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.
- Break 5 sticks all about the same length for the manger. Mine were about 4″-5″ long.
- Lay them out on the table in the basic “house” shape.
- 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.
- Next, put a small spot of glue on the end of your right side stick and glue it to the bottom piece. Let dry.
- Take the last two sticks and form a roof shape. Glue roof to the sides.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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).
- 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).
- At this point you can glue a yarn or hemp loop for hanging, if you want.
- 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!
These are so precious. I’m making some this weekend because we’re getting our tree!