How to Make a Homemade Nativity Set
Nativity sets are often used at Christmastime to tell others the Christmas story. They depict the birth of Christ and are commonly displayed in Christian homes during the weeks leading to Christmas. They are also used as a decoration for a Christmas tree and are composed of a set of figurines representing the Holy Family, other members and livestock. Though you can purchase a nativity set, a crafts enthusiast may prefer to build their own, which can be much more economical. Building a nativity set with children can be a fun and educational experience. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Cardboard shoe box
- Scissors
- Masking tape
- Paintbrushes
- Brown paint
- White paint
- Yellow paint
- Blue paint
- Hot glue
- Brown fabric
- Straw
- Florist's moss
- Jewelry box
- Felt-tipped pen
- Clothespins
- Suede fabric
- Sequins
- Construction paper
Instructions
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Place the shoe box on a flat surface. Remove the lid from the shoe box and cut apart the edge of each corner of the lid.
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Cut off one of the long edges of the shoe box lid.
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Flatten both short edges of the box outward. Place masking tape over the fold on the interior of the box to secure the edges.
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Place a longer piece of masking tape over the top side of the lid along the center. Fold the top long edge at a 90-degree angle inwards and use the tape to secure the fold.
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Make a fold at the center point of the cardboard lid to form the roof of the stable.
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Paint the cardboard shoe box and lid with brown paint. Allow the paint to dry till it is no longer wet to the touch.
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Attach the roof to the shoe box with masking tape. Place the shoe box on its side so the opening is facing the front. Allow the roof to have an overhang in the front.
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Paint the interior side that used to be the bottom of the shoe box with a dark blue paint. Use a thin paintbrush to create small dots on the backdrop to serve as stars. This will create a starry night back drop for the stable. Paint a large yellow star on the backdrop to represent the Christmas star. Allow the paint to set until it is dry to the touch.
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Use hot glue to attach soft brown material to the stable floor. Glue pieces of moss and straw to create a more natural scene.
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Use a jewelry box to create the manger. Paint the exterior of the box with brown paint. Allow the paint to dry. The jewelry box should be a small, square box with a lid and one level to place jewelry. Avoid jewelry boxes with multiple levels and dividers.
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Arrange straw and moss to form a bed in the manger. Secure the pieces in the manger with hot glue. Place the manger in the stable.
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Wrap the top part of a large clothespin in skin-tone colored fabric. This will create the face for the figurines in the stable. Wrap the bottom part of the clothespin in colored fabric, such as blue, to resemble Mary. Glue the fabric to the clothespin with hot glue. Draw a face on the fabric on the top part of the clothespin with a felt-tipped pen.
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Make Joseph by wrapping skin-toned fabric around the top of the clothespin and colored fabric around the bottom. Draw on his face with the felt-tipped pen. Use colors such as gray or blue to distinguish him from the rest of the figures.
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Make baby Jesus with a smaller clothespin. Wrap skin-toned material around the top of the clothespin and white fabric around the bottom to represent a blanket. Draw the face with the felt-tipped pen.
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Make the three wise men by using three large clothespin. Attach the skin-toned fabric to the top of the clip and dress the wise men in different, more vibrant colors such as yellow and orange. Hot glue cotton-swab pieces to form beards and hair. Draw the faces with the felt-tipped pen. Cut crown shapes out of yellow fabric with the scissors. Wrap the small piece around the very top part of the clothespin to form the crown the wise men wear. Wrap a piece of gray or blue fabric to form a turban. Decorate the crowns and turbans with sequins by using hot glue to secure the sequins to the fabric.
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Use large clothespins to make the shepherds. Wrap skin-toned fabric at the top for the face and colored fabric around the bottom. Use yellow or lighter fabric to make the shepherds. Use the felt-tipped pen to draw the face on the shepherds. Cut a crook out of construction paper. Shepherds use the hooked tool to wrap around the sheep's neck as a guide to where the sheep should go. Use a dab of hot glue to stick the crook to the shepherd.
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Make sheep by gluing multiple cotton swabs together. Cut the sheep's face out of brown construction paper and glue it to the front of the cotton swabs with hot glue. Make multiple sheep to form a herd. Glue multiple cotton swabs together to form a camel. Make the humps at the top of the camel by joining two cotton swabs and shaping them. Wrap the cotton swabs in beige or brown fabric. Cut the camel's face from brown construction paper and glue it to the front of the camel.
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Make cows with the cotton-swabs. Glue cotton swabs together and cover them in white or brown fabric. Cut out multiple pieces of white and black fabric to form the spots on the cows. Glue black spots to the white cows and white spots to the brown cows. Cut the faces from white or brown construction paper and glue them to the cows.
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Place Mary and Joseph in the stable by the manger. Place baby Jesus inside the manger on the cushioned part of the jewelry box. Arrange animals around the stable on the outside and place some around Mary and Joseph. Move the shepherds closer to the herd of sheep and place the three wise men on the opposite side of the shepherds.
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References
- Photo Credit nativity image by Simon Amberly from Fotolia.com
