Fred the Garden Gnome

We love garden gnomes. We have one in the back yard, and he’s seen better days. I don’t remember how it happened, but the poor little guy has broken a foot. His disability is hidden by the woodchips, and he has a stake that keeps him propped up.

We’ve been on the lookout for a new one, but we just haven’t found one we like yet.

Well, imagine my delight when I got the monthly newsletter from our local pottery painting place, and they announced that they have garden gnomes!

This was going to coincide nicely with Daddy’s birthday, so Claire and I put our plan in place.

We conducted our plan in total secrecy, and Claire nearly burst from all the excitement, but she didn’t spill the beans!  She kept the secret!

We picked out our gnome and got the paint all ready. Claire wrote her name on the table, to make everything official.

We started out with a sponge, but switched to paint brushes. (By the time we did that, I had Glenda safely put away so as not to get paint on her.)

Claire and I painted for two and a half hours, and we worked great as a team!  Yes, I said we painted for two and a half hours!  It was a long process, but one we both thoroughly enjoyed!

When I was painting on some of the detail work, Claire used the paint on our palettes to create her own little picture for the owner of the store. (You can see our garden gnome and Claire’s other handy work on the table.)  I mean, when you’re 4-years old, 2.5 hours is a long time to sit still…but this kept her preoccupied.

I told Claire she could name him, and she decided that “Fred” was the perfect name for Daddy’s Birthday Garden Gnome.

As you can see above, Fred the Garden Gnome turned out really well!  We finished painting, and he posed for a photo, waving to us amidst all the painting aftermath.

…then we had to wait for him to be fired. I hope he can support his family without a job. Ha. Just kidding. Couldn’t resist.

Well, after a week had passed, Fred was ready!  We picked him up today, and it’s really cool to see him all shiny!  The Birthday Boy is thrilled!  Claire and I were so excited to see how Fred turned out, and none of us were disappointed!

Daddy says he looks too nice to put outside, so we’ll just have to see where Fred ends up!