Semi- Permanent Indoor Gnome Village

Marc Erick
by Marc Erick
5 Materials
$30
1 Month
Medium

So, finally I finished my gnome village! I swear, I've been working on this forever now!! I think gnome or fairy gardens are the ultimate way to let your creativity shine!! And they seem to be staying trendy too. I wanted to create an indoor gnome garden which I could keep throughout the winter months...thus 'semi-permanent' in the title 😊 I decided to build it into my entertainment stand. My entertainment stand was plucked right out of the 80's... large, heavy, solid wood, super bulky, actually, pretty ugly! I bought at a thrift store and really didn't care if I ruined it . I began by cutting one of the shelves out ... Now, I certainly don't recommend sawing up your furniture ! But if your piece is like mine, why the heck not?😊

First, decide where you want your village to be. This could be a space in an entertainment stand, a shelf, on top of a mantle, or even in a cabinet with the door removed! I think it would be super cute to see one tucked into a kitchen cabinet!😊

Now that we have decided where our village is going to be, it's time to begin building!

I started with the items to go into the village, houses, greenery, bridges, figures, etc... I did a mixture of store bought items and ones I made, starting with my gnome house: http://www.hometalk.com/diy/outdoor/garden/se...

In addition to the gnome house, I also made a bonfire, a bridge, some ladders and fences, a waterfall, some welcome signs... all of these can be found in my projects on my profile page. http://www.hometalk.com/member/12831109/marce... that we have our space picked out and our little items to go into the village, we'll start to construct the 'frame' of the village...

I began by making the actual garden of the village.

The main section of the village is the garden where most of the live plants will be. I took a scrap piece of 3" wide wood and attached it to the front of the entertainment stand using a hand stapler. Then, using two aluminum baking pans, I created a basin. I measured the space, cut the pans, taped them together, lined the bottom with a plastic garbage bag, and placed it into the space. Then I filled it with a mixture of potting soil and peat moss.

On to the backgrounds...

I made two backgrounds for my village, mountains and hills. For the mountains, I used scrap plywood about the length of the whole village. Cut peaks using a jigsaw, then add snowtops by brushing white paint, downward and allow to dry.

For the hill background, I again used scrap plywood but cut rounded shapes instead of peaks. I added small planters using empty yogurt containers. .. Cut the yogurt containers in half and glue the cut side to the hill background at various spots. This is where we'll be placing some additional plants. Allow the glue to dry completely.

Next, I painted the little planters. Then coated the entire background with tacky glue and pressed moss onto it and allowed it to dry.

I attached the mountains right to the wall behind the village using Velcro tabs. Then placed the hills in front of the mountains...I had to add a small piece of wood to the back of the hills , at the bottom, so they would stand on their own.

And now we have a nice background!

Now, we'll finish the base of our village by hiding any exposed wood or spaces... I used self stick roll out moss...

... and the fun part: placing all of the items into the village! Admittedly, this is my favorite part ☺

After I added everything and made a cute little town, I added the live plants...

I used a variety of little plants, succulents, cactus, air plants... I decided to keep them in their pots to contain their roots and to make it easier to switch them around later. Dig a hole large enough for the pot, place the pot in and cover completely with the soil. For the planters on the hill background, I used air plants.

Now the finishing touches...

I added some fairy lights and a little message on the front panel using stickers... I think I may use a wood burner later, though. Then I installed a grow light to the ceiling to supplement the sunlight. Added additional moss here and there, put all the batteries in...

And , done! (for now!)

Ugh! Trying to take pictures of this is challenging!

I tried to get the entire village in one shot... As you can see, the village was made on the entire top of the entertainment stand.

On the right side I just had to do a spooky graveyard for Halloween! This is where I'll switch it up for the seasons... I'm already starting a Christmas scene! 😊

It looks super cool at night too!

I hope you enjoyed this (not so ) little project! I also hope it inspires you to create your own gnome garden! Who says a fairy garden or gnome village can't be a semi-permanent addition to your indoor decore!? 😊

Sometimes I find myself getting lost in the village... I imagine being there with all of the little gnomes... a nice escape for a hectic day!

I can't wait to see the plants grow!

Have a magical day!

Suggested materials:
  • Grow light   (Wal-Mart)
  • Scrap wood   (Already had)
  • Jigsaw   (Home depot)
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  3 questions
  • Nancy Nancy on Nov 02, 2018

    What fun! Thank you for letting me know you finished--although something like this is never truly finished! I've been looking for the waterfall. Did you use it?

  • Heidi-Marie Braade Heidi-Marie Braade on Nov 06, 2018

    What’s your source, please, for the gnomes, bridges, etc?

  • Made in paraDIY Made in paraDIY on Nov 16, 2018

    It's fabullous. It tooked a lot of imagination and poesy fromù you but how much time and money, all together?

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  • Michelle Leslie Michelle Leslie on Dec 04, 2018

    Oh Marc, it's so incredibly lovely and worth the wait. I could spend hours in front of that little village of yours exploring all the spaces you created and I bet the photos don't do it justice. Love the fact that you added grow lights to keep the plants thriving. I did wonder about that initially. Beautiful

    • Marc Erick Marc Erick on Dec 04, 2018

      Thank you so much 💜 I admit, I do spend time getting lost in it😊

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