GNOME HOUSE

Give your gnomes a place to call home with a rustic house you can build from a foam box and tree branches. It takes a little patience, as there is a lot of gluing to do, but the results are worth it. It’s important to use a solvent-free, high-strength adhesive for fixing things to polystyrene, so it won’t eat through the material. a base for the roof and attach with adhesive. Apply adhesive to the top of the house and attach the roof.

STEP 2 Cut tree prunings, or collected branches, into discs using a saw. A mitre saw will make the job faster or you can use hand tools – secateurs are sufficient for smaller diameter sticks.

STEP 3 Measure sides of house and cut decking boards or other recycled timber to length. Paint boards if needed. Secure boards to the sides and back of house with adhesive.

STEP 4 Lay house on its back. Cut a door and windows out of fence palings, using a jigsaw if making any curved cuts. Use small branches or twigs for the window frames and door jambs. Secure windows, doors and wood discs to the house facade with adhesive. Glue small twigs with the cut ends facing out to create lintels for the windows and door. An old nail works well as a door handle - add it just before gluing on the door.

STEP 5 Measure the roof, then mark the balsa wood to cut shingles using scissors. Paint shingles and leave to dry, then attach to the roof with adhesive. Cut a stick on an angle to match the pitch of the roof and glue on as a chimney.