DIY Teacup Gnomes

In today’s post: Learn how to turn teacups into adorable gnomes with just a few supplies. This is an easy craft you can complete in about twenty minutes.

These teacup gnomes are so cute! They’re easy to put together and a fun way to showcase pretty teacups and saucers. And they have FEET. I don’t know why that’s adorable, I just know it is.

Supplies

Here’s what you’ll need to make a teacup gnome:

• Teacup and Saucer: You’ll use the teacup for the gnome’s hat, and the saucer for the gnome to sit on. It’s great if they match, but mismatched ones look cute too. See the box below for ideas on where to find teacups.
• Small drinking glass: You’ll use the glass for the gnome’s body. I got my glasses at Dollar Tree and they are about 4.5 inches high and 2.75 inches in diameter at the top (a little wider at the bottom). Just make sure the top of the drinking glass is a bit smaller than the top of your teacup.
• Baby Shoe Decorations: These are small plastic shoes found in the baby shower section of Dollar Tree and they work great to make feet for these gnomes. But if you can’t find them it’s ok, the gnomes look cute without feet too.
• Men’s Size sock: This is used to cover the glass and the shoes, so be sure to get a crew sock, not an ankle sock. I got the sock I used from Dollar Tree.
• Faux Fur: You can find faux fur in a variety of colors at any fabric store. Ask to purchase an eighth of a yard, which will give you a long strip of faux fur that’s 4.5 inches wide. I purchased one strip of faux fur years ago and it’s been enough to make beards for all various gnome projects I’ve completed!
• Wood Knob: I use 1.25 inch wood ball knobs which have one hole in the back. Knobs are better than beads, which will have a small hole going all the way through it.

How to Make Teacup Gnomes

Once you have your supplies assembling, it will only take about twenty minutes to make a gnome or two. You will need a glue gun to put them together. Let’s get started.

Make the Body

Begin by cutting apart the sock. Cut just above and just below the heel as shown. If there’s a cuff in a different color, cut it off too. Set aside the ankle portion of the sock for now.

Slide the drinking glass inside the toe portion of the sock. Fold the sock inside the top of the glass as shown below and secure with hot glue.

Make the Feet

Grab the other half of the sock and cut it so you have two rectangles of sock fabric that are each about 5 inches tall and 3 inches wide. Place one of the plastic shoes on the wrong side of the sock fabric. Secure it with a dab of hot glue on the bottom of the shoe. Pull the rest of the fabric up and glue it to the outside of the plastic shoe, then stuff the fabric inside the shoe, securing with more hot glue.

Cut out the Beard

On the back of a small piece of faux fur, trace a beard shape as shown below. The beard should be about 3 inches wide at the top, and about 4 inches from top to bottom. Cut out the beard. When cutting fur, you DO NOT want to just use scissors and cut it out like you would any other fabric because then the fur along the edges of the beard will be very short. To make sure you get the long “beard” effect on the fur, you have two options. First, you can use a razor blade or exacto knife and cut from the back of the fur, cutting through the backing only. Second, you can use sharp scissors, but you’ll want to cut with the back of the fur facing you, and slide the bottom of your scissor through the fur very close to the backing. Your goal is to just cut the backing, not any of the fur itself.

Assemble the Gnome

First, place the sock covered glass on top of the saucer. Secure with hot glue if desired to make it sturdier.

Then hot glue the beard to glass as shown.

Next, place a line of hot glue along the top of the cup, then invert the teacup and place it on top as a hat.

Finally, glue on the nose and the feet. I overlapped the nose over the edge of the teacup slightly so it would be glued to both the teacup and the beard.