The children in The Thicket always look forward to the approaching summer months. This means the days themselves grow like weeds, with more hours of daylight allowing for more hours of fun. But this also means, that at the close of the day, the wee ones are often allowed to sit around the campfire with their elders, and hear tales as old as The Thicket itself. There are tales of extreme heroics, tales of warning, tales of wild shenanigans, and their very favorite, tales of the unexplained, and often spooky, happenings in The Thicket. Often they fall asleep while listening and mysteriously find themselves safely tucked in their beds come the morning.
Making your own campfire is very easy and an important mainstay in the life of your gnome.
WARNING: There are small pieces in this project which can be a choking hazard. Not for children under 3 years of age or children that are likely to place small objects in their mouth.
Materials:
1/8″ Masonite or dense cardboard
small pebbles
little twigs
raffia, small wood shavings, or dried grass
red food coloring
crafting glue
1] Cut out a 4″ circle from 1/8″ Masonite using a scroll saw or by hand with a coping saw. You may also use thick cardboard. It must to dense enough to support the weight of the rocks.
2] Place a thick bead of crafting glue around the edge of the circle. Note: I originally used hot glue but the pebbles fell off over time. I found the crafting glue held them in place much better.
3] Fit a ring of pebbles in the glue, pressing them in place. Add additional glue around the rocks to insure a tight connection. The glue will dry clear.
4] When the rocks have thoroughly dried, cover the entire bottom of the circle with glue.
5] Sprinkle coffee grounds on the glue, making sure you have good coverage. Let dry. When dry, turn the campfire over and gently shake to remove loose grounds.
6] Build a fire by breaking thin twigs to size. Generously use crafting glue to hold together.
7] Before the glue dries, cut grass, wood shavings or raffia into small pieces and dye with red food coloring to make flames.
8] Sprinkle “flames” on campfire. They will adhere to the wet glue.
9] When the glue has thoroughly dried, turn it upside down and gently shake to remove loose flames. You are now ready to gather the gnomes around the campfire and begin spinning tales!
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I’ve often drooled over your campfire. Now I guess I have no excuse not to make one for us. As always, thanks guys!
Love this, especially the use of coffee grounds!
This is so cute! I agree – there is no excuse not to make one now 🙂
The coffee grounds as dirt? = total genius!
I can’t take credit for this idea. When my youngest lived at home, he did an elaborate Department 56 winter scene with his Santa Village Collection every Christmas. He always used coffee grounds for dirt around the reindeer’s stable. It smelled so yummy for the first week! (If you don’t like the smell of coffee, not to worry… the aroma goes away in several days.)
Do you make gnome home house calls? Our tree fort is in desperate need of Kimara’s touch! Thanks for sharing.
I wish I could! It would be so fun to visit everyone’s gnome home and exchange stories 🙂 Afraid the best I can do is to share our "goings on".
I follow this site all the time and am in awe of all your wonderful gnome crafts. They make my day a little happier! 🙂
So lovely. We use red & yellow wool to make our campfire flames. Love your fire.
So cute, I love it!
My girls will have so much fun making this for our own gnomes and fairies (and probably some mermaids and polly pockets as well!)
Fondly,
pink and green mama
MaryLea
Kimara, just popped in to wish you luck with the other flowers if you make them, and I hope you send me a link so I can see what you come up with! I realized, too, that I’ve fallen WAY behind on your projects, so I’m off to catch up! Thanks for taking the time to share your talent!
So clever – I want to play with it myself!
Melissa
http://imaginationsoup.net
I love the gnome campfire and all the other creations made for them. Children love this!
thanks for visiting!
happy day!
I have had my eye on this wonderful camp fire for over a year! I’ve been making your gnomes and a few of your other inspiring gnome crafts for our little gnome treehouse in the meantime, namely your felt evergreens with blanket stitch edging, the gnomes themselves, and rag rug. We have been doing so much camping and campfire cooking ourselves lately that I finally did this last night! DH cut a thin round of wood from a downed branch, I collected the teeniest round pebbles from our creek, and used twigs we collected as firewood, building the fire “just like Daddy!” I didn’t do the flames as it looked charming as it was. Now, I’m off to make sleeping bags for my Mama, Papa, and daughter gnomes. Then, the mushrooms (for which I bought drawer pulls months ago)! I am on a gnome roll. Thank you so much for all of your sharings, your creativity has added so much to our gnome family’s habitat.
Oh, your wee ones and the gnomes must be thrilled! Nothing like a warm campfire on a cool evening. Our gnomes love telling tall tales around their campfire. I hope yours do the same. Gnomes have many fine stories to share 🙂
This would be even more awesome with one of those electric flickering tealights hidden underneath!
It would be! Now you have me thinking about how to design one that would make turning it on and off easy! Thanks for the brilliant idea! ~Kimara~
I think it would be easiest to drill or cut a hole in the bottom and glue it in so the switch and batteries can be accessed from the bottom. Then arrange the rest of the campfire around it.
Your website is seriously the best thing since cotton candy! I have gnomes on the brain now.