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
