2015 A Gnome A Day - Day 146

Rivers. Yes, Rivers. This fellow loves the rivers. He build bark and leaf kayaks and heads out to explore so often that one would think he had grown a tail by now. The peace those treks on the water bring him are so deeply felt that his very smile settles the water around him. Sometimes it is so quiet that you can hear the snails singing....

This gnome was made on May 26th, 2015

2015 A Gnome A Day - Day 145

More bling! There is blue sparkle in that hat!

This fellow is generally mellow. He is soft spoken and likes to sit by the ocean- the waves being his favorite kind of music. He often whistles softly so that the wind can lift the quiet sound up into it and spread his tune out over the water....

This gnome was made on May 25th, 2015

2015 A Gnome A Day - Day 144

When I was recently in Portland at PortFiber teaching a Gnome Making Class, I had to pick up several of Casey Ryder's delicious "Glitz Dime Bags"- Oh yeah!! 

They are $3 each for 10 grams that you are encouraged to use responsibly ;-)

I realized that I had never mixed any sparkle in with the wool. Now, I have had wool with the sparkle in there but this was different- I could add as little or much as I wanted!

So, this little gnome? He's a dancer- he ROCKS OUT!-- Spinning and twirly and jumping and laughing constantly. Fiddle music is certainly his favorite but I believe he has been caught rocking out to 99 Red Balloons and has been known to play air guitar- oh yes!

This gnome was made on May 24th, 2015

2015 A Gnome A Day - Day 143

This is a custom gnome- she's a traveller and has such great plans to explore this amazing, dynamic world of ours! She was even made while I was traveling. I took a couple days away and went to Belfast and Searsport and several other small town in the Mid-Coast Maine area- so beautiful!!

She is prone to climbing and is, I suspect, nearly fearless with a heart that is open and radiant and ready at all times. She is chomping at the bit to meet her next adventure....

This gnome was made on May 23rd, 2015

2015 A Gnome A Day - Day 142

It was a no gnome day- not very fun to not make a gnome, I tell you! But, I had been laying in posts for fencing and my arms were tired and I was tired so I made the decision to let these arms of mine rest- which is a good thing! These are some working, creative arms and I have to remember to let them relax!!

Oh gnomies, how I love the rhythm of my days with you and how odd it is to have a day without making you!

There is no gnome for May 22nd, 2015

2015 A Gnome A Day - Day 141

Yes, there are two gnomes today. 

They are old friends who have had so many adventures- both together and apart- that they have long since lost track of the number. They have hiked and sailed; they have swum in most of the world's oceans and lakes. They have flown on the backs of eagles and hawks and felt the burn of hot sand on their bare feet in the desert.

Oh what adventures!!

These gnomes were made on May 21st, 2015

2015 A Gnome A Day - Day 140

This fellow is a worker, one can often find him behind the handles of a wheelbarrow going here and there in the garden-- and on the farm. He's a hard worker and has a quick wit often followed by the bellow of a deep belly laugh that spreads merriment where ever he happens to be.......

This gnome was made on May 20th, 2015

2015 A Gnome A Day - Day 139

Another gnomeling made almost at midnight-

 I was working on a custom banner order and by the time I got to a good stopping point, there was very little time left in Day #139 of this year. 

This little fellow? He's a plum baby. Yep, he nestles into the sling his mother and father wear him in throughout the day, and dreams of plum blossoms and plum fruit. He knows that he will grow into a caregiver of these particular trees with a full heart, sweet with wonder.....

This gnomeling was made on May 19th, 2015

2015 A Gnome A Day - Day 138

It's another gnomeling. Last night I stayed up late finishing up a custom banner order and bagging and labeling gnomelings from this and last year. So, this little girl would have almost been a Day 139 instead of 138.

She loves apples and tomatoes- sometimes together. Being of that particular gnome clan, as she gets older, she may decide to make herself a summer home in one of the actual fruit. There, she will be able to breathe in the sweet aroma of fresh apple or fresh tomato and smile because, to her, there is nothing better in the world..... 

This gnomeling was made on May 18th, 2015

Gnome Making Class FUN!!

It was a wonderful Saturday here in Maine! Sunny and lovely and full of gnome-making goodness! 

Oh yes!
At PortFiber in Portland, Maine I taught a gnome making class and it was so fun. I can not tell you how wonderful it was to see all those gnomes come into being!! Each one was so unique and they were all so wonderfully cute!

I'd like to thank everyone who participated and I hope that the gnome making continues. 

Look at how FABULOUS all those gnomes are!!!

I will be teaching a Wool Painting class on June 13th, 2015. Please contact Casey at PortFiber if you would like to participate- it will be fun!!

Want to take a class? Just let me know or check my website for more information: www.themoongoat.com

2015 A Gnome A Day - Day 137

This gnomeling was made at the end of a very long day. 

In fact, this sweet baby boy almost didn't get made at all. 

I spent 10 hours straight in the barn and barnyard working with my children and husband to create a new area for our ducks and chickens and guinea fowl. We emptied the barn that we love but didn't have time to finish completely when we first built it (the inside walls, that is).  We finally added in those pieces that it lacked and re-organize the living spaces to make more room. There was so much work that my arms and back and head and soul were beyond weary when we finally came in to have dinner and go to bed.

So this little gnomeling almost didn't come to fruition. But I looked at my kit and thought, "No, you really need to make a gnome today- especially after all that hard work! Do a gnomeling- something gentle and tiny to remind you to care for yourself and be gentle with your spirit." 

So I did.

This is one gentle soul. He is soft and kind hearted and will be a quiet but strong soul that puts to rest the minds around him and brings peace into the atmosphere which each breath he takes....

This gnomeling was made on May 17th, 2015

2015 A Gnome A Day - Day 136

This fellow is such a sweet giggly guy! He loves apple blossoms and apple trees so much that it is not unusual to see him perched in an old apple tree looking up at the sky. He even writes songs and poems about them......

This gnome was made on May 16th, 2015

2015 A Gnome A Day- Day 135

I don't know if I've done this before- perhaps I have and just don't remember but when I made this fellow I felt all tickled by the idea of mixing colors together to make his hat- teal and red. I've used colors that I bought mixed together (or carded together) but this time I decided to mix them-- Almost like a tie-dye. And then (of course) I had to put a daisy on there. 

Flower power, baby, flower POWER! 

He's definitely a sweet little hippie gnome. He loves his garden so much that he thinks about it all the time and can't wait to get out there first thing in the morning. I suspect the rumors that he, more often than not, sleeps in his garden are true. But when you have a green thumb like his, how can you NOT sleep in the garden?

This gnome was made on May 15th, 2015

2015 A Gnome A Day- Day 134

This fellow is a sweetheart. He's eager to help and sometimes he isn't sure what needs to be done but he's willing to try anyway. That may not seem like a gift but, I assure you, it certainly is. There is courage behind that kind of gift. He's got a good strong heart and a lot of love to offer the world....

This gnome was made on May 14th, 2015

2015 A Gnome A Day- Day 133

This gnome has something about her- some extra kick- a splash of sass and energy that makes her peppery and feisty. She isn't cruel or rude, just strong and outspoken on the things the world needs to hear and she loves to hike- deep into the forest where others may be afraid to go. She heads there with a gusto to soak up the earthy smell of moss and chat with the creatures that live deep in the woods....

This gnome was made on May 13th, 2015

2015 A Gnome A Day- Day 132

I must admit that I am having such a fun time putting all those flowers on to the gnome hats. I keep thinking, "Well, maybe I shouldn't this time" but that thought is quickly followed by "Why not? Surely not having a flower on the hat is just crazy talk!" So on the flower goes.

This fellow has a particularly melodious voice. He's the kind of gnome who could read a dictionary and still make the listeners around him relax and feel a sense of peace. So, when he tells a story, it comes to life in full color....

This gnome was made on May 12th, 2015

2015 A Gnome A Day- Day 131

Oh my was I ever tired on this day!! So this gnomeling, I'm pretty sure she's a bringer of wondrous dreams. She has that special kind of magic that creeps into the land of slumber and brings hope and magic into the dreams that dwell there....

This gnomeling was made on May 11th, 2015

2015 A Gnome A Day- Day 130

This fellow loves to run in the fields. He leaps and bounds and whoops! He is innately jolly and laughs not with a quiet giggle, but with a full belly laugh that can be heard carried on the wind for miles around. He is the embodiment of joy and spreads this to everyone around him.....

This gnome was made on May 10th, 2015

Happy Mother's Day

I hope your Mother's Day was magical and full of love......

Gifts created by my children.......

2015 A Gnome A Day- Day 129

I worried a little with my original colors set for this fellow that he would look like a holiday gnome but then I realized that as dark as those green pants are and as red as that hat is, he wouldn't be holiday-ish because of the flower. 

This fellow loves a good day out on a pond or lake in a small boat or bark or leaves. He whistles quietly to himself and the frogs and basks in the sun, telling jokes to the tadpoles and smiling up at the sun in gratitude....

This gnome was made on May 9th, 2015

2015 A Gnome A Day- Day 128

I haven't made a girl gnome with a loose looking hairstyle in a while and I thought it was about time to have a little moment of "letting your hair down" and taking deep breaths. 

That's what this sweet girl does. She's a deep breather- slow and deep breaths that cleanse the soul and re-balance the heart. She emanates calm energy and sense of quiet self.....

This gnome was made on May 8th, 2015

2015 A Gnome A Day- Day 127

This gnome was made at the end of a big day.

It was the day of the launch party and I was antsy. I was excited and nervous and there was this newness in the air.

After the party at the library where I read from the book and answered questions and did a gnome giveaway, I came home to have a lovely dinner with family that came up to visit and celebrate with me.

Then I tucked in with a vodka tonic (the first one of the summer- a rare treat!) and felted up this little purple gnomeling. 

There is some serious wonder about her as if she holds the key to reminding others to wonder: at what they can create, at the world around them and at the magic hiding in every corner and behind each breath we take......

This gnome was made on May 7th, 2015 

2015 A Gnome A Day- Day 126

This fellow? Well, he's the sort to dance and sing at every single opportunity. He is constantly humming and spinning and laughing- how can he not?! Oh his joy is just too big to sit still in this big beautiful world.....

This gnome was made on May 6th, 2015

2015 A Gnome A Day- Day 125

This fellow is another May gnome- I think there is certainly a trend starting here. Those flowers are certainly taking over. I can't seem to help it!

This fellow loves pumpkin seeds- planting them, tending the plants, harvesting the pumpkins, cooking pumpkins, saving the seeds and even roasting a few. He's a pumpkin kind of fellow but his favorite above all else are the beautiful blossoms of the pumpkin plant.....

This gnome was made on May 5, 2015

2015 A Gnome A Day- Day 124

My daughter was in the studio not so long ago and exclaimed, "Wait 121? Days? Is that days? We're int he 120's in days?"

It is really incredible, isn't it?

124 days into the year. Wow.

These gnomes share a love of words and the power of both empathy and gratitude. I'm not always sure what adventures a gnome will get up to and that is the case with these two. One of them will be living here on the Gnomestead but one has something else planned. What ever their adventures are, they will face them with courage and strong hearts, I'm quite sure of that.

These gnomes were made on May 4th, 2015-- The official launch date of my new book: The Gnome Project: One Woman's Wild and Woolly Adventure (published by Countryman Press and available everywhere books are sold)