Patrick J. Baglino, Jr. Interior Design: Arrivato!!

This is where it all began. The Garden Gnome. From the Motion Picture - "Amelie"
Amelie's father is fixated on Garden Gnomes. This is something that is hardly understood by her.

THE ARRIVAL!!

The Garden Gnome and Pope Bendict XVI arrive in the United States yesterday

I'm sure you guessed it! The Garden Gnome arrived yesterday at Andrews Air Force Base. This Little Guy was introduced to me by a very dear friend in the motion picture "Amelie", around this time last year. This mythical creature has been busy traveling the world and finally has landed on American soil with his pal, Pope Benedict XVI. Because of his small size, the Pope seemed to overshadow the arrival of a my tiny friend. However, we were lucky to capture a few snapshots of the Garden Gnome making it down the jet-way of the Alitalia jet that carried him, pipe in his mouth, across the sea to America.

Not only was the gnome an important part of Amelie's father's life, he was so kindly adopted by the good people at the travel website, Travelocity. They have been busy following his travels around the world. I am so honored that he has come here to visit.

There is a lot to say about this special guy. So, here is a bit about him and his history.

THE GARDEN GNOME - HISTORY

"The first garden gnomes were made in Gräfenroda, a town known for its ceramics in Thuringia, Germany in the mid-1800s. Phillip Griebel made terracotta animals as decorations, and produced gnomes based on local myths as a way for people to enjoy the stories of the gnomes' willingness to help in the garden at night. The garden gnome quickly spread across Germany and into France and England, and wherever gardening was a serious hobby. Gnome manufacture spread across Germany with numerous other large and small manufacturers coming into and out of the business, each one having its own particular style of design. War II Poland China. was hard on the industry and most producers gave up then. Griebel's descendants still make them and are the last of the German producers, all others having moved production to or

Traditional gnomes are made from a terracotta clay slurry poured into molds. The gnome is removed from the mold, allowed to dry, and then fired in a kiln until it is hard. Once cooled the gnome is painted to the level of detail desired and sent to stores to be sold to consumers. More modern gnomes are made from resins and similar materials.

Garden gnomes were first introduced to the United Kingdom in 1847 by Sir Charles Isham, when he brought 21 terracotta figures back from a trip to Germany and placed them as ornaments in the gardens of his home, Lamport Hall in Northamptonshire. Only one of the original batch of gnomes survives: Lampy, as he is known, is on display at Lamport Hall, and is insured for one million pounds.

Garden gnomes have become a popular accessory in many gardens. They are often the target of pranks, known collectively as gnoming: people have been known to return garden gnomes "to the wild", most notably France's "Front de Liberation des Nains de Jardins" and Italy's "MALAG" (Garden Gnome Liberation Front). Some kidnapped garden gnomes have been sent on trips around the world (the travelling gnome prank; this later became the basis for Travelocity's "Roaming Gnome").

The practice of stealing garden gnomes is also sometimes referred to as 'Gnome Hunting'."

Wikipedia

THE ARRIVAL!!