This DIY St. Patrick's Day gnome is the perfect way for gardeners and crafters to celebrate the lucky holiday. This gnome is made from air dry clay and comes with his own pot-of-gold and rainbow, too. You'll love displaying your creation in your container garden this spring!
Using air-dry clay, sculpt a cone shape to create the gnome body.
Roll a small ball to create a nose. Then, use a toothpick or wooden skewer to attach the nose to the body.
Roll a piece of clay to form a long skinny coil. Drape the coil over the nose and around the base of the gnome body. This will become the edge of the hood. Blend the coil into the cone shape with your fingers and/or sculpting tools.
Add any other embellishments, like a belt and buckle around the hood, using a knife or sculpting tools.
Let the clay air dry for 1-2 days, flipping the gnome over occasionally to dry on all sides.
Pot of Gold
Start by creating a ball of clay. Then, flatten the ball on the bottom and top slightly.
Form a rolled piece of clay (coil). Then, slightly moisten the top of the clay pot before attaching the coil to form the lip of the pot. Moistening the clay creates "slip" that will help connect the parts.
Create small circles of clay and flatten them between your fingers to create the coins.
Let the clay air dry for 1-2 days, flipping the pot over occasionally to dry on all sides.
Rainbow
To form a rainbow, simply roll out a piece of clay and form an arch shape. You can cut the arch shape with a knife tool or simply mold it with your fingers. (I recommend using the knife tool for more precise edges.)
Let the clay air dry for 1-2 days, flipping the piece occasionally to dry on all sides.
Clovers
Cut out clover shapes from scrapbook paper using a Cricut or Cameo cutting machine or by hand. Be sure to cut two mirrored shapes that you can "sandwich" together.
Glue the clover shapes around wooden skewers to create your own garden stakes.
As another option, you can buy pre-made garden stakes.
Painting & Assembling
Paint the air-dry clay pieces in stages. For the gnome, you can begin with the hat and let it dry completely before painting finer details like the belt buckle.
For the rainbow, use hot glue or E6000 to attach a wooden skewer to the back. You may need to cut the skewer to reach your desired length.
For added sparkle, you can apply a coat of Mod Podge Sparkle, which also helps to seal the pieces.
Once all pieces are dry, assemble your fairy garden with the plants of your choice.
Notes
See additional notes on working with air-dry clay in the related blog post at firstdayofhome.com.