Dwellings & Furnishings

It's summer... time for camping under the moon and stars. Whether you throw a sleeping bag on the grass in the backyard or trek into the wilderness, there is nothing like lying on your back, on a clear night, and looking up at the wondrous night sky.

Naturally, our gnomes also enjoy star gazing. Here are our latest gnomes and there sleeping bag, perfect for a night under a blanket of stars and the moon!

To complete this project, you are going to need to do a little scavenger hunt through our site. You will need:

The Waldorf Inspired Gnomes found HERE.

The basic Sleeping Bag Directions found HERE.

The directions for how to make the woven stars found HERE.

And the actual pattern for THIS sleeping bag found HERE.

And, in the event you want to set up your own campfire scene you will need:

The campfire found HERE.

The felt trees found HERE.

And the mushrooms found HERE.

Okay... I think that is everything :)  To embellish your gnomes, simply add some woven stars on their hats and capes before you sew them together. And for all of you that accuse me of flawless crafting... just know I make mistakes ALL the time. I'm just a master of covering them up. For example, when appliqueing the moon and stars on the blanket of the sleeping bag, I appliqued them on sideways by mistake. So, when you look at the pattern, it will look wrong. I meant to do it like the pattern, but after spending the time, I was not going to go back and redo the silly thing. So, I left it. And, if anyone in the future questions the look of the moon, I'll just tell them I was striving to create a lunar eclipse!

NOTE: On the pattern you will also find an applique to make a sunny sky sleeping bag. I was going to make both and ran out of time. If you would like to make one, and the design on your pattern is too light, I simply took our Sunburst Applique Block and reduced it to 40%.

On a completely different topic... you guys will be on your own for the next 10 days as Michelle's family and mine are vacationing. Although we will have access to computers, we will only be using them to check-up on things from time to time. If you need to talk with us, best way to contact us is through email at weefolkart@yahoo.com. We will be checking emails daily. So, have a wonderful week, and if you are really missing us, great time to thumb through past posts and projects. BTW... if you ever find a mistake, i.e., a broken link or an incorrect photo, please email us with the link and problem. We would really appreciate it. We will see everyone back here on Monday, July 18. We well :)

The gnome home is finally all decked out for Spring and our wee ones have been busy on adventures with our friends that dwell there. We thought we'd take you on a tour, floor by floor. (BTW... we are in the process making several ladders and an elevator to make getting around in the house easier :)

After cleaning and polishing all the wood, and tucking in roving for foliage, (see HERE) we lay down the rugs.

Crocheted Rag Rug

Spring Rag Rug

Flower Fairy Carpet

Next, using florist tape, we secure flowers to the branches.

Level 5: Sleeping Under the Stars Deck

Spring Sleeping Bags

Felt Flower Garland

Level 4: Dining Al Fresco

Waldorf Style Gnomes

Honey Pot

Level 3: Family's Co-Sleeping Chamber

Little Wooden Birdies

Gnome City Bed and Bedding

Level 2: Family Living Area and Kitchen

Larder Sacks

Gnome and Fairy Books

Flower Fairies

Quilt

Felt Poppies

Level 1: Community Gathering Area

Wooden Pine Forest

Campfire

Wooden Mushrooms

So, if you know me at all... if you've read my blogs for at least a year... you know I don't "do" Spring Cleaning. If you are so inclined, and haven't done so already, you can read my sage words on the topic HERE.

Having said THAT... I do help Britta spring clean the gnome house. We are a couple weeks behind schedule, but yesterday we got a crew of wee folk together, and they completely empty the gnome house, so we could do a thorough job. Over the weekend the house will don its spring apparel, but this is our simple, general purpose cleaning and prep we do first.

After removing everything from the house, we give it a good dusting.

Then, 4 times a year, with the changing seasons, we go over the entire wood surface, including the underside of the floors and the supporting branches, with our Olive Oil and Beeswax Wood Finish. The recipe can be found HERE.

We simply break off small pieces and rub them over the surface and let it sit for an hour. We then go through and buff it off. It renews the wood, gives it a lovely scent and beautiful patina.


Finally, it is time to add foliage to the branches. We have a collection of different colors of green roving. We simply take pieces, wrap it around branches, and tuck in the ends. The green will stay up for spring and summer, followed by oranges, reds, golds and browns for autumn, and finally, scatterings of white roving in the crooks of branches for winter snow.

You can see the beautiful sheen of the wood! The gnome house is now clean, fresh and ready for spring. Ah... if only it was so easy to clean my house :)

Last year we shared the goings on in the Gnome Thicket when the leprechauns came for a visit. If you are new to Wee Folk Art, you'll want to check out the crafts and the stories. Poor Britta was beside herself. Below is a list of links in the order that they were shared last year.

And, if you have been missing hearing stories from The Thicket, not to worry. There is going to be a wedding there this summer and you are all invited! More info to follow! 

The Leprechauns have returned to The Thicket. If you dare, you can make your own leprechaun... but be warned, Wee Folk Art accepts no responsibility to the havoc they may wreak! An introduction to the gnomes and directions for making your own can be found HERE.

Ever since the Leprechauns returned to The Thicket, Britta has been noticing a few oddities. Jackets and shawls disappear and reappear, the order of the shoes lined up by the backdoor get rearranged, and her bookmark gets moved nightly. Whenever Britta complains to Axel about the leprechauns, he shrugs and chuckles. "No harm done", he always says.

Find out what happens when the pranks affect Axel's breakfast and learn how to stock your gnome's own larder HERE.

Found out why Britta and Axel are sleeping in the middle of The Thicket and learn how to knit this cozy blanket HERE.

Throughout the day, you could hear Britta mumbling... "Eight more days, just eight more days." Read about the leprechon's latest prank HERE!

No one was more surprised than Britta when she awoke St. Patrick's Day morning rather sad to think that the leprechauns would be leaving today. Expecting a final prank, she was delighted to see find a beautiful rainbow banner, and below it, a pot of gold... golden honey that is. Read about Britta's morning adventure and find the directions for the rainbow banner and the pot of honey HERE.

Few things can make a gnome get a rumbly in his tumbly faster than the smell of fresh mushrooms sauteing in a frying pan. Axle thinks Britta should add mushrooms to just about everything she makes. Because Britta shares his love for mushrooms, she's willing to cook them as long as he collects them. Of course, occasionally she has to put her foot down and say no to his gastronomic suggestions. Like the time Axel insisted she put mushrooms in their berry pudding! Preposterous!

There is definitely a skill to mushroom hunting, a skill handed down from generation to generation. Knowing where to look, and being able to distinguish the edibles from the poisonous varities is an important ability. Axel is the Thicket's expert on mushrooms, and because of that, it is his duty to take the young folk out into the woods, and teach them how to hunt mushrooms safely. It is definitly a skill worth learning, as any gnome's tummy well tell you!

Making mushrooms for your gnomes is easy peasy. Make 1 or make dozens. All will be appreciated by your gnome friends.

Materials:
paints
unfinished wooden knobs

Paint the stems.

Paint the caps.

Add detail.

Done!