This Fun Hot Cocoa Gnome Pattern is Fast and Adorable

Instructions

1. Start by painting your beard. Cut a large section of white Mongolian fur, slightly overly-larger than you want your beard, so you have some room to work. Place about 1 tbsp of the brown alcohol ink into your small bowl then dry brush just the top layer of your white faux fur. Then comb the faux fur to smooth out the coloring and strands that may have stuck together. Note that the ink will dry a little lighter than when you initially brush it on, so it's ok to go a little heavier than you initially intend. Although the alcohol ink will dry almost immediately, still set the faux fur aside just the same, while you prepare the gnome body
2. To make the gnome, trace and cut out one large gnome body shape from the brown felt fabric. Fold the gnome body shape in half and run a hot glue hem along the open side. Fold the bottom flap of the gnome body shape over and close the bottom of the gnome with hot glue. Allow the glue to dry fully.
3. Turn the gnome body right-side out, then fill the gnome body with 1-2 cups of Poly Beads. Tuck a small portion of Poly-Fill into the top of the gnome body to hold the Poly-Beads inside.
4. Fold the sherpa fleece fabric over to cut one hat shape with one of the long sides along the fold-line in the fabric. With your hot glue gun, run a hem along open side of the hat piece. Allow glue to dry completely.
5. Fill the tip of the hat a little with a small amount of Poly-Fill if you want a pointy hat; if you want a floppy hat, just put a tiny amount of Poly-Fill in the hat. To make the hat bendy and shapeable, hot glue a floral wire into the hat by bending the end over to make a small loop (so the wire won't poke through the fleece) then hot gluing the wire into the hat along the seam. Trim the wire to end just inside the bottom of the hat and bend this end of the wire over to make a small loop, then hot glue this in place as well. Fold the bottom 1-2 inches of the hat up to create a thick brim, then fit the hat onto the gnome's body to check the fit.
6. Cut out the beard shape from the Mongolian fur by turning the fur over and cutting only the fabric with the razor blade or craft knife.
7. Affix the beard to the gnome by hot gluing the beard to the body, about 2 inches below the edge of the gnome body. Hot glue the nose in place about 1-inch below the top of the beard by parting the fur down to the fabric backing and adding a generous dollop of hot glue.
8. Make a mustache by cutting your leftover faux fur into a 1-inch tall by 3-4 inch wide rectangle, then split the fur down the middle. Glue the two sides of the fabric backing together, then hot glue the center of the mustache just below the nose, tucking it up under the nose as much as possible.
9. Place the hat on top of the gnome's head, tucking it down over the top of the nose. Hot glue the hat in place in the back and sides in just a couple of places--not the whole way around, then one little dot on the nose to make a wrinkle (this is the best part).
10. Wrap twine around the hat of the gnome, working snugly, but not so tightly as to deform the hat shape. hot glue this in place with a knot at the end.
11. Cut out two arm shapes from the brown felt. Place a line of hot glue down one long side of the arms and hem it. Fill each arm with a small length of floral wire, to make the arm bendy. Slip the arm up into the hat on the side and hot glue it in place. Hot glue the hands in place on the ends of the arms.
12. To make the coffee mug, start by rolling a 1-inch by 1/2-inch section of white clay into a cylinder and, press a small depression into the top of the cylinder, making it slightly wider at the top with a depression. Press a rounded lump of brown clay into the depression in the cup.
13. Smooth the coffee cup and coffee to your heart's content. Then, using your craft knife, cut off the top edge of the cup. Smooth the coffee cup a little more to clean up the cut.
14. Make a rim by making a 3-4 inch long snake about 1/8 to 1/3 inch thick, then wrap this around the top of the coffee mug. Smooth this by rolling it on your work surface a little to clean up that rim.
15. Make whipped topping (it's hot cocoa after all) by making a 3-4 inch long snake about 1/3 to 1/4 inch thick, then wrap this around in a coil on the top of the coffee mug.
16. Make a handle by making a 1 1/2 inch long snake about 1/3 to 1/4 inch thick, then affixing both ends to the side of the mug vertically.
17. To give the mug a beaten copper mug look, you can roll the side of your paintbrush handle along the clay in various places to give it that worn edge.
18. To remove any fingerprints or rough spots, you can brush the mug with rubbing alcohol with a paintbrush.
19. Bake the coffee cup per the clay package's directions. Allow the mug to cool fully.
20. Paint the mug with the copper paint and allow it to dry completely before sealing with craft sealant.
21. Bring the hands together and hot glue one on each side of the coffee cup. Then it's time to enjoy your completed gnome!