The husband-wife team, Tammy and Shawn Christensen, have been making all sorts of gnomish headlines lately with their sculpting business, Art of Stone.

Shawn Christensen in his manufacturing facility where he, wife Tammy, and a crew produce concrete sculptures, concentrating on the seasonally popular gnomes at the moment. — MCT

Randomly enough, the couple doesn’t make just gnomes, but they also throw gargoyles, VW Beetles, and warty toads into the mix. They make the lil’ buggas all from scratch, which means a whole bunch of mixing, hauling, molding, staining, and painting. But all that hard work is paying off.

The Christensens got a temporary retail store in Tacoma, and say the most challenging part of gnome-making is ensuring that the pointy hats don’t tilt too much to one side.

Their house was converted into a gnome (and other inferior creatures) workshop, where even concrete hippos, frogs, and Buddhas have been spotted.

Some of the couple’s gnomes are picking their noses and sticking out their tongues. Nose pickers are the most popular of all. And rightfully so.

So what’s next for the Christensen gnomes? “I want to do a lady that’s actually a tree, with a stump for her base and branches for her arms,” says Tammy.

Right on, guys…right on.