Terry Ricioli Designs: craft stick nativity ornament

Monday, December 3, 2012

Nativity Ornament

Hi Crafters!

Happy December and welcome to another round of the Designer Crafts Connection blog hop! This month we're making handmade gifts. I'm sure you'll find a wonderful variety of super crafts just in time for the holidays.

I had my kid crafters over last Friday and this is what we made. It's my version of a craft stick Nativity Ornament. You'll find it quick and easy to do and the kids will have fun with it.

You'll need:
Wood pieces: 14 craft sticks, 2 wooden spoons or medium ovals, small oval, 2 medium circles and one small circle, star
Paint: brown, yellow, face color, black
Cloth scraps
A small amount of wood fiber
Tacky glue
Twine for hanging loop
Tools: paintbrush, toothpick, scissors

First, lay out the sticks and cut or snap off to size. I used Skill Sticks(R) that you can snap apart. If you use popsicle stitcks, have an adult use a pair of scissors to cut them. Arrange your sticks to create a point in the center. I've used ten sticks for the back.

Next, paint the roof and cross beams brown and the star yellow.

Glue the cross beams in place.

Snap or cut off the ends of the roof beams and glue them in place with a small piece of stick under them in the center.

Cut the ends off the wooden spoons and paint the faces. I liked the natural wood for the faces, but the eyes will bleed into the wood lines if you don't put a coat of paint on first. Add the dots for eyes with the end of a toothpick.

Glue the heads onto the bodies.

Cut out rectangles of cloth for the clothing. For Mary, you'll need a dress and veil. For the baby, I used a strip of cloth for the swaddling clothes. For Joseph, I used a piece of plaid flannel. You could add a head scarf, too.

Wrap and glue the clothes around the figures and glue them in place on the stable. I used some wood fiber for hay under the Baby Jesus, but you can use crinkled paper or raffia. Glue on the star. Add a twine loop for hanging.