DIY Candy Corn Gnome for Halloween

Instructions

1. Start by making your beard. Cut a gnome-sized triangle of faux fur more than adequate for your beard by turning the fur over and cutting only the fabric with the craft knife or razor blade. Lay out the fur on a sheet of parchment paper or poster board you don't mind getting colorful.
2. Using your finger or a comb, separate the fur into 3 horizontal sections. Tape down the bottom section, covering it entirely. This section will be the white section of the beard. Take care to cover it entirely so that you don't accidentally drip or brush onto the white section.
3. With the paintbrush, paint the top 1/3 of the beard with lemon yellow or a mixture of yellow and white alcohol inks (I found that the yellow by itself was far too dark). Be sure to brush the yellow fur back away from the rest of the beard material. Repeat painting the middle 1/3 of the beard with a mixture of orange and white or yellow, red, and white alcohol inks (I found that orange by itself was too dark and then I ran out of orange, so I made my own). Set the faux fur aside to dry for about 1 hour - do not rinse.
4. Trace and cut out the gnome body shape, hat shape, two arm shapes, and bottom circle shape from the white fleece, per the Cozy Gnome Pattern.
5. Lay out the hat piece on a sheet of parchment paper or poster board you don't mind getting colorful. With the paintbrush, paint the bottom 1/3 of the beard with lemon yellow or a mixture of yellow and white alcohol inks (I found that the yellow by itself was far too dark). Be sure to brush the yellow fur back away from the rest of the beard material. Repeat painting the middle 1/3 of the beard with a mixture of orange and white or yellow, red, and white alcohol inks (I found that orange by itself was too dark and then I ran out of orange, so I made my own). Set the hat aside to dry for about 1 hour - do not rinse.
6. Fold the gnome body shape in half and run a hem along the open side with your sewing machine. Be sure to leave the small portion open on the side seam, as directed in the pattern. Attach the bottom circle shape by hemming it in place then turn the body of the gnome right side out. Fold the hat piece in half then hem along the seam, then turn the hat right side out.
7. Fill the gnome body with the Poly-Beads. Tuck a small portion of Poly-Fill into the top of the gnome body to fill out the cone shape of the head, tuck the floral wire inside, curving both ends to keep them from poking through, and sew the body closed.
8. Comb out your dyed faux fur beard and trim the faux fur into the perfectly-sized beard shape you like. Hot glue the beard to the body.
9. Hot glue the nose in place about 1-inch below the top of the beard. Place the hat on top of the gnome's head, tucking it down over the top of the nose, with the seam of the hat in the back of the gnome. Hot glue the hat down on top of the nose, giving it a cute wrinkle.
10. Make the trick or treat bag by either printing it and cutting it by hand or by printing it and cutting it on the Cricut or Silhouette. Once cut out, fold the bottom flaps of the bag over, then fold the sides together. Hot glue the tab on the side in place and hot glue the bottom flaps together. Cut a thin strip of scrap black felt or a length of black embroidery thread for a handle, then set aside.
11. Fold the arm shapes in half and hem them in a long tube, then turn them right side out. I also slid a piece of floral wire into each arm to allow them to bend so they could hold the bag. Hot glue the hands in place on the ends of the arms. Slip each arm up into the hat on the side and hot glue it in place.
12. Fit the bag onto the arm of the gnome, hot gluing the handle in place inside the bag, then get ready to display!