Christmas Crafts Part 3: Wooden Nativities

These simple nativities were our party favors at out little shin dig. Print this for the pattern and paint colors. You can make this any size (my mom did huge ones one year and they were fabulous) and you can make them out of wood or cardboard... I even thought it would be fun to do it with felt... let the creative juices flow!
My mom (Suzie Says) cut the wood for my nativities on her scroll saw and this post will show you how to do the rest.

Eli helped "organize" them as I painted the main color on the bodies.

Then I painted circles for the faces, and the other embellishments (shown on the pattern), the stable and the stars. Use a fine tip sharpie to add in all the details. Outline the face, in between the colors, and the facial features. Remember that this is vintage kinda folk art so things don't have to be (and shouldn't be) perfect.
Next, I use a speckle tool (yes, there is such thing as a speckle tool) but you can use a tooth brush. Water down some black paint (just a tiny bit of water!) practice first on a white piece of paper then speckle till the cows come home. This really adds a cute vintage element to the finished piece.

Lay them close together for the speckling so it will be nice and even... oh and you're only speckling the front. (I like the word speckle!) Speckle to your hearts content! Have a wet paper towel close by because inevitably you will get a giant splash on Jesus' face... and well, we just can't have that, can we? Oh and this is messy... I kept speckling myself. The last step is the finishing coat. I used a spray gloss. This will seal the paint and give the colors a deeper richer shade. If you don't do gloss the paint will become chalky and can rub off on other wood pieces. Do the back first and lay them farther apart so you can start to get the sides. It has to dry for an hour. Then flip them over and lay them much farther apart so you can get all the sides... spray the heck out of it! It takes an hour to dry to the touch and then a full 24 hours to fully dry.
I wrapped them in a small celo bag and then tied it with raffia. I think it added to the folky look. They were a huge hit, and I can't wait to give the others to neighbors and friends as Christmas comes closer!