks, until there are not enough jacks to make up the required amount, then you pick up the remainder on your last throw. (For example: If you are played with 12 jacks and you are on fivesies, you would pick up 2 groups of five. There are now only 2 jacks left. You would then pick up the last 2 together.)

There are many variations to the game. Here are a few I played with Grandma Pearl.

TAPSIES
Played like Classic Jacks except, when you pick up the jacks, you must tap then on the table once before you catch the ball. Sometimes we played that 2 or 3 taps were required before you caught the ball.

NO BOUNCE
Played like Classic Jacks except the ball is not allowed to bounce before you catch it.

DOUBLE BOUNCE
Played like Classic Jacks except the ball must bounce twice before you catch it.

AROUND THE WORLD
Played like Classic Jacks except after you pick up the jacks, before you can catch the ball, you must circle the ball with the hand holding the jacks.

PIGS IN A PEN
Played like Classic Jacks, but instead of picking up the designated number of jacks, you put the jacks, or pigs, in a pen. To do this, place your non throwing hand on the table, palm side down. Raise your palm off the table, while keeping your fingers on the table. This creates a space, that becomes the "pen". Then, instead of picking up the jacks, slide them into the "pen" without picking them up. 

EGGS IN A BASKET
Played like Classic Jacks, but instead of catching the ball in the hand with the jacks, you must transfer the jacks to your other hand before you catch the ball.

Did you play Jacks as a child? Do your children/grandchildren play Jacks now? Do you have any variations of the game to share? We'd love to hear from you :)

When Rhonda, from Joy Grows, first contacted us with an idea for a guest blog spot, she said, "Hello!  I would like to submit my dear little frog tutorial as an idea for a guest blog on Wee Folk Art." I must admit, the more I looked at this little guy, the sweeter he became. I love simplistic toys, and this dear little frog not only looks simple, but is easy enough for your budding sewers to handle. Enough said, except to thank Rhonda, and her photographer, Lindsey, for a lovely tutorial. Please leave a kind word, and make sure you whip up a pond of your own little froggies! 

REMINDER: If you would like to be included in our growing list of guest bloggers, just read the guidelines, and send your ideas to weefolkart@yahoo.com.

I did not grow up making things.  Any ‘skill’ I have has been recently acquired.  When our daughter was just 9 months old, my husband and I attended an open house at the Waldorf School of Atlanta.  We had heard good things about their Parent Toddler program and wanted to learn a bit more about this school which was just around the corner from our home.   Over the following years we have attended lectures, read books, magazines and we have gotten to know Waldorf students and alum.  These experiences, along with the gut confirmation we received back in November 2004 at the open house assured us we were in the right place.   As we experienced what for us was a new philosophy on hand crafted things and as I relished in my daughter’s joyous reaction to anything I made, we evolved into a family that tends to make before we buy. 
 
I’ve taken craft classes over the years and have a library of books, but I rationalized that if I volunteered to chair our school’s Holiday Fair Enchantment Shop (where children get to shop for handmade treasures) that I would learn much more than any collection of classes could offer.  So I took on the challenge of organizing supplies, patterns, workdays and volunteer parents to make over 2000 handmade items.   This Cashmere Frog was one of the new items I brought to my year of chairing the Enchantment Shop.  It is really easy to make.  It takes minimal supplies – small amount of wool stuffing, 2 buttons and a little rectangle of cashmere.  If you are a stingy cutter – like me – you can get over 30 frogs from one thrift store cashmere sweater. 
 
Supplies:
Cashmere rectangle
Wool stuffing
2 buttons
Matching thread

Tools:
Scissors
Needle
Straight pins
Rubber band
 
Supplies.

Fold and pin corners.

Whip stitch legs.

Leave the belly open.

Turn right-side out.

Shape a little ball of wool and place it up inside the frog.   Secure this head with a rubber band.

Using 6 strands of floss and starting at the back of the neck, make a gathering stitch around the neck.   Tighten till the neck is defined and knot.   Remove rubber band. 

Lightly stuff the legs.  Sew belly seam.  Tack together the back feet.   Pinch head to flatten vertically and then sew eyes up high on the face. 

 
Pretty soon you will have a fun frog family!
 

You can read a bit more about me on www.joygrows.wordpress.com.  I’m using the blog to chronicle projects I’m doing with my photographer partner Lindsey, of Linden Tree Photography (who did the photos for the Frog Tutorial) and a group I started in February 2010 that shares ideas and supports each other in celebrating the seasons. 
©2011 Rhonda Wildman

We grew up in little house in a large subdivision. These "subs" were popping up in the shadows of large cities all over America. They were the product of the post World War II Baby Boom. My siblings and I were born at the tail end of the boom, but our childhood, and I'm afraid now our aging years", were dramatically impacted by the boom. As a child, it was great! New neighborhoods sprung up, and EVERY house was full of kids! It was a time when parents didn't have to drive their children places for "play dates". You simply walked over to a friends, stood on their porch, and with a melodic lilt, called out your friend's name. "KAAARRRRRRREEEEEEEEENNNNN!!! (This proved to be a great time saver. Instead of ringing a bell, possibly waking up a sleeping child and suffering the wrath of a frazzled mom, you were able to announce from the porch, whom you came to see.) Of course, all those neighborhoods still exist, but there is now an age diversity in the families that live on those streets. There may be elderly couples with no children, quasi empty nesters with children away at school. Families with young children, and young couples that haven't started families yet. But back then, you couldn't shake a stick without hitting a kid :)

Not only were their children in each house, but there were sidewalks, much like the yellow brick road, that took you where ever you wanted to go! We used the sidewalks for many things other than just walking to school. We learned how to ride bikes on them, and we followed our moms around the block while they pushed our youngest sibs in prams. It was a seemingly unending outdoor chalkboard, with artwork that connected one house to another. BUT, in my opinion, the BEST thing about the sides was their ability to be turned into a hopscotch course by simply drawing lines diagonally from the corners, making a big "X".

As with all childhood games, rules and courses varied, but below are some directions to get you and your children started!

BASICS
Typically, a hopscotch course is drawn on a smooth, flat surface using chalk. You can find or create many variations but these were the 2 we used as children. (If you notice, Fairy has a slightly different course. She is also using her Hopscotch Game from A Child's Dream)

When drawing a hopscotch course on a sidewalk, simply draw lines diagonally, from corner to corner, creating an "X". Number as diagramed. NOTE: The finally block is referred to as "Safe" "Free" or "Home". It is a place to turn around and rest for a minute before starting back.

When drawing a hopscotch course on a blacktop playground or driveway, follow the pattern above making each square about 18" wide, but you can play with size to see what works best. The squares need to be big enough so you can hop into it without stepping on a line, but they need to be small enough so you can hop over a block.

NOTE: You can find many more hopscotch courses on-line, or create your own once you know the rules.

TO PLAY:
Each player finds a small, flat stone or you can use bean bags.

Solo:
The first time through the course, simply hop through it as follows: In the single blocks (1, 4, 5, 8, 9, 12 in the sidewalk course and 1, 2, 3, 6, 9, 10 in the playground course) you hop into the square on 1 foot, and must stay on that foot hopping into the next square(s) until you reach double blocks. (2/3, 6/7, 10/11 in the sidewalk course and 4/5, 7/8 in the playground course) When you get to to the double blocks, you jump into them, placing one foot in each block.

Continue hopping and jumping until you get to the "Free" area. In the "Free" area, you can have both feet on the ground and turn around. Continue back through the course in the same way.

On your next turn, you must toss your rock into the 1st block. A block with a rock in it cannot be stepped on. So, on your first turn, you toss your rock into square 1, and you must jump over block 1, and continue hopping through the rest of the course. On your way back, when you are on block 2, you must bend over and pick up the rock in block 1. You can then hop in block 1 since there is no longer a stone in it, and finish the course.

On your next turn, you toss the rock into block 2. This continues until your have gone through all blocks.

Two People:
When 2 people played, we took turns after each try, whether you were successful or not. Other people play that 1 player keeps going until they commit a "foul". The game is played as above, with the added complication of your opponent's stone. You may not hop in a square that has a stone in it, whether it is yours or your opponent's. The "winner" is the first person to successfully complete the last level.

EDIT: After a "foul" you lose your turn. When it is your turn again, continue at the last level you fouled out on.

Fouls
You can "foul" out which ends your turn by:
*stepping on a line
*falling
*putting both feet down anywhere other than the double blocks or "Free" block
*putting a hand on the ground while picking up a stone
*tossing your stone into the wrong block

NOTE: When playing with younger children, you can modify the rules so it is not so frustrating. For example, when my children were young, they had to hop into the single boxes on one foot, but they could get their balance by putting both feet down before they continued to the next square.

Hopscotch is a wonderful summertime game. The only equipment necessary is chalk, a smooth surface, and a stone. After your children are familiar with the game, let them experiment with designing their own courses. I think you will find that they can come up with some pretty interesting and challenging ideas!

Were you a hopscotcher???

BTW... Make sure to stop by tomorrow to sign up for a chance to win a Hopscotch Game from A Child's Dream :)   

This fall I will be teaching a knitting class at my children’s co-op. After typing up my syllabus for the class, it of course occurred to me that this would make an awesome series for Wee Folk Art. And then not only can I share my class with all of you, it will also double as a place for my students to get help between classes. So, if you have ever thought about learning to knit this is your chance. I will take you step by step through a variety of knitting skills to get you well on your way. I am designing each project in this series to focus on a specific skill set which means if you complete all the projects in order you will master all of the skills you need to start tackling knitting projects on your own. Ok, no more excuses. If you have ever wanted to pick up the needles but just haven’t found the time or someone to show you how, get ready to learn this fall.
 
On to the reason we are here today… I sent my mom a sketch and asked her to convert it into one of her lovely appliqué blocks to use as the button for our Newbie Knitting Series. How cute would this be on a knitting tote? Like all our blocks, it was designed to fit on a 6" x 6" block but can be reduced or enlarged to meet your needs. The pattern can be found HERE.

One note from Kimara: Before you begin stitching, pin or staple the pieces together, following the pattern, in the order listed on the pattern.

Although it may not seem like it since we still post most weekdays, Michelle and I have been able to direct our attention away from the blog the past few weeks and we've tackled other projects with gusto. Obviously, there has been a decrease in the number of projects we have been sharing, so we are delighted that our online friends still drop by to visit us :) It really is heart warming. Thanks for hanging out with us!

Couple of notes... FIRST... the A Child's Dream giveaway for the Hopscotch Game closes tonight at 9:00 pm EST. If you haven't signed up yet, and would like to, jump over HERE and enter.

Next, we were planning on doing a giveaway every week this summer with small giveaways from Bella Luna Toys and A Child's Dream. We decided, instead of spreading out the giveaway over the summer, we are going to do just 2 giveaways, by combining the toys into 2 larger giveaways. There will be one at the beginning of July and one at the beginning of August, so watch for them.

Finally... I have been crafting with wool for 3 years. I have been saving every scrap with the idea of "doing something" with the scraps. So far I haven't, and the mountain of felt scraps was growing and threatening to take over our house.

Then, this past winter, I got a cold... a really bad cold that lasted 6 weeks. That, my friends, is a whole lot of Kleenex! As I emptied one box and opened the next, I started using the empty box as the receptacle for my used Kleenex. Worked great! After all those years of leaving a disgusting Kleenex trail everywhere I went, I finally came up with a neat way to deal with prolific amounts of mucous!

Anyway... that did give me an idea... and I now keep an empty Kleenex box on my crafting table, and all my felt scraps can be dropped in the box. When full, they can neatly be stacked. And as Tim would say... "But to what end?" I don't have a good come back. I'm not sure what to do with them, but I know someday I am going to be glad I have them! We have made little garlands and wreathes for the gnome house, and I have visions of a woodland scene felt mosaic. But I need some help justifying to Tim why I insist upon squirreling away these precious little scraps. Anyone out there with any good ideas of what to do with felt scraps? I would love a viable justification, and wouldn't mind actually doing something with them all :)   

Have a lovely weekend everyone :) 

This was first posted on April 27, 2009, on my now retired blog One Generation to Another. I hope you enjoy :)

I just completed my first project from More Knitting in the Sun: 32 Patterns to Knit for Kids... a summer weight shrug for Fairy-girl, my little ballerina. It turned out adorable... but a bit big (sarcasm here). Huge is more like it. I really should have paid more attention to the finished chest sizes rather than just the size labels. Fairy is currently wearing size 6 in store bought clothing and they fit her just right. I like to size up sweaters a bit to make sure we get two seasons out of them so I cast on the size 8. Umm... well, yeah, she can wear it for a few years (3 or 4 possibly ;) ). LOL. I have only steam blocked the edges to stop them from curling... I haven't blocked the sleeves yet and I'm sure they will grow quite a bit in length when I do.

But sizing issues aside, this shrug turned out super cute. The pattern was easy to follow, came together pretty quickly and I love the bell shaped sleeves. If you would like to read more of my notes on this project you can check out my Ravelry page.

I must say I love this yarn, Cascade Yarns Ultra Pima. It is shiny, smooth and has excellent stitch detail. I didn't have any problems with splitting and it went a lot further than the pattern suggested. I expected to use 3.5 skeins and ended up using only 2 and a tiny bit of the third. I have plenty left to complete a second, smaller one or maybe the matching top.

And just 'cause I haven't shared it yet... I had to add a pic of my little dancing stars from their recital last week. They both did an amazing job and had so much fun.

EDIT: This contest is now closed. Thanks to everyone that entered :)

Several weeks ago, the very dear Marie, from Soft Earth's World Blog, was a guest blogger on Wee Folk Art. She shared the tutorial on making the Blue Bird of Happiness. It was a wonderful project and Michelle and I were so grateful she shared her talents.

Today, she is sponsoring a giveaway. YAY! Marie has a very lovely Etsy shop, The Enchanted World of Needle Felting. Her work with roving is beautiful. Today's giveaway is a spiral bound memory journal.

"The Rainbow Princess"
A Spiral bound 6x8 memory book
Needle felted cover
With co-ordinating wool trim on the side
50 pages of quality paper
Suitable for art work,stories,photos,etc
An original by Softearthart

Isn't it just precious? How inspiring it would be to draw and dream in this journal. I'm sure we can all think of someone that would love this for their very own! (It's okay if you'd like it for yourself :) For your chance to win, simply visit Marie's Etsy shop, The Enchanted World of Needle Felting, and tell us what your favorite creation is. Mine changes every time I visit her shop, but right now I'm really smitten with her Babies in a Basket. Adorable!

The contest runs from today, Friday, June 24, to Sunday, June 26, at 9:00 pm, EST. A winner will be drawn at random. Marie will ship anywhere in the world, so everyone is welcome to join the fun. The winner has 1 week to contact us at weefolkart@yahoo.com with their snail mail address or a new winner will be selected.

So... thank you Marie, for your gracious gift to our readers. And... good luck to everyone :)

The other day I shared our latest gnomes... the Old World Wooden Gnomes. In the past we've made Peg Gnomes, Knit Gnomes, Sewn Baby Gnome Dolls, and Michelle even designed Gnome Pillow Panels that you can buy from Spoonflower to sew and stuff. So, it only seems natural that we would eventually have gotten around to making wooden gnomes :)

NOTE: For general instructions on how to cut out wood, prepare it for finishing, then painting, and finishing, including the beeswax and olive oil finish recipe, check out the post HERE.

I made these from 1" ash, but you can use any medium or hardwood. Click here to download the Old World Wooden Gnome pattern. Begin by cutting the gnomes out of wood. As you will notice, they aren't perfect. The saw blade had a mind of its own, but that's okay. Even the wonky ones turned out cute :)

Although I've been working with wood for the past couple of years, and not nearly as often as I should to advance my skills significantly, I tried something new this project. I finally used the wood burner Michelle gave me for Christmas.

Trust me when I tell you I'm new to wood burning. So new I couldn't even figure how to get the tips off so I just used the one it came with! (BTW... I figured it out AFTER I was done with the project :) 

I transferred the pattern for wood burning to the wood using a pencil.



I then practiced on scrap wood. Yikes! Not as easy as I thought it was going to be!

I moved on to the "real thing" and wood burned the pieces. I did not do a perfect job, but I was reasonably certain... or at least hopeful, that it wouldn't matter when they were all done :)


When I was done wood burning the pieces, I erased the marks, then proceeded to painting.

As usual, I mixed up milk paints, and painted each a bit different. It was amazing how the burned lines made it easier to paint... the secret to "staying in the lines".


When they were dried, I finished them with my beeswax/olive oil.

They have such an Old World look to them. The wee ones pounced on them when they came over. I know I will be making a whole village!

REMEMBER: For general instructions on how to cut out wood, prepare it for finishing, then painting, and finishing, including the beeswax and olive oil finish recipe, check out the post HERE.

The actual pattern can be found HERE.

Hope you have fun and populate your house with a bunch of gnomie friends :)