Bizzy the Bee Gnome Decor

Little gnomes, little gnomes...everywhere I turn!  Hi, it's Maureen with you today - how did the gnome trend get to be so popular?  Is it their short little bodies, or their cute little faces?  I admit I have also jumped on the bandwagon and am starting to be a regular gnome lover.

Perhaps it's because you can dress them up as practically anything!  And that is what we are doing in this project - I've got a cute idea to turn the Clear Scraps Medium Gnome #1 into a bumble bee.  I've actually named him - Bizzy the Bee!

The little curl in this gnome's hat is undeniably cute.  I've started with the hat, in fact.  I've traced 2 copies on to both yellow and black paper and then cut out the shapes.  I did the same with the gnome's body.

Next, I took a scissors and cut the hat apart in stripes (the body too).  When I eliminate every other piece, these pieces become the stripes of both the hat and body parts.

Before gluing these on, I took a sponge and some black ink and sponged the sides of the yellow stripes for dimension.  These really make the design pop on your gnome!

I've assembled the hat and body, and then I used tacky glue to adhere the yellow paper stripes on my gnome.  This is the point you will want to coat the top with a thin layer of decoupage, if you are hoping to seal it on your shapes.

Next up is the antenna.  For this, I'm taking black floral wire and wrapping it around a paint brush handle.  I'm poking a hole in a white pom pom and using a bit of tacky glue to stick them on the ends.  Let these dry completely.

When the antenna is ready, I've taped and glued them to the bottom gnome piece.  I'm using tacky glue because it really holds well on the wood.  Glue the striped hat on top.  One tip:  I used clothespin clips to hold the top hat to the bottom piece while it dries.  Otherwise the hat gets pushed up by the wire underneath.

Okay, this part excites me - have you seen the newest mixer stencils??  The Wave Mixer Stencil is PERFECT for creating the hairy beard look.  First, coat the beard piece in white acrylic paint, then lay the stencil over the beard.  Use a VERY dry brush of gray paint, and brush it back and forth, moving the stencil as you go.  It's super cute!!

My final addition to my gnome is to add the Bee Mini Shaker piece along with his nose and hands, painted in peach paint.  For the shaker, I used the bottom base and added yellow polka dot paper.  The top layer is just one of the chipboard layers painted black.

Final embellishments are up to you.  Here I've added a rosette and his name in paper for the hat, a bow to the bee and some white gel pen details in spots all over the gnome.

I love this little guy...and his sunny disposition!  I hope you've enjoyed today's project.  Additional products you need are below.  I'll "bee" seeing you soon!

Maureen

Additional supplies:  yellow, black and printed papers, acrylic paints, floral wire, pom poms, white and black detail pens, ribbon