Regular readers know that I have a favorite place to look for bargains...our downstairs trash area! Our building has trash chutes on every floor and they feed into a separate room, but for boxes and other things that people can't put in the chute, there is an area (indoor) near the loading dock where people can put the things they don't want. I've found quite a few cool items over the last few years.
I went downstairs to the loading dock and saw this in one of the bins. I pulled it out and took it upstairs. Now, those of you who might be offended by an obscene hand gesture, scroll really fast past the next picture, ha!
It's a garden gnome made of a ceramic type material in a glossy, crisp white color. He's 18" tall and he's, um, telling us we're number one?
Or perhaps he's just upset about something in the garden? LOL!
Now sometimes we wonder why someone got rid of some of the things we find but this one is obvious; his hat is broken off at the top.
Hmm, maybe that's why he's upset?
Anyway, I was thinking there is bound to be some way to cover that up/fix it. 2nd Man suggested a poofy red pompom on the end to cover it up? I was thinking maybe a colorful toddlers knit hat? Anyone have any other suggestions?
We turned it over and saw the sticker on the bottom...it's from Z-Gallerie and sells for SIXTY DOLLARS!! We guess someone broke it and decided it wasn't worth keeping. Even broken, we think he's got potential and personality...maybe he can give his one finger salute to the birds in the orchard.
Oh hat poor garden elf. Maybe he's upset because no one painted him. Looking at his 'backside' looks like clay pot material cover with a shiny glaze.
ReplyDeleteToo bad the other part of his hat wasn't laying there in the pile; then it could had been glued back on.
Following information found here: https://www.hometalk.com/diy/repair/q-i-love-my-gnome-gardens-but-i-have-two-gnomes-that-have-broken-their-h-36891852
"I had a stone gnome I fixed using stepping stone concrete. I just had to do it in steps to build the pointed hat back up. It took some time to complete because I did a little and then had to let that dry. I just used waxed paper to sort of make a template and taped it to the top part of the gnome where the hat broke. Once all the layers of concrete were dry I peeled the waxed paper off and then painted it. Looks good as new and has been back in my Pennsylvania garden ever since and still looks good."
You might want to check around and see if someone could make a mold for you.
Maybe someone you know could knit him a new hat and keep it indoors.
Enjoy your weekend.
Some good ideas, thanks for this. Some great suggestions. I looked for the broken part and it could have been down in the dumpster further but I wasn't going to climb in, ha.
DeleteI would find a little stocking cap ... maybe bright red ♥️ ... to plop on his adorable head! He's giving the finger to whomever broke his hat! 🤗
ReplyDeleteThat's kind of what I thought. I think bright red would be cute. Yep, he's probably ticked at the whole situation. :-)
DeleteMaybe a small dog hat. You could put a Santa hat now and another after Christmas. This could be where you hide your money, sort of a bank...lol.
ReplyDeleteOh a doggie hat is a good suggestion. I bet they have them this time of year for sure. A bank is a cute idea too. But we do have a really neat shiny copper pig bank already (hmm, I need to show a picture of that now that I think about it) . I'm going to look at Petsmart next time I go.
DeleteYou might be able to fix it with some plaster of paris and maybe some glossy spray paint? If you wanna get super fancy, you could coat him in flat white and then paint him up in typical gnome colors - red hat, etc.
ReplyDeleteNow that's another good suggestion. Though I do like the shiny white. I guess he wouldn't be that welcoming at the front door, LOL!
DeleteI repaired a 3-ft. Tall Yoda whose feet had sustained damage in shipment. I wanted to keep him because he was very rare. So, I purchased some plaster..don’t remember exactly what. I plastered him up and hand mixed some artists paint and touched him up. I was the only one that knew. I vote for the plaster fix.
ReplyDeleteGreat!! And a three foot tall Yoda, I'd repair that too!!! How cool. I'll do some research. Thanks!!!
DeleteYou can do a repair to his hat with air drying clay if you are not going to have him outside. I you want him to be weather resistant I would fashion the top part of his hat out of a polymer clay (the kind you bake) and attached it to his hat with a weathertight glue. They come in many colors and shades but you would have to varnish it to simulate the glaze
ReplyDeleteThere is no way I would be able to turn him away! I love stuff like that.
One day I will have to tell you about the gnome who lives in my powder room.
Oh yeah, I've seen that drying clay. Good idea if we decide he needs to stay inside. Yes, I saw it and was so excited, even with the broken hat. He had too much personality, ha. I bet the 'powder room gnome' has a good backstory. My grandmother had an outside gnome pushing a wheelbarrow and um, well, It's has a story too. ha.
DeleteGlue a round red ball or red Christmas ornament to the damaged area.
ReplyDeleteOh a Christmas ornament is a good idea too. And now is the time of year to find that. Thanks!!
Deletedrill a drain hole in the bottom and plant something green that hands down like tassels...maybe donkey tail.
ReplyDeleteNow that's thinking outside the box too. it could be filled with soil and have something that grows hanging down. Cool!
DeleteI have no solid idea how to fix him for outdoor use. Maybe some smooth fine grain concrete mix, then paint to match? I'd probably leave him as is, put him outside under a plant to hide the damage, and he can stand guard flipping off the bindweed that's shown up the last 2-3 years. And the moles. For indoor use, I'd probably try the air dry clay.
ReplyDeleteThanks, for outside that's not a bad idea. Easy to tuck in some bushes. Would still drill a hole in the bottom to let water out from rain but that's a cute solution that doesn't involve any extra work.
DeleteDo let us know what you come up with , won't you. A funnel perhaps.
ReplyDeleteOh, there will be an update. I'll be checking out several things this holiday season while it's a good time to find the stuff. Stay tuned!
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