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Easy Valentine’s Day Gnome Pine Cone Craft

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Who doesn’t love a cute gnome? This Valentine’s Day pine cone gnome craft is so fun and easy to make. All you need is a pine cone, nut, yarn, and an old sock. Do you have a sock that’s lost its mate? Then, give that lonely sock a purpose. Of course, you could use any element to make this gnome special such as flower petals and sparkles of glitter or you could toughen him up with a moody-colored hat and brown yarn. So, let’s craft a cute gnome.

Scroll down to get started! Brief video tutorial at the bottom of the page.

hand holding pine cone gnome with white sock hat, hickory nut nose, and purple and pink yarn beard above a white plate with purple and pink yarn and pine cone gnome sitting on a white table below

First, Explore. Then, Collect.

First up, an outdoor treasure hunt for a pine cone. Next, you need a nose. I found an old hickory nut but you could use a round stone, acorn, or anything that makes you think gnome nose. Gnomes love flowers, right? If you find some interesting leaves or petals, add these elements. You could find stones for shoes. Petals for a gnome cardigan. Leaves for hands. Exploring and collecting treasures from the outdoors provides an excellent opportunity to search for beauty in the little things and build memories with your family.

So, What is a gnome?

When I hear the word gnome, I’m instantly transported to a mystical mountainous garden with gnomes, fairies, and secrets. Often, gnomes are short, bearded, and make-believe men who live underground in the mountains tasked to guard something of value such as knowledge or gold. Also, we know them as colorful concrete statues in gardens to bring good luck, guard the flowers, and add fun color to a garden. 

What is the meaning behind gnomes?

Interestingly, the word gnome goes back to the 16th century, during the Renaissance period. We can thank a Swiss alchemist known as Paracelsus for the creation of the world of gnomes.  Paracelsus imagined gnomes as short earth dwellers who lived and moved in the earth like a fish. Since the 18th century, gnomes have continued to be a vital part of literature. Often, the characteristics of gnomes are modified to meet the writer’s needs in their stories. Hence, the perfect opportunity to discuss character development and storytelling.

Gnomes and Imagination

Creating is something we were born to do. Human beings are made in the image of God, the Creator of all things. While God made everything out of nothing, we need materials to mold, design, and craft. This craft allows us to create and use our imagination to tell a story. 

In this season, I have two toddlers who love stories. After making this craft, we went to our bare garden (because it’s the middle of winter) and created a story about a mighty but tiny pine cone gnome warrior whose job was to defend the flower box from the stone giants, also known as my one-year-old who kept stacking rocks in the garden. But my three-year-old loved it, and this activity challenged her to use her imagination.

So, it only seems fitting to make a gnome out of something earthy like a pine cone and accompany the gnome with a story. 

Disclaimer: All activities on this website require adult supervision. Some materials used in crafts or play-based activities pose a choking hazard. Nobody knows your child better than you. Please modify all activities appropriate for your child.

Hand holding pine cone gnome without a sock hat after trimming the purple and pink

DIY Easy Valentine’s Day Pine Cone Gnome Craft for all ages

Materials:

  • 1 pine cone for the gnome’s body
  • 1 nut/acorn for the gnome’s nose
  • yarn for the gnome’s beard
  • 1 old sock
  • a small square of cardboard to help the gnome stand upright

Helpful Tools:

  • Liquid glue. I recommend using a hot glue gun with one glue stick if your child plans to display or play with the gnome. After my child finished her gnome, I used a hot glue gun to help the items stick while she played with them.
  • Scissors to trim the gnome’s beard
  • Small book to wrap the yarn around to make the gnome’s beard
Process shot of making a pine cone gnome in 4 steps using a hickory nut, pine cone, yarn and baby sock

Step-by-Step Instructions for DIY Easy Valentine’s Day Gnome Craft for all ages

  1. First, cut a small square slightly larger than the bottom of the pine cone. Glue the cardboard square to the wide bottom of the pine cone. This will help the pine cone remain upright.
  2. Second, glue the nut to the upper half of the pine cone for the gnome’s nose.
  3. Next, hold the end of a piece of yarn against the cover of a book and begin to wrap the yarn around the book in one direction. Wrap the yarn approximately thirty times to make a thick beard for the gnome. See the brief video tutorial at the bottom of the page.
  4. Then, cut a 6-inch piece of yarn and thread it underneath the wrapped thread. Tie the piece of yarn into a knot to hold the wrapped yarn together.
  5. Now, cut the yarn in one spot on the opposite side of the knot.
  6. Next, holding both ends of the knotted piece of yarn, tie this around the gnome’s nose so that the yarn beard hangs below the nose. If needed, trim the gnome’s beard.
  7. Finally, place the sock over the top of a pine cone like a hat.

Now, you have a cute pine cone gnome for Valentine’s Day. Great Job!

Brief Video Tutorial of Gnome Pine Cone Craft

Pin it for Later!

Hand holding a pine cone that is crafted to look like a gnome with a white baby sock on as a hat, hickory nut for nose, beard yarn above a white paper plate with the text Pine Cone Gnome Easy Valentine's Day Craft and purple decorative details

Click here for a cute printable Valentine’s Gnome Coloring Bookmark!

Click the link above to print

Finally, I want to thank you for stopping by! Please say Hi in the comment section and tell me about your favorite Valentine’s Day craft for kids.

– With Great JOY, Katie

More fun simple crafts using a Pine cone:

Easy Valentine’s Day Pine Cone Snowy Owl Craft

Simple Pine Cone Bird Feeder

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14 Comments

  1. What a cute idea! Love this! You have a beautiful way of explaining creativity and how we can use materials to express our ideas. I especially connected to the passage where you said, “Creating is something we were born to do”. Thank you for sharing and I look forward to trying out this craft idea.

  2. This is so cute! My son loves to collect pine cones so now we have something else to do with them! He’s going to love this craft. Thank you for the great idea!

  3. What an adorable idea! These Valentine’s Day gnome crafts are so great. The instructions are perfect, too. Thank you for sharing this fun craft!

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