Greetings, dear reader!
As promised, I am here to regale you with stories of the gnome, or, as they are called in Sweden, "Tomte". Joy, of Scrap for Joy fame has a Swedish husband, who brought with his heritage the legend of the Tomte. I have asked her to share it with me so that I might share it with YOU!
Now, everyone of you, go and grab a cup of Earl Grey Tea and/or a cup of peppermint hot cocoa...I'll wait.
Are you back? Okay, settle in to your oversized reading chair, grab your most comfy winter quilt, and relax while I share the story of the Tomte (or Tomten: plural).
In Sweden, every home has a Tomte. You can't see them but they are there. They are the guardians of the home and watch out over pets and farm animals. They watch over everything at night when you are asleep. They are very loyal and if you treat them with respect they will not play tricks on you. Often before Christmas, parents will tell their children that the Tomtes are watching to see if you're good or bad and report this to Santa.
Another blog Abundant Blessings, has created this little Swedish Tomte family. (Obviously these are the hard working variety)
Do go check out her blog and this blogpost about the Swedish Tomte.
Here are some little guys herding sheep from Etsy Artisan "StuckOnArt":
These little, hard working Tomten (not to be confused with their mischievous cousins the Troll) are only 5 1/2 inches tall. I guess it takes all 7 of them to herd the much larger sheep!
Now, wasn't that a nice way to enjoy your hot drink? What stories about gnomes are part of YOUR heritage?
More soon!
Hot buttered rum kisses,
Paula Clare
14 comments:
LOVE it! I will be telling the gnome story...
If you want to look on etsy, you might want to check out Waldorf dolls as well--they are big into gnomes and they are really cute, made from wool. (We have "Stinky Gnome" in our house that we play hide and seek with.)
PS Haven't been able to make it to US post office due to weather, but will get your package in the mail as soon as we can :)
Hi Cat!
You simply MUST share a picture of the "Stinky Gnome" and how the game you and Tate play came about! That counts as a great gnome story too!
Hugs,
P
Good morning, Paula! Love this beautiful Swedish tradition! I'm a quarter Swedish, but not as in touch with those traditions as I'd like to be...thanks for inspiring me to dig a bit deeper in my Swedish lore! Love these gnomes--tomten--don't they just make you happy?!
Hope you have a lovely day!
Paula, I want you to know how much I am loving all this gnome love here. Thank you! We'll add your button to our sidebar. Thanks for adding ours to yours! Have a wondeful day! Twyla
Hi Paula!
I'm so enjoying all the gnomes and gnome lore! So darling! I've linked to you and E on my Monday Blog Love this week.
Can't wait for more!
Sally
P.S. I seem to remember Calamity Kim having a wonderful gnome doll tutorial??? I will see if I can find it and send you the link.
P.S.S. I soooooo want some peppermint cocoa now! :)
I'm back ... :)
The Calamity Kim pattern I remembered turned out to be an elf, instead of a gnome, boo hoo.
(thank you thank you thank you so much for sharing her gnome egg cozy pattern, I had missed it!)
Happy Toadstool Tuesday!
Oh Paula, You found an Irmi lamp. These are what I used to make my pincushions. Too sweet for words! I loved this post, and I do have a troll story to share. Thank you for recalling it to mind. Paula, I have problems with my short term memory (I think I've used it all on the long term) and I can't for the life of me put an image of a troll book in my mind from Christmas. I do have a pattern book of cowboy stuffies. My daughter-in-law loves all things fairies and perhaps I gave it to her. I will check and see. Can you describe it to me. We are all having such fun with your Gnome adventures. Thanks so much for introduting them to me! E
Hi Paula. Check Etsy for a convo I sent you. I have a question I sent for you regarding the little dresses you ordered.
Talk soon,
Lallee
Hi E! The book was called Tomten the Christmas Gnome. It was very old...and quite nondescript...except for a little red gnome embossed in the corner of the cover. Kind of a beige color...but quite OLD looking. Maybe it didn't make it into the box? I'll check here and see if I still have it...I lost my giveaway box after Christmas...I can't imagine where my book my be! Talk about short term memory loss!
hey paula! when is the gnome party? i love gnomes!!
What fun... thanks for sharing and for stopping by. I have a little gnome stamp. he is really cute you can see him here..
http://dreamingofcastles.blogspot.com/2009/03/gnome-carry-on.html
Hi Christy! The virtual Gnome Party is the whole month of January! I will be sharing gnome stories, crafts, and related goodies all month long...if you have any gnomey goodness to share, please let me know so I can announce and link you on my blog! Happy Gnoming!
Thank you for leaving a comment on my blog Fun FREE Giveaways. I also love your blog. Great layout and who doesn't love Gnomes?
Hi Paula,
The on-going gnome party is truning out to be more fun each day. I need to figure out a gnome/tomte related craft to add to the others!
Joyce
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