Hangin' with Mommy's Gnomies.

While working on last night’s DIY post, I realized I never posted about the garden gnomes from last week. Well it actually took me two weeks only because I didn’t have time during the weekdays and I also didn’t have the correct paint for both gnomes. I didn’t want to make them the same colors because what’s the fun in that? Let’s start by showing you before pictures of these poor little saps.

I know they look terrible! Trust me, my mom reminded me over and over and over again. They are her gnomies and she wanted me to paint them since I have a steady hand and better eyes.

Ok, so first and foremost I suggest you wash them whether they are outdoor or indoor. You never know what kind of little insects can get in those hollow gnomes. I actually did wash them but apparently not enough because mid paint job on the one with the mushroom I started screaming for my dad to come to my rescue because I didn’t want to drop the gnome and well there was a black widow spider in there. Yes, we have those in NJ and I’m 99.9% positive that’s what this spider was. So with my little story, I suggest you wash them thoroughly.

After you wash them, make sure they dry off. While you’re waiting find a place where you will be comfortable for more than 2 hours. Yes, this project takes a while so make sure you have time for it. It took me two days, one day for each gnome. I chose to be outside because it was beautiful and I knew I’d need the fresh air since I was going to be around paint fumes. Speaking of paint let’s talk about what paints I used, shall we?

Rustoleum and Valspar. Hands down awesome paints to work with. Make sure your paint is outdoor paint. If your gnomes are metal like mine (well my mom’s) make sure you get the Rustoleum paint or something with anti-rust in it. I bought both from Home Depot and Lowes. Both had the same colors and the same brands, I just wanted to check to see if either of them had anything different.

Colors I used (all gloss)

Red

Yellow

Green

Blue

Black

White

I had to mix the white and red to make a very light pink for the faces.

Let’s move on to what tools I used. This is where I got a little creative. I didn’t want to buy all new paintbrushes so I worked with what I already had at home. I had one regular paint brush, then I had some old eye shadow brushes and a mascara brush, a random stick, a pencil, and of course qtips.

Pretty much all I have to stay is you can either tape the gnomes, or you can do what I did and just trust that your hand will stay steady. This takes lots of concentration. You kind of have to go with your gut on which tools are the best for which parts of the gnomes.

Let me show you the finished product.