Simple Wooden Nativity Scene – This past weekend we finally pulled out our Christmas decorations and got our house looking festive. I always seem to forget all the amazing things we have until I see them coming out of the boxes. One of our favorite decorations is a very simple nativity scene that my mom made a few years back. My Mom is very crafty and artistic… I’m sure that’s where I inherited all my creative genes from (no offense Dad). My lovely and talented Mother has given me permission to share the details of this project with my readers – oh, and she wanted to mention that my Dad played a vital roll in the creation of these nativity scenes; he cut out all the wood pieces. This sweet and simple nativity scene is great for your home and makes a thoughtful and unique gift as well. It’s also simple enough that children could make these too.
Materials
-
- 5/8″ cedar or pine wood
- 1/8” plywood for the star
- Band saw or jigsaw
- Template for wood pieces to cut out – Get Nativity Scene Template here
- Sand paper
- Acrylic craft paint (use whatever colour you prefer – we used, dark green, brown, dark red, cream, pink – you can mix the red & cream, black and gold)
- Paint brushes (mini roller and fine brushes)
- Matt finish varnish
Directions
- Using the template, cut out shapes and then trace all the shapes (excluding the star) onto your cedar/pine and then cut out your pieces of wood using the saw. Do the same with the star using the 1/8″ plywood.
- Sand all the edges of your wood until they are pretty smooth
- Starting with the people pieces, paint on the faces and shawls – just keep it a simple design (feel free to draw a little outline with a pencil on the wood first if that helps)
- Paint the star gold
- Paint the edges of the trees, arch and people using the mini roller
- When the paint has dried, glue the star onto the arch
Cover and seal everything with a coat of matte finish varnish
Looking for more Christmas related ideas & projects: Eco Friendly Christmas Ideas, Homemade Preserved Lemons, Printable Christmas Gift Tags, Oatmeal Honey Face Scrub, Reusable Crochet Face Scrubbies
~ Jamey
Leslie
December 12, 2013 at 5:32 PM (7 years ago)I LOVE THIS! Gah!! I can’t wait to make this! May I share this on my blog with one of your pics and a link? Let me know!
Jamey
December 12, 2013 at 5:34 PM (7 years ago)Sure Leslie! I’m glad you like this idea. Thanks for your comments.
~ Jamey
Jenni
December 16, 2013 at 12:36 PM (7 years ago)This is such a great tutorial! I have been looking for a wooden nativity set, but never thought to make my own!
Sallyline
December 21, 2013 at 12:24 PM (7 years ago)Hey, I have discover your blog and I love it! I speak about your so beautiful wood nativity scene in my blog if you want to come to see… It’s a selection of the most beautiful and original nativity scene that I have found in the world! Thanks a lot for your DIY and good continuation. I will read you often here…
Betsydu
November 23, 2014 at 12:38 PM (6 years ago)Thank you for sharing this – Planning to make a set for each Grandma. These are so cute! My kids are excited!
Jamie at RenoCompare
November 26, 2015 at 6:34 AM (5 years ago)Far and away the most beautiful wooden nativity scene we could find and we’d love to share it over at ours.
I’ll send you a link as soon as it’s live.
Thanks Jamie
Jamie at RenoCompare
November 27, 2015 at 12:19 PM (5 years ago)Here you are…http://www.renocompare.com/2015/11/wooden-christmas-decorations/
Hope you like it…Happy Holidays
Anonymous
October 15, 2016 at 11:19 PM (4 years ago)Bermuda’s History after 2007
Rose Steeves
November 28, 2016 at 4:05 PM (4 years ago)I love this little wood nativity. I am in the process of making 4 of them to give as a gift to friends. thank you for this.