Make these cute gnomes that add mystical features to your garden or home decor.
Update: I recently gave these air-dry clay gnomes a sparkly makeover with glitter! Keep reading to see how I transformed my original painted gnomes into colorful Christmas decorations and the glitter hacks I learned along the way.
Gnomes are said to be good luck emblems. Gnomes were originally supposed to provide protection, particularly for buried riches and minerals in the ground. They are commonly tucked into the rafters of a barn or positioned in the garden to keep an eye on crops and cattle.
In this post, I’ll show you how you can easily make gnomes using air-dry clay.
By the way, I made my own clay. There are two versions which are no-cooked and cooked air-dry clay. I used the latter in this project.
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Making Gnomes using Air-Dry Clay
Watch this video on how to make adorable gnomes.
Materials:
Styrofoam cone
Cooked air-dry clay (check the recipe here) or ready-made air-dry clay (Check DAS brand)
Sharp edges (ex. plastic knife, needle, toothpick)
Acrylic Paint
White marker
Make It:
We will be using a styrofoam cone as a structure for the gnomes.
You can also try using a foil. Crumpled it and form into a cone. But I’d rather use the styrofoam cone – less work!!!
1. First, get a good chunk of your clay, enough to cover the cone. Be sure and put the remainder of your clay in a ziplock bag or an airtight container. It will dry out quickly.
2. Use a rolling pin or a glass jar and roll out your clay about 1/8 inch think.
3. Start covering the styrofoam cone with the clay, including the base. Use your hands to smoothen the seams together.
4. Lightly mark where you want the boundary of the beard and the brim of the hat. And plan where you want to put the nose.
5. Make small and short ropes or snakes; this will be the beard of the gnome. Use them to cover the area of the face except for the nose part.
6. Use a sharp edge (you can use a needle or toothpick) to draw fine lines for the beard.
7. Make a small roll of clay, a little bit elongated for the gnomes’ noses. Press it gently on the area where you want to place the nose.
8. For the brim of the toque, make a long strip of rectangle out of your air-dry clay. Then place where you draw the boundary between the beard and the brim of the hat. Smoothen the seams together using your finger.
9. (Optional) Make another roll of clay and place it on the top of the cone. Add texture by poking it using a needle.
10. You can also add texture to the brim of the toque by using the same technique or indent some lines.
11. Let it dry. It took two days for my project to dry completely.
12. Finally, paint gnomes and design them using acrylic paints.
DO YOU LIKE THIS DIY?
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Giving My Air-Dry Clay Gnomes a Glitter Makeover
After making these adorable air-dry clay gnomes, I decided to give them a little makeover. They were already cute with their painted hats, but I wanted to make them more festive and sparkly for Christmas.
So instead of making new gnomes, I decided to transform the ones I already had with glitter!
Here’s the video of the Gnome makeover.
I love how different they look. The glitter gives the gnomes a more magical and festive appearance, making them perfect for Christmas decorations, holiday displays, or a winter-themed craft project.
Materials for the Glitter Makeover
You don’t need many supplies to give your clay gnomes a sparkly new look.
- Your finished and painted air-dry clay gnomes
- Ceya Fine craft glitter
- Adhesive (Minwax Polyclyric, White glue or Mod Podge)
- Small paintbrush
- Small container or tray for catching excess glitter
- Copy Paper, Wax paper or parchment paper
- Clear sealer or Hairspray or Mod Podge (optional)
I used different colors of glitter for the gnomes, including teal, pink, and purple, to give each one a different look.
How to Add Glitter to the Gnomes
Before adding the glitter, make sure your painted gnomes are completely dry. You don’t want the paint underneath to smear while you’re working.
1. Protect your work surface.
Glitter has a way of getting absolutely everywhere!
Place your gnome on a sheet of wax paper, parchment paper, or another surface that makes it easy to collect the excess glitter.
2. Apply the adhesive.
Using a small paintbrush, apply a thin, even layer of your choice of adhesive to the area where you want the glitter.
👍 RECOMMENDATION: Use Minwax polyclyric as a adhesive. It’s the best!
I recommend working in small sections instead of covering the entire hat with glue at once. This gives you more control and prevents the glue from drying before you get a chance to add the glitter.
3. Sprinkle on the glitter.
While the glue is still wet, generously sprinkle glitter over the area.
Don’t worry about using too much. The excess glitter can be collected and returned to the container.
4. Let the glitter set.
Allow the adhesive to dry completely before touching or moving the gnome too much.
Once it’s dry, gently tap the gnome to remove any loose glitter.
5. Add another coat if needed.
If you can still see patches of paint through the glitter, apply another thin layer of adhesive and add more glitter.
6. Seal the glitter
👍 RECOMMENDATION: Use any hairspray to seal your work.
My Glitter Crafting Hacks
If you’ve ever worked with glitter, you already know that it can be beautiful but messy! Here are a few tricks that made this project easier.
Work over a piece of paper
Don’t sprinkle glitter directly over your table. Place your gnome over a sheet of paper or parchment paper while applying the glitter.
Once you’re finished, carefully fold the paper in half and pour the leftover glitter back into its container.
This saves glitter and makes cleanup much easier.
Apply glitter in small sections
One of my biggest tips is don’t cover the whole gnome with glue at once.
Work on one section at a time. Apply the adhesive, sprinkle the glitter, and then move on to the next section.
This is especially helpful when working on curved surfaces such as the gnome’s hat.
Use a small and cheap paintbrush
A small craft brush gives you much better control than applying the glue directly from the bottle.
You can easily get into the corners and create clean edges between the glitter and the other parts of the gnome.
Don’t mix all your glitter together
If you’re using several glitter colors, keep them in separate containers.
You can create different looks for each gnome by using a different color on each hat.
I ended up with a fun little collection of colorful glitter gnomes, and I love how each one has its own personality.
I recommend using Minwax Polycrylic to seal
Although you can use regular crafting glue, my favorite is polyclyric. it’s not as thick as glue and drying time is shorter.
How to Keep Glitter From Shedding
One of the biggest problems with glitter crafts is the amount of glitter that continues to fall off after the project is finished.
Once your glitter and glue have completely dried, you can apply a very thin layer of clear sealer over the glitter to help hold it in place.
Be aware that some sealers can slightly change the appearance of glitter, so it’s a good idea to test your sealer on a small area first.
If you want your glitter to remain especially sparkly, avoid applying a thick coating that could cover the shine.
You can use Mod Podge to seal the glitter, but I recommend using hairspray. Trust me, it works!
From Simple Clay Gnomes to Sparkly Christmas Gnomes
I really like how this simple makeover changed the look of my original air-dry clay gnomes.
The first version had a more rustic, handmade appearance, while the glitter version feels much more festive and magical.
And the best part is that you don’t have to make a new set of gnomes to try this idea. If you already have painted clay gnomes, you can give them a completely new look with just some glue and glitter.
This would also be a fun project to do with kids, although younger children will definitely need some help with the glitter and glue!
If you’re looking for an easy DIY Christmas decoration, these glittery air-dry clay gnomes are a fun way to add a little sparkle to your holiday decor.
would like to make the same knomes but using styrafoam balls instead of cones.
Yes, that will work