A Gnome Tree Topper For Valentine's Day

About a week ago I was trying to figure out what I could put on top of my tree for Valentine's Day that I would like and would also be unique as that's what I prefer over traditional things. I was scrolling on Pinterest and remembered the gnomes I had saved as ideas for something to make for decor. It took me a bit to figure out how I want to go about creating one for a tree topper as I needed to be able to use what I had...

I found the cardboard roll I had saved from the plastic wrap box I had emptied and cut off a piece that I thought might be big enough for what I wanted it for.

I had some pretty macrame rope that I thought might work for hair. I tied some ribbon at the bottom for a braid.

I found a wooden bead that would be perfect for the nose.

I chopped in half so it would look better...

I found a piece of fabric for the skirt and some lace for an apron. I stitched along the top of the skirt so that I could ruffle it and hot glued it onto the cardboard roll.

Fabric added to cardboard roll...

I added another piece for the bodice. I doubled the thickness so it would be in good proportion to the skirt ruffles.

Next came the nose...

Then the lace ...

For the sleeves I just rolled up some fabric and glued it...

I cut along the edge of the bead of glue. And glued them on.

Next I added some trim to hide the ruffle edges and add a neat touch.

Then the braids...

I cut out a little heart out of deep maroon fabric to embellish the waist...

I changed out the ribbons on the braids because the original color was the wrong kind of pink so it clashed with the other colors...

I cut little hands out of a thick fuzzy sock...

Trying to see how it looks before I glue them on...

I took some thin wire and doubled it, twisting it a bit to make it a little more sturdy...

Then I stuck it down the sleeve with the loop at the bottom for the hand to give it more stiffness...

A close up look...

The end at the neck I bent down over the tube to add some stability...

Gluing on the hand...

How it looks on the inside of the hand...

I cut a thin sliver of the maroon fabric for the cuff and also to hide the edge of the hand/wrist joint...

A photo from a little further away...

The left arm was a little wonky in the way the fabric stood.

Next it was time to make the hat... I looked at patterns on Pinterest to get an idea how to make one. I just folded the fabric, cut a long, very acute triangle, and hand stitched the side. I had a string with a pompom on the end from the white fuzzy sock I used for the hands that I wanted to put on the top of the hat so I stitched up to the string but left room for it to slide because I would knot the string as close to the tip of the hat as I could.

Turned right side out ...

The back of the hat ...

I turned it inside out and tried to knot the string as close to the tip as I could to avoid any gap between the tip of the hat and the pompom.

I started gluing the hat on by gluing on either side of the nose since that is the front and most important...

I then glued all the way around so it stays on if I happen to pick it up by the hat ... it looked limp to me so I decided I need to add something to make it look like there's a head inside the hat ...

A lump of stuffing left over from the chair I redid that I had forgotten to add back in ... I folded it so it resembles a head.

And stuffed it up the tube using my scissors to push it up far enough...

It looked a bit wonky...

So I moved the stuffing a little more to the left so it looks like the gnome has its head on straight...

Perfect.

I decided that roses would be perfect to carry in one hand...

I stuck the stems of the roses through the wire and added hot glue to hold them in place.

I thought a purse in the other hand would be delightful as though they are coming to visit a friend so after a little bit of thinking and digging i found some pieces to use. I used maroon fabric for the purse and added lace and trim to add to the Valentine's Day theme. Leaving the top part of the heart intact made it easier to sew. I did add a little hot glue to the lace and trim just to hold in place. Just know if you try this make sure to not put hot glue where you want to stitch because it can be rather difficult to stitch through it after it has cooled.

I cut a thin sliver of fabric for the purse's handle because I didn't have any trim in that color.

This is to show how I placed the handle before starting to stitch the sides...

This is with the back piece folded over ready to be stitched...

The first few stitches... I was having trouble getting clear photos for some reason...

Here I have stitched all the way around and now it's time to decide how long I want the handle to be..

I wanted it more like a clutch purse so I didn't make the handle too long...

Now the stitching is done and it's time to turn it right side out and see how it looks...

I trimmed the extra lace so that it doesn't create unsightly bulges...

What do you think? I was quite delighted with how it turned out...

I stuffed it with some fuzzy white sock scraps to give it a full look...they would have gone in the trash anyway...

The finished product... I love it!

Now it's time to put her on top of the tree right where she was made to be...

It's the first time I ever made one. I've seen plenty in stores like Hobby Lobby and I must say I don't think I ever thought I'd make one but it's just perfect for on top of my tree. I am very pleased. I think I will be making more. The next one might be a birthday one ...🎂

Have you ever made one? Do you think you could by following what I did? If you do try, I would love to see a photo!

🤍Thanks for reading! 🤍