Garden gnomes are a classic lawn decoration. The materials used to make them range from concrete to wood. You can make a garden gnome for your yard out of a sheet of plywood. The silhouette of the gnome is cut from the plywood and the details are added with paint. To make a garden gnome on a toadstool, simply draw in the toadsool before cutting the wood. Typically gnomes have a hat, large nose and cheeks. Use bright colors on both the gnome and toadstool to create a whimsical decoration.
Instructions
1. Place a 3/4-by-24-by-48-inch plywood panel on a work surface with the 24-by-48-inch side lying flat.
2. Draw the outline of the toadstool with a gnome sitting on top. A toadstool has a curved stem and a broad rounded mushroom top. Gnomes are small in stature with a stocking cap, a large nose and exaggerated facial features.
3. Cut out the outline on the plywood panel using a jigsaw. Slowly guide the saw around the outline until the cut is complete.
4. Sand the cut edges of the decoration with a detail sander. Use a medium-grit pad, followed by a fine-grit pad to achieve a completely smooth edge.
5. Paint the details of the gnome and toadstool onto the plywood cutout using exterior craft paints and craft brushes. Paint a one-by-two-by-24 inch wooden stake the same color as the toad stool stem. Allow the paint to dry at least four hours.
6. Align the wooden stake in the center of the toad stool stem with the two-by-24-inch side flat against one side of the stem. The stake should overlap the stem by six inches. This will provide 18 inches of stake to stick into the ground.
7. Drive four wood screws through the stake into the plywood toadstool with a screwdriver. Evenly space the screws across the six-inch overlap.
8. Push the stake into the ground in the selected area of your yard. So that the bottom of the toadstool is flush with the ground.
