DIY~ stick nativity ornament

Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people…For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord…And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”  Luke 2:10-12

For years now, I’ve been wanting to make some nativity ornaments.  I never got around to it because I’ve had a newborn for two out of the past 3 years.  Ha!  This year was the year.  My 3 year old helped me gather sticks, I plugged in my hot glue gun, and I was ready to go.

I didn’t take any pictures along the way because, well…I didn’t know exactly what I was doing until I did it.

1.  Break 5 sticks all about the same length for the manger.  Mine were about 4″-5″ long.
2. Lay them out on the table in the basic “house” shape.
3. Take your hot glue gun and put a small spot of glue on the end of your left side stick and glue it to the bottom piece.  Let dry.
4. Next, put a small spot of glue on the end of your right side stick and glue it to the bottom piece.  Let dry.
5. Take the last two sticks and form a roof shape.  Glue roof to the sides.
6. Now break 3 more sticks for Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus.  I did one about 3″, one about 2 3/4″, and one about an inch.
7. Glue the two larger sticks together (next to each other) and the short one across them (at a slight angle).  You want it to look like they’re holding the baby.
8. Now put some glue on the bottom of Mary and Joseph and place it in the middle of the bottom piece of the manger (see top photo).
9. I broke one more stick about 4″ long and glued some short/thin pieces on it in a star shape.  Then that piece gets glued to the roof of the manger (see photo).
10. At this point you can glue a yarn or hemp loop for hanging, if you want.
11. I also glued some mossy stuff in areas where I wanted to cover some glue marks.  Ha!

I’ve done a few of these and they’re all different and so sweet.  A beautiful reminder of why we celebrate this season and the eternal gift we’ve been given.  These are perfect for little gifts.  So, make a bunch and give them to your friends.

Thank you so much for stopping by today.  Have a great day!