Tag Archives: Decoration

A garden gnome’s friendly smile may not be as it seems…

• Garden gnomes are human-like figurines based on dwarves, typically used in gardens for decorative purposes.
• ‘Garden gnomes’ are also known as ‘lawn gnomes’ or are simply called ‘gnomes’.
• The stereotypical garden gnome is a bearded-white male with a red hat, though variations exist.
• Garden gnomes have their history in statues that were placed in gardens during the Renaissance period in Europe, and in some of the 17th century statues, dwarves were depicted.
• Some of the earliest manufacturers of garden gnomes were Johann Maresch and Adolph Baehr, who became partners in about 1841 and established a factory in Germany.

Garden Gnome
Image courtesy of Pixabay

• Early garden gnomes were made of clay, porcelain or wood, while modern ones are typically made of resin, plastic or ceramic; though cement, plaster and cast iron materials have also been used.
• Gnomes, and garden gnomes by extension, traditionally are symbolic of good fortune; and they were likely to be first used in gardens because they were seen as protectors and night-time helpers.
• Garden gnomes are generally painted in bright colours, and they are often depicted holding a garden tool or other object.
• As a common practical joke, or as an act of vandalism in extreme cases, garden gnomes have been stolen – ‘kidnapped’ – from gardens, and been taken on a journey and photographed at places of interest.
• Garden gnomes were popularised in Germany during the 1800s, and from there, the ornaments were distributed to England and other parts of Europe.

Bibliography:
Garden Gnome, 2016, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden_gnome

Lehman S, How the Tradition of Putting a Gnome in Your Garden Started, 2013, Today I Found Out, http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2013/10/tradition-putting-gnome-garden-started/

White S, History of Gnomes, 2016, LoveToKnow, http://garden.lovetoknow.com/wiki/History_of_Gnomes

http://home.earthlink.net/~artifactsco/id1.html

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Life is not complete without refrigerator magnets.

• Refrigerator magnets are decorative objects that can be magnetically attached to flat metal surfaces such as fridges.
• ‘Refrigerator magnets’ are also known as ‘fridge magnets’.
• Refrigerator magnets are often used for decorative purposes as well as to hold objects in place, such as paper for convenience or as a reminder.
• There is a very large diversity of refrigerator magnets, with various colours, images, designs, shapes and sizes.
• The magnetic part of a refrigerator magnet is generally set out in a ‘Halbach array’, with both north and south poles in an alternate pattern on the same side, which adds to the magnet’s strength and is more cost effective.

• Refrigerator magnets are collected by numerous people; and the largest collection in the world is owned by Louise Greenfarb from the United States’ Nevada, and in 2013 the collection consisted of at least 35,000 magnets.
• The unofficial term for a refrigerator magnet collector is a ‘memomagnetist’, coined by an enthusiast from Russia.
• Originally, the magnets of refrigerator magnets where manufactured in the shape of a rectangular prism or cylinder, but they are commonly now thinner and often more flexible.
• Do-it-yourself refrigerator magnets can be easily made, due to the increasing availability of magnetic material suitable for this purpose, and it has become a common craft activity.
• Some refrigerator magnets can be used for educational purposes, especially those that depict letters, to make words, and these have been available since the mid 1900s.

Bibliography:
Refrigerator Magnets, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refrigerator_magnet