How to Make Mary and Joseph Using a 4 x 4

Bring the heart of Christmas to your home with this wonderful rustic Mary and Joseph made from a 4 x 4. They look lovely displayed on the hearth, under a tree or near your door. Mary and Joseph made from a 4 x 4 are great reminders of the season and are a simple project the whole family can become involved in. Make one pair for your family and several as a thoughtful gift for family and friends.

Things You'll Need

• Thirty-four inch length of 4 x 4
• Twenty-seven inch square of tan fabric
• Twenty-five inch square of blue fabric
• Eight inch square of muslin
• Stuffing
• Fifty inches of jute
• Spanish moss
• Fourteen-inch stick from your yard
• One inch wood ball
• White acrylic paint
• Black acrylic paint
• Blush and cotton swab
• Hot glue gun
• Scissors
• Staple gun
• Mitre saw
• Paint brushes
• Sandpaper
• Measuring tape
• Pencil

Instructions

1. Cut a 16-inch and an 18-inch length from the 4 x 4 using the mitre saw. Sand any rough edges.

2. Paint the 4 x 4 posts using the white acrylic paint. Allow the paint to dry. Repeat if necessary.

3. Set the cut 4 x 4's on end. Hot glue handfuls of stuffing to the tops of the 4 x 4's.

4. Fold the tan square in half diagonally. Center the folded edge over the top of the tallest 4 x 4, pulling snugly to give a rounded shape to Joseph's head. Pull the center of the folded edge two inches to the front of the 4 x 4 and hot glue to the face front. Hot-glue underneath the drape, in the back, to hold in place.

5. Staple the end of the jute to the back of the head, just below the 4 x 4's edge. Wrap the jute around the head several times, catching the fabric, on the front of Joseph, underneath the jute. Staple the end in the back.

6. Fold the blue square in half diagonally. Center the folded edge over the top of the shorter 4 x 4, pulling snugly to give a rounded shape to Mary's head. Pull the center to the front two inches. Hot-glue underneath the drape on the sides and back to hold in place. Hot-glue a small handful of Spanish moss under the front two inches for the bangs.

7. Draw two oval eyes, three quarters of an inch wide by one inch long, on the face. Fill in the entire oval with black acrylic paint for Joseph. Fill in the bottom half of the ovals with black acrylic paint for Mary. Outline the rest of the oval with black acrylic paint. Paint a curved line in black, under each oval eye, extending past the eye a quarter inch on each side. Allow the paint to dry.

8. Dot highlights on each of the eyes using a paintbrush handle and white paint. Allow the paint to dry. Blush the cheeks under the eyes using the cotton swab.

9. Hot-glue a handful of Spanish moss below the cheeks on Joseph for the beard. Hot glue the stick diagonally across the front of Joseph. Glue a corner of the tan drape over the stick.

10. Glue a small amount of Spanish moss to the wood ball for Jesus' head. Roll the muslin square and wrap the head. Hot-glue Jesus to the front of Mary. Glue a corner of the blue drape to the muslin blanket.

Tips & Warnings

• For dollar savings, use leftover white latex house paint to paint the 4 x 4's.

• Old bedsheets dyed in a stain of acrylic paint and water make economical drapes for Mary and Joseph.