Gnome Countryside

06/10/2024

Hello kindred spirits of the gnomes! Hope your summers are off to a magical start. If you are looking for a memorable summer experience, come join the classic gnome tour that has spanned generations. I will be posting periodic open tours throughout the summer and don’t forget we have a wonderful birthday party program available too! We have an open tour date this Friday at 1:00. More information and sign up here https://www.atgnomecountryside.com/copy-of-third-grade

05/01/2024

Gnome Countryside is a place of possibilities. A place where the imagination is kindled. A place where all ages are free to dream, hope, and wonder. Having grown up here I know the power it both holds and shares. My hope is to continue to play, to share with this space as much as it has shared with me. Some of the things I hope to share involve sculptures and structures I’ve imagined over the years. This year is the year of the bridge. Many an excited child and adult have crossed the step bridge or passed under the troll bridge over the years. I see this bridge as the portal to the magical mainland of Gnome Countryside. It finally needs rebuilt and I decided it needed a sculpture to fit the experience. A wild and magical creature that lures the creative within. Here is a picture of the old bridge with a sketch of the new.

04/23/2024

“This pretty planet spinning through space, you’re a garden, you’re a harbor, you’re a holy place, golden sun going down, gentle blue giant spin us around. All through the night, safe till the morning light.” Thanks Tom Chapin for those words and Happy Earth Day everyone! Hope you got to spend at least some of it outside by yourself or with those you love!

04/15/2024

What beauty we are surrounded by! May we all get out for a walk in nature as often as possible. Of walking Ralph Waldo Emerson said “the qualifications are endurance, plain clothes, old shoes, an eye for nature, good-humor, vast curiosity, good speech, good silence, and nothing too much.” It seems that it’s the simple things in life that bring the most satisfaction. Carpe Diem!!

01/02/2024

Thank you all! You are an amazing supportive community and it’s been an exciting year. Can’t wait to share many new things with you in 2024⚡️

12/28/2023

Hope everyone had a very happy and meaningful holiday! Thank you so much to all who has made it out to a candlelight program💫 If you didn’t get to see The Solstice Badger storytelling characters in action, there are still two nights of our programs at Gnome Countryside and I will be telling the story at the Kennett Square Library this Saturday at 10:30 in the children’s space upstairs. Don’t miss it!

12/19/2023

Just two weekends left to see and feel the magic at the Gnome Countryside Christmas Candlelight tour. Hope to see you there. You can make reservations and find more information on the website: https://www.atgnomecountryside.com/christmascandlelighttour

12/12/2023

The first weekend of the candlelight program at Gnome Countryside was quite magical🔥 Here’s a few photos of the last week getting ready. There’s still some space the last two weekends, so make sure to sign up! https://www.atgnomecountryside.com/christmascandlelighttour

12/05/2023

Hello Gnome Friends! I am nearly ready for the Christmas Candlelight programs this year. Its going to be something special for sure. As most of you know I love making and telling stories so this year I am working at the maker space in the Kennett Square Library on something special! Come on out and see it in action. You can also follow the making of a Story on the Gnome Countryside youtube page. Heres a little more information

12/02/2023

Visit the Winter holiday market tomorrow 11-4(1:3-3 for the free craft) and make one of these cute little houses for free! They look great on the mantle or nicknack shelf. Especially if yours has an awesome unicorn headpiece🦄

11/28/2023

The gnomes were busy cutting some wood houses and ornaments to decorate as a free craft at the Winter Holiday Market at Lancaster Farmacy on Saturday December 2 from 11-4. The craft will run from 1:30-3. There will be some wonderful local artisans with handmade crafts for sale as well. Hope to see you there!

11/21/2023

Hello all! The "Gnomeman," Mr Rich is getting up there in his gnome years. And while he still plans to live to 104, he is limited in his mobility due to macular degeneration and 68 years with type 1 diabetes. We are currently looking for someone to live at his beautiful property in Kirkwood, Pa, rent free, in exchange for assisting him with some daily tasks. We thought that this online community, who knows him and how he has shared his joy with the world, would perhaps be able to help us find a good fit. If you know of anyone, please message to discuss further details. With gratitude and thankfulness for you all! ❤️

11/16/2023

Hello wonderful community! It's that magical time of year again! We are gearing up for the Christmas Candlelight tours with some special new additions. Come be a part of this memorable event that truly inspires the holiday spirit. More information and reservations can be made on the website: https://www.atgnomecountryside.com/christmascandlelighttour Hope to see you there!

The Christmas Candlelight tour at Gnome Countryside is a outdoor holiday experience for family and friends. Here you will find yourself nestled around a hearty bonfire in the enchanting forest of Gnome Countryside. Stories will be told, songs shared, and a short hike along a candlelit path to a Chri...

10/17/2023

Pop-Up Fairy Garden Workshop at Gnome Countryside this Sunday! We've been growing succulents all year at Unicorn Acre and they are excited to be a part of your Fairy Garden(at least I think thats what they were telling me🙂). More information and pictures from last year can be found here: https://www.atgnomecountryside.com/copy-of-fairy-garden-workshop Hope to see you there!

08/22/2023

We've been finding so many toads at Gnome Countryside this year that I needed to celebrate by making something😁...Please welcome the largest toad you will ever see(carved from cedar) along with a new name for this ravine- "Golden Toad Gully". Also be on the lookout for this little gnome that somehow looks alot like Mr. Rich.

08/17/2023

Perhaps one of the biggest challenges for an artist and maker is that we have far too many creative ideas and plans compared to the time in a day! It can be both exciting and frustrating. I do have several of those artistic endeavors in the works for Gnome Countryside and will post pictures soon, but I recently finished a gnome sized timber frame tiny home that was supposed to occupy my time when the gnomes were hibernating, but it took me a bit longer...Anyway I thought I would share some images with you!

05/22/2023

As I shared with a wonderful group of first grade students, teachers, and parents from Wharton Elementary on Friday, "This planet is a wonder-filled place. Some things you can see. Some things you cannot see. And some things are yet to be seen." To me one of the most important messages from a place like Gnome Countryside, is the element of possibility. What is it that you would like to see? In your life? In this world? In this universe? May your week be full of gems to be discovered 💎

05/07/2023

Found this Jack-in-the-pulpit growing up on the trail today. I always loved this woodland perennial. This flower, along with the metal artist Albert Paley, were the inspiration for one of my first pieces of Jewelry at Tyler School of Art. Cold forged and fabricated from sterling silver, bronze, and nickel silver. It was a large "pendant" at about 10" tall. Unfortunately it was lost in our house fire, but I've still got the experience, and the memories.

05/04/2023

Greetings Friends! It's been a bit of a sleepy spring here at Gnome Countryside, but everything is just as beautiful as always! I've got new ideas for some "Gnome School" programs and don't forget our awesome outdoor birthday parties! I'll post a little more on that soon. Every year I notice more and more little beautiful details of nature when I go for walks... Hope you find the time to do that too. Here are some spring pictures from the Countryside.

12/05/2022

Hello wonderful community! Many of you probably remember the magical Christmas Candlelight tours led by by Dad on the many frigid nights of holiday seasons past. I have been a part of of this program since my mom held my twin sister and myself(at one year old) in the living room window dressed up as gnomes for all the guests to see. We haven’t had this tour in several years and I just haven’t quite felt the magic of the season in the same way since then. So, this year we’ve decided to bring back the tradition to share with you. I will be taking part in the program, along with my dad, and long time friend and flutist Chris Thompson. More information and reservations can be made on my website https://www.atgnomecountryside.com/christmascandlelighttour Hope to see you there!

10/29/2022

Hey everyone! It’s the Gnomeman’s 80th birthday today! If you want to give him a birthday call I’m sure he’d love that 😁 7173273069.

10/11/2022

Introducing Stewart the Nature Steward...Just a little PSA video about the Fairy Garden Workshop this Saturday! Sign up https://www.atgnomecountryside.com/copy-of-fairy-garden-workshop

09/30/2022

So this is going to be awesome...just saying 😊Sign up

09/21/2022

Nothing like a little ribbon dancing to start the morning! Set to Harry Bellefonte’s “Turn the World Around” Meaningful lyrics and definitely danceable⚡️Check it out!

09/21/2022

We had an exciting time yesterday with our Woodland Mornings group dancing, playing, and exploring our space like star-nosed moles! We also heard a story of how Gerome Gnome found his “Believing Bell” in the mystical flower Bellanthicus Believicus Wondrous commonly known as “the Bell of Believing Wonder.” We went on search of our own and low and behold! Our lucky day💫

09/16/2022

We've had some wonderful mornings out in the woods with our Woodland Morning sessions ! I originally posted for ages 2-6, but I am open to all ages of children coming and enjoying this time together. Check out the space and some of the fun we've had! This Tuesday we will be more songs, movement, and a special art making activity. Sign up on the website or message us. www.atgnomecountryside.com

08/29/2022

Hello Friends! (Kesse here) I’ve been making it a point to get my kids out in the woods as much as possible this summer. We’ve been spending our mornings exploring, playing and dancing. I want to invite you to share in this experience with us, so I’ve put together some weekly morning sessions that start out with movement and awareness and include various other activities. I am attaching a flier, and you can find out more on the website http://atgnomecountryside.com Please email or message if you have any questions. Thank you!