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November 27, 2018 by Joy Kincaid 18 Comments

Handmade Wooden Nativity Set DIY Tutorial

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Our handmade wooden nativity set is my favorite. Just because it was handmade by us.
handmade wooden nativity set
It may not be the most beautiful, and the painting isn’t perfect, but it’s beautiful to me. There’s something about handmade Christmas ornaments and handmade Christmas gifts that are just so much more special to me. Making things together at Christmastime is one of our cherished family traditions.
handmade wooden nativity set
When I see it, I remember the sweet time painting the figures with my daughter. I love that we have this memory of painting these together. I also love that this nativity set, since it’s made with natural wood, is more durable and I can let the kids play with it.

Supplies Needed for This Project

This post contains affiliate links. Read my full disclosure here. 

  • 7 Wood Peg Doll 3.5″ Bodies for Mary, Joseph, shepherd, angel, and three wise men
  • 1 Wood Peg Doll 2 3/8″ (you can let your kids paint the extra ones!)
  • Wood Baby Peg Doll
  • Wood Bowl (extras can be used for other educational activities)
  • 1 Wood Ball 1 1/4″ for the large sheep (you may need to sand the bottom so it can stand up)
  • 2 Wood Balls 1″ for the small sheep (bottom may need to be sanded)
  • Assorted colors of acrylic craft paint (we used black, white, yellow, gray, brown, blue, green, red, and metallic gold)
  • Wool Roving for hay
  • Paintbrushes
  • White Felt for Angel’s Wings (we used a stiffer white sparkle felt)
  • Glue gun and glue sticks to glue on angel wings
handmade wooden nativity set

How to Make a Handmade Wooden Nativity Set

We had never made anything like this before, so it was a new experience for us.
I had seen a picture of someone else’s hand-painted nativity set, and I modeled my figures after the inspiration photo.
handmade wooden nativity set
We did a few things differently, and painted a few of the details in our own way. We didn’t worry about perfection, we just did our best and had fun.
handmade wooden nativity set
Our figures didn’t turn out perfectly, but they did turn out much better than I had anticipated! It always helps to not expect perfection.
handmade wooden nativity set
We just looked at our inspiration photo of the handmade wooden nativity set and painted our wood figures accordingly. It was actually fairly simple!
handmade wooden nativity set
The baby’s eyes didn’t turn out the way I had hoped (the paintbrush I was using had a stray hair and it kind of smudged one of them!) but that’s okay. I used some wool roving (left over from another project) to line the “manger” with.
handmade wooden nativity set
The wooden balls did need to be sanded on the bottom to make a smooth surface so they would stand up without rolling off the table!
handmade wooden nativity set
My daughter painted all of the wise men. She did a great job! The one with the green robe does have a little smudge of green paint on his cheek, but that just gives him more character. 🙂
We hot-glued sparkly white felt wings to the back of the angel.
handmade wooden nativity set
This set is being kept in the school room, and this morning during our read-aloud time my youngest had such a fun time playing with them. ♥
handmade wooden nativity set
Thanks so much for stopping by!

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handmade wooden nativity set

 
This post contains affiliate links. Read my disclosure here. Sharing here.
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Comments

  1. alice says

    December 22, 2019 at 3:28 pm

    such a cute idea! I’d love to do this with my kids when they get older. THanks for sharing with us at #OMHGWW

    Reply
    • Joy Kincaid says

      December 28, 2019 at 9:09 pm

      Thank you!

      Reply
  2. angie says

    December 19, 2019 at 10:06 pm

    I have several nativity sets not one like your wooden set here though it is very charming thanks for sharing
    come see us at http://shopannies.blogspot.com

    Reply
  3. Tracy says

    November 29, 2019 at 2:35 pm

    I absolutely love this can’t wait for my grandchildren to be old enough to make a set altho I’m not wishing time away

    Reply
    • Joy Kincaid says

      November 29, 2019 at 3:38 pm

      Thank you, Tracy!

      Reply
  4. Jennifer Wise says

    December 10, 2018 at 10:18 am

    WOW!!!! This looks absolutely perfect to me! I love it. It’s gorgeous.
    #inspirememondaylinkup

    Reply
    • Joy Kincaid says

      December 10, 2018 at 2:21 pm

      Thank you, Jennifer!

      Reply
  5. Sansa says

    May 25, 2017 at 1:55 am

    I liked your way of art and creativity. All are such a wonderful nativity set. I will definitely try to make such nativity in my home also.
    Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  6. Shecki Grtlyblesd says

    December 19, 2015 at 6:29 pm

    Oh, I love that! We made peg people for Chinese New Year one year… I'm sure I have leftover pegs around here somewhere… Hmm!

    Reply
    • Joy Kincaid says

      December 19, 2015 at 7:18 pm

      Thank you—they're really fun to make, aren't they? 🙂

      Reply
  7. deborah says

    December 16, 2015 at 2:07 pm

    They are darling! How fun and what sweet memories you made along with the nativity!

    Reply
    • Joy Kincaid says

      December 16, 2015 at 6:37 pm

      Thank you, Deborah! Yes, the memories are the best part. 🙂

      Reply
  8. Tabitha says

    December 15, 2015 at 11:56 pm

    I love them! They are so cute! Good job!!

    Reply
    • Joy Kincaid says

      December 16, 2015 at 12:53 am

      Thank you, Tabitha! 🙂

      Reply
  9. RebeccaL. says

    December 15, 2015 at 1:40 pm

    I LOVE IT!!!! Now I want to do this! They are absolutely beautiful!

    Reply
    • Joy Kincaid says

      December 15, 2015 at 5:36 pm

      Thanks, Rebecca!

      Reply
  10. Sara says

    December 15, 2015 at 1:34 pm

    Adorable! You both did a great job, they're so cute 🙂

    Reply
    • Joy Kincaid says

      December 15, 2015 at 5:36 pm

      Thank you, Sara!

      Reply

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Hi, I'm Joy. I'm so glad you're here! I believe creating a beautiful and nurturing home is an art worth cultivating. Read more here...

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