Fall Gnome Wreath
This fall gnome wreath is SO CUTE! Use inexpensive dollar store supplies to make this fall wreath, and add a cheerful and whimsical touch of autumn to your gnome — I mean, home.
Create the gnome’s beard with sprigs of colourful fall foliage and make this super fun harvest decoration in less than an hour. Decorate your front door with this wreath that’s perfect for fall, Halloween, and Thanksgiving!
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How to Make a Fall Gnome Wreath
Materials:
- Thin cardboard(from a soda case, or something similar)
- Burlap
- Twine
- Bubble wrap(or other stuffing)
- Green fabric leaf
- Large fabric flower
- Faux berries
- Fabric leaves
- Large fabric leaves
- Pantyhose(brown/beige colour)
- 1.5inchStyrofoam ball
Check Out The Video Tutorial:
Instructions:
Step 1: Find what you need
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Gather your supplies and materials.
Step 2: Make the gnome’s hat
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Cut your cardboard into the shape of a gnome’s hat. It should have a flat bottom that’s fairly straight on one side, with the other side curving up to a crooked point.We made our hat about 8 inches across the bottom and 16 inches tall. The left side gradually narrows and curves up to be about 2 inches across at the top.
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Cover the cardboard with burlap. Fold the burlap up twice to create the bottom edge of the hat.
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Flip both the burlap and cardboard over and arrange the burlap so that there’s about 2 inches extra on one side.Add hot glue to the first few inches of cardboard.
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Fold the burlap over, pushing it down and holding it in place over the glue.
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Add some hot glue under where the hat is folded to keep that in place as well.
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Glue the rest of the first side into place. Arrange the burlap, making sure it’s not pulled too tightly, and leave enough to fold and glue this side as well. Cut off the extra fabric.
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Glue this side of the hat into place. You may need to fold over or cut down the burlap at the top so that it doesn’t go over the other side of the hat.
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Tie a piece of twine into a looped hanger. The exact length of twine will depend on where you hang your gnome, but we recommend cutting a piece at least 12 inches long.
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Attach the hanger to the back of the wreath with a generous amount of hot glue.
Step 3: Stuff and decorate the hat
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Once the glue is dry, turn the hat over and stuff it with a bit of bubble wrap to give it some dimension.You can add a bit of glue to keep the bubble wrap in place, if needed.
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Add a bit of hot glue to the back of an artificial leaf.
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Press the leaf into place on the hat. We added ours just above the folded brim.
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Then add a faux flower to the hat, layering it on top of the leaf.
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Add some faux berries to the hat, sticking out from behind the flower.We stuck the wires through the burlap and then added a generous amount of hot glue on top of the stems to keep them in place.
Step 4: Attach the gnome’s beard
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To make the gnome’s beard, start with a whole sprig of fall leaves.
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Stick the stem up inside the hat and then add a lot of hot glue over top of the stems, near the bottom of the cardboard.Hold the leaves in place for several minutes to keep them in place while the glue dries.
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Add larger leaves into the gaps by twisting the wires around the other leaf stems.
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Keep attaching extra leaves until you have a full looking beard. Fluff and adjust the leaves as you work.
Step 5: Make and attach the gnome’s nose
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Cut one of the toes off a pair of pantyhose and then make another cut about 4 to 5 inches down.
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Set the styrofoam ball on top of the pantyhose and tie it around the ball, making sure all the white is covered on the front and sides of the ball.
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Add hot glue to the back of the nose.
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Attach the nose into place in the center of the beard, just below the hat.
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Your fall gnome wreath is complete!
Helpful Tips:
- Hot glue work wells to attach the gnome wreath’s hanger, but you can also staple the twine to the cardboard or sew it to the burlap.
- If your single leaves don’t have wire stems you can use hot glue to attach them into the gap areas.
- We were inspired by the awesome wreath made by Michelle Smith Creations. Check out her video tutorial on YouTube for a different method of making this gnome.
Where can I buy fabric leaves to make my fall gnome wreath?
Definitely check the dollar store for leaves first! They usually have a good selection during the fall, and they’ll be the least expensive option. Otherwise, Michaels or another local craft store should have nice fall leaves, or you can even buy them on Amazon.
Start with a couple branches, or sprigs, and then buy loose individual leaves to add texture and dimension to the gnome’s beard.
Where should I hang my fall gnome wreath?
We think this gnome wreath looks festive and fun hanging on the front door of a house! Just make sure the gnome is under an awning or covered porch, since the materials won’t hold up well against rainy weather.
You can also place your fall wreath on a door inside your home, or even hang it over the mantle. Wherever you decide to hang your gnome, it’ll look great!
What if I don’t have a styrofoam ball or panty hose for the gnome’s nose?
If you don’t have pantyhose to cover your styrofoam ball you can also paint the ball with acrylic paint, or leave it as is.
If you don’t have a styrofoam ball for the gnome’s nose, you can also use a wooden sphere, a ping pong ball, or even a pom pom. You can even gather felt or material around some extra bubble wrap or stuffing to make a round shape for the nose.
If I don’t have bubble wrap, what else can I stuff the gnome’s hat with?
If you don’t have any bubble wrap lying around you can also stuff the gnome’s hat with plastic bags.
You can even use crumpled up newsprint, paper, or even scraps of fabric or stuffing from a pillow. You don’t need a lot of material to stuff the hat — just enough to give it a bit of dimension.
We just love how the fall leaves make up this gnome’s beard! It’s such a fun and colourful fall decoration, and it’s super easy to make using our step by step photo and video tutorials.
Here’s even more fun craft ideas:
Our book Low-Mess Crafts for Kids is loaded with 72 fun and simple craft ideas for kids! The projects are fun, easy and most importantly low-mess, so the clean up is simple!
Where to buy:
You can purchase Low-Mess Crafts for Kids from Amazon, or wherever books are sold:
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Books-A-Million | Indiebound | Amazon Canada