How to Make A Gnome Door For Your Garden

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By dcdesigns
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Garden Gnome Door

Garden gnomes are little spirits that like to play among the flowers in your garden just before twilight. Small, no taller than about four inches high these gnomes can easily get lost amid the pansies and roses, so how about make them welcome with a stylish door to call their own.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

2 packages Sculpty or other oven bake clay in the color you want your door
Small amount of Yellow oven bake clay
Small amount of Silver oven bake clay
Paper
Pencil
Scissors
Baking Sheet
Aluminium Foil
Oven
Wax Paper or other paper to protect table
Two 12" wooden skewers found in most store' s cooking isles
Craft Glue

Step 1

Cover Baking Sheet With Foil

Pre heat the oven to the temperature on the instructions to your oven bake clay.
Cover the baking sheet in foil.
Step 2

Pattern for Door

On a piece of paper, draw an outline of the door you want to make. You want the door to be at least 5" tall and about 3-1\2" to 4" wide. Don't forget to add a window! Cut out the pattern. To insure you don't get a loop sided door, cut out the door you drew half way. Fold the cut out part toward the paper and use it as a guide for cutting out the second half of the door.
Step 3

Lay wax paper or some other kind of paper on your work surface to protect it from the oven bake clay. Due to the fact the clay is non-edible you need to protect any surface it comes into contact with especially if used for cooking.
Step 4

Kneed the clay between your hands until it becomes soft and easy to work with. Flatten it out with your hands until it is a little bigger than the size of your door pattern. You can use something besides your hands to flatten the clay. I think the uneven texture I get when I flatten the clay with my hands adds to my door's character.
Step 5

Pattern on Clay

Lay the pattern on the flatten clay. With the tip of one skewer, draw around the pattern.
Step 6

Cut Out Door

Remove the pattern from the clay. Carefully remove the excess clay from the door. With your fingers smooth out the edges.
Step 7

Clay With Window Pattern

Work a small amount of yellow clay until soft. Again use your hands to flatten the clay.
Step 8

Cut out the window from your door pattern. Lay it on the yellow clay. Draw around it with the skewer and remove the excess clay. Place cut out window onto clay door.
Step 9

Rolled Clay

Roll the excess door clay into a log. Lay the log onto your covered surface and roll it into a thin, long snake. Use the snake to outline the window and edge around the door.
Step 10

Door With Handle

Roll a small amount of another color clay into a tiny ball for the door's handle. Place on the door.
Step 11

Move the completed door to the foil lined baking sheet. Place in the over and bake for 20 minutes. Let door completely cool.
Step 12

Glue Skewers To Back of Door

When cool, glue one skewer to the back of the door with the pointed end down. Let dry completely. The skewer allow you to set the door into the dirt and help keep the door up right.
Step 13

Pair of Gnome Doors

Place your finished door at the base or a tree, large rock or at the foundation of your own house. But be careful not to place the gnome doors too close together or you may end up with a fight over whose door is the nicest!