 Gathering
Firewood & Kindling
G105 Mamma Grim from Orebro, Sweden G106 Gabriella from Orebro, Sweden G107 Maja from Orebro, Sweden G108 Ferny from Dubois, Wyoming G109 Fiddlesticks from Dayton, Ohio May Birthdays
The story is adorable. Not big, but nicely illustrated and
very unique. It's all done in color pictures. No text. What a
lovely story for a child (and us grown-ups, too). This book sells for approximately $12.79 USF and can be obtained from the Amazon.com site. It's by Jamichael Henterly and Garen Thomas. This precious new book was well worth waiting for. Beautiful illustrations tell the story so expressively … without words. Brilliant colors add a very unusual touch of magic. A little girl loads her red wagon with stuffed animals, a doll, and an adorable Gnome that lives in her garden. She doesn’t notice when a small bear falls out of the wagon. She then sets up a tea party for the toys and Gnome. Later on, the Gnome lands in a birdbath and watering can! At dusk, the little girl pulls her wagon of toys past the Gnome and waves, "Good Night, Garden Gnome." The Gnome just lies quietly on the grass. When darkness falls, he comes to life!! He works in the garden, pets some animals, and feeds them. A brown rabbit even gives the Gnome and bear a piggyback ride! Suddenly, a big Labrador Retriever appears and picks up the Gnome and bear! He takes them to a hollowed tree trunk where he keeps his ball and a bone. When the dog walks away, the Gnome gently hugs the bear and steps out of the tree trunk. He climbs up a ladder under the little girl’s window, and sits the bear on her windowsill. When she notices the bear, she looks out onto the garden – and there stands the garden Gnome. Those of us who have a few Gnomes in our own garden (safely tucked in back yards) will surely want to start saying "Good Night, Garden Gnome" to each. The book jacket says for "All Ages" – and it truly is that. Published by Dial Books, a division of Penguin Putnam Inc. (ISBN 0-8037-2531-0). Thanks to member Gnomenut for this book review! May Craft - GNOME COOKIES! 
Want to make some Painted Gnome Cookies? Only an elementary skill level is required! If you want the pattern for cutting and decorating these wonderful little cookies just drop me an email at QueenGnome@foundus.com and I will email them to you. Materials: Darning needle (optional). Fine and medium paintbrushes. Toothpicks.DOUGH : 1 cup butter or margarine, 1 cup sugar, 2 eggs, 1 tsp. vanilla, 3 cups unsifted all-purpose flour, 1-1/2 tsp. baking powder, 1/2 tsp. salt.1. Combine softened butter or margarine and sugar and beat until creamy. 2. Add eggs and vanilla, beating well. 3. Add flour, baking powder, and salt and beat until well mixed. 4. Form two balls and chill for 3 hours. ICING : 2 egg whites, 3/4 tsp. cream of tartar, 2-1/2 cups confectioner's sugar, food coloring: red, blue, green & yellow1. Beat egg whites with whisk or electric beater until frothy and slightly thickened. 2. Add cream of tartar and continue beating until whites hold a peak. 3. Sift confectioner's sugar into whites, 1/2 cup at a time, beating thoroughly between adds. 4. Beat 5-8 minutes until icing is thick and smooth. 5. Set aside portion that will remain white. Tint small portions of decorative icing in several small bowls by combining with food coloring until desired color is achieved. Make green, red, pink, yellow, blue, brown, and light brown icing. 6. Keep damp cloth over each bowl to prevent drying. DIRECTIONS:1. Trace patterns for male and female gnomes. 2. Roll out ball of dough to 1/8 inch thick. 3. Place gnome patterns on dough and trace around edge with knife or darning needle; remove pattern. Place cookies on sheets. 4. Bake at 350 degrees F for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. 5. Cool on a rack. 6. Using medium paintbrush spread surface of cooled cookies with white decorative icing that has been thinned with 2 tsp. water. 7. Use toothpick to define design areas to be painted. 8. Paint these areas with appropriate colors of tinted icing following pattern. 9. For facial features, combine orange and green undiluted food coloring to make brown. Using fine paintbrush, draw in features. I like to read the comments placed in the Guest Book of our gnome site (that's where many of you first visited) and enjoy most of them. Here is a little joke left by a visitor (and hopefully soon-to-be member): "Great site, the more gnomes the better. One question: what would happen if you mate a lawn gnome with a plastic flamingo? Would you get gnomingoes?" He left us with a link to his site where he and a couple of friends take a gnome on a long trek around the United States. http://web.archive.org/web/20031219100629/http://members.aol.com/gnomeweb/ I have a gentleman looking for a "Ptooey" computer gnome. Has anyone ever heard of such a gnome? GNOME HOME INFORMATION And our friend Corny has a wonderful new line of the Gnomy gnomes. Check them out. Great gnome homes too! Jani has placed this on the News page of our member site. Corny advises that the gnome homes will be about $20 to $35 U.S. each. http://www.geocities.com/stonewoodvillage/Gnomy.html or email C. van Wieringen at gnomexing@naspa.netTake a tour and scroll to the bottom to see some new gnome homes. Also, Dune Gnome Dennis, makes wonderful gnome homes from driftwood. He is really talented and runs a school out on the East Coast. He is a member and here is the link where you can see some of his gnome homes. http://www.foundus.com/DennisSheehy/index.html In addition, gnomes would likely always have: 1. A herb garden 2. A cuckoo clock 3. A wooden carving in the shape of a cross which is displayed on their tables all year round 4. A bed for their pet mice 5. Beautiful stoves 6. Woven mats 7. Thrones (very ornate) ... this is the toilet seat! 8. Bathtubs 9. Often wood carvings of ancestors 10. Secret entrances to lower rooms where young gnomes are taught from the Secret Book, food is stored, secret brews are made...he,he... and female gnomes store and make herb medicines. 11. Tunnels to access water and as escape routes 12. Tubs for dying clothes, storing pine needles to light their stoves and wood for the fire which heats the house and keeps the stove hot for cooking 13. Beautiful trunks...within these are stored clothing and special items. They are always colorfully painted. They often hide secret passages to underground rooms. 14. Unfortunately, many male gnomes still smoke pipes! Perhaps they have discovered a tobacco that is not hazardous to their health! So most homes will display this family heirloom. Well you should now have enough information to get your imagination presenting visions for you! But, remember, there are many different kinds of gnomes and therefore their homes will be as varied. Barn gnomes will likely have their homes built under graineries, house gnomes under stairways in basements and dune gnomes in sand dunes. However, all their homes will have most of the same inside characteristics. Get out and take a walk on a beautiful spring day. Take all this information with you within your mind. You will come home with visions from the gnomes! I like to take a small portable tape recorder with me and when they bombard me with too much information to remember - because my mind is not as good as gnome minds at remembering things - then I simply record them and then put them into my secret book when I get home. I would like to invite all gnome members to visit this artist's site. Just sit back and take a moment to read her thoughts and view her work. Magical! http://web.archive.org/web/20031219100629/http://www.angelsfairiegarden.com/ she is a member of our sister club and you can read more about her on the fae member's bulletin board. Barbara aka QueenGnome |
