How To Create An Amazing Gnome Village

Want to create the best gnome village ever? With a few craft materials and a little creativity, you can have a fun little gnome home in your own back yard.

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A few years ago, my girls and I bought my husband a couple of garden gnomes for Father’s Day (a little more original than a tie, right?).  My oldest daughter had seen them online and decided that was what daddy needed most!  He loved them, of course, and we set our new friends by the back door.  The problem was that they kept getting moved around and we just couldn’t seem to find the perfect home for them.

Fast forward to the following year and my daughter wanted to buy another gnome for Father’s Day.  I decided that if we were going to have an entire clan of them, our gnomes needed a permanent home and so the idea for our “Gnome Village” was born.  I went online to see what I could find and was amazed at all the choices.  This project was going to be fun!

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How To Create an Amazing Gnome Village

First we needed to pick the perfect location…we found a little spot in a wooded area of our backyard and got to work!  Our gnomes were excited to finally have a permanent place to live! We even created an entire Gnome Garden for them.

I wanted to buy everything I found online!  There were so many cute things that I could have easily gone way over budget (and in a way I did, because then I decided we needed a fairy garden too). Somehow I managed to narrow down my selections and also planned to test out my crafty side and make a couple myself.  First, I had to have this door/window set and the Irish stepping stones.  The door and window attach right to the tree, though I had a little trouble getting the window straight.  I was going to go back and fix it but then I figured that gnomes are pretty laid back creatures so they wouldn’t care!

I found this awesome “patio set” on Ebay but I went back a few weeks later to buy something else, the seller was gone.  It was kind of a bummer because it’s so well made and all the pieces together cost only about $22.  I did added a couple birds to the birdbath.

I thought these accessories were fun too.  I found a sprig of yellow-green berries at Michaels and added some “apples” to the wooden box.  I also love the little wheelbarrow.  What I didn’t realize is that these wooden pieces weren’t really meant for outdoors and were falling apart by the end of the summer.  It actually added a little charm so I left them but I would probably buy something more weather resistant next time (live and learn).

I had seen flowerpots online but wanted to try to make my own.  I found these “rusted” containers and also bought modge podge for outdoors, fake flowers and a bag of small stones.  I put the stones in a bowl and mixed them with a generous amount of the modge podge.  Then I filled the containers and pushed the flowers in as far as I could.  They turned out great and though I was worried about the fake flowers surviving the elements, they’ve held up well.  They were fairly well shaded so I think that helped to keep the color from fading.

I had a few little sprigs left over so I just stuck them in the ground behind one of the gnomes…

I had seen some pretty ponds  and rivers online but they were all too pricey  for my so I decided to try making my own.  I’m so glad I did because it was fun and I think they turned out pretty cool!  Again, modge podge outdoors was my main ingredient.  I bought some medium sized stones and mixed them with the modge podge.  I put a piece of wax paper down and laid the stones over it in the shape that I wanted.  I let it dry overnight, then mixed the glass pieces with more modge podge and poured them inside the stone setting.  I pushed the glass pieces firmly against the stone so it would all stick together nicely. It took a few days to dry completely, then I added it to the village and added a bridge.

After a few more finishing touches, it was ready!  All we had to do was wait for daddy to come home from work and surprise him.  I don’t know who was more excited…me or the girls!  He definitely thought it was cooler than a tie!

However, the story doesn’t end here!  When I was looking up all the things that I needed for my Gnome Village, I found even more sites devoted to Fairy Gardens.  I think you can guess what happened next. Our gnomes needed some friends, right?

Where to find everything you need for your gnome village

If you’d like to create your own gnome garden, you can follow these links to find some of the things pictured.  A couple of these items are slightly cheaper elsewhere but since I ordered everything at once, I just used Amazon for almost everything.  It’s easier and the shipping costs won’t add up.  There were a couple items that are no longer available so I found some that were similar.  I also found items similar to the wooden ones that fell apart.  I haven’t tested these but they seem to be more weatherproof.

Garden gnomes (While the gnomes we bought are no longer available, there are plenty to choose from online)

Door & Window For Tree

Stepping Stones

Wishing Well With Bucket

Mini Vegetable Crate

Bucket & Watering Can Set

Wheelbarrows & Gardening Tools

More fun gnome village accessories

You can also find some good stuff in the Fairy Garden Accessories

If you can’t find what you’re looking for, you can always just google Gnome Garden or Fairy Garden.  There are a lot of fun things you can add to make your village your own (I’m still planning to buy the mini mugs of beer…I know my gnomes are getting thirsty)!

*Note: As you check out all the cute accessories for your gnomes, remember to look at the sizes.  Some items can be teeny tiny and you don’t want to get a tiny chair that looks funny next to your “normal” sized gnome.