Homemade Christmas Nativity Scenes
- 1). Construct the Christmas nativity stable by hammering together three wooden boards to serve as the structure's walls and roof. Use a fourth board for the stable's backdrop, or substitute cardboard to make the stable lighter. Coat the stable with wood stain, or leave it unfinished for a raw, natural look. If you'd rather not work with wood and nails, you can spray-paint an upended cardboard box (shoeboxes work well) with brown or gold paint.
- 2). Paint the stable backdrop a deep, dark blue color to resemble the night sky. Use cotton swabs or a thin paintbrush to create dots with pale yellow or white paint to resemble stars. Allow the paint to dry before placing items in the stable.
- 3). Arrange soft material along the stable floor. Use handfuls of straw, tan-colored tulle, florist's moss or spray-painted cotton balls to resemble hay for the nativity scene. For a more natural scene, incorporate twigs, dried grass or dried herbs. If you'd like the arrangement to stay put after the Christmas season, use hot glue to attach the materials to the stable floor.
- 4). Build a manger by spray-painting a small jewelry box with brown or gold paint, then arranging straw materials to form a little bed. The baby's cradle can also be fashioned with small bits of wood and hot glue. Natural-feeling nativity scenes incorporate a large, curved leaf glossed with resin or another protective material to prevent deterioration.
- 5). Wrap clothespins with neutral-toned fabrics, including rust, brown, and beige. Wrap one clothespin in blue fabric to resemble Mary. If desired, use a felt-tipped pen to draw faces on the Holy Family. Anchor the figures in the straw with a hot glue gun. If you'd like to arrange the nativity scene so that some figures, such as shepherds, are clustered outside the stable's interior, glue these figures to small cardboard or wood bases.
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