hi it's carrie from lovely etc and today i want to show you how to make this really simple rustic diy
wooden nativity. you don't need any really fancy tools to make this. i cut out my nativity using
just a jigsaw and a miter saw and it was actually pretty simple. i have a pattern for you to use and
everything you need to know so let's get started. the first thing i'm going to do for my diy
nativity is find some wood in my scrap wood pile. i tend to be a bit of a hoarder of scrap wood so i
usually always have plenty of little bits of wood on hand for small projects like this.
but if you do not have a big scrap wood pile don't worry because you can definitely use lumber from
your local home improvement store and you should be able to buy it pretty inexpensively. if you
really want your nativity to have the look of old reclaimed wood that's also pretty easy to achieve.
just rough it up and then either hit it with some stain or use a weathered wood accelerator
from rust-oleum that also gives a really good effect. so first thing choose some wood. when
you're choosing wood for your nativity figures you want to choose wood that is between about half an
inch thick and an inch thick. you don't want to go too thin because then the figures won't stand
up on their own and you don't want to go too thick because then your saw is going to have a hard time
cutting through it well. okay so i have this old board that i don't even remember where i got but
it has a really nice texture and color and i think it's gonna be perfect. it's about six inches wide
and i'm planning to make my nativity fairly tall. i want the figures to be maybe 18 inches tall but
you can also do this same thing using smaller wood and make a smaller tabletop version. i've
drawn the pattern for the main figures for the nativity just on some paper. and i'm going to make
a printable version of these that you can print out to use as your own pattern if you'd like and
those will be available on my website and i'll put a link down in the video description. i've cut out
the patterns for the pieces of my nativity and now i'm just tracing them onto my wood
so that they're ready to be cut out. if you have a scroll saw this is the perfect project to use
it for but i don't have a scroll saw. so i'm using my trusty jigsaw. of course be sure to take proper
safety precautions and wear eye protection. cutting a shape like this with a jigsaw is pretty
simple but it does take a little bit of time. you can't just trace around the shape with your
jigsaw the way you would with a pencil or a pair of scissors. in the straighter areas like around
mary's back you can pretty much just follow the curve with your jigsaw. but in the places where
there's more intricate details like around the face and the arm you're going to need to
make lots of small cuts cutting in from the edges and cutting out pieces of excess wood as you go.
now i have my figures all cut out. i'm going to sand them lightly just to knock off the rough
edges. i have my nativity figures cut out now it's time to make the stable. for the stable i'm
going to use a bunch of scrap pieces of 1 inch by 4 inch wood. i have some old furring strip pieces
and also some pieces of an old pallet. if you are buying new wood for this furring strips
are the perfect thing to use. you can buy them at lowe's or home depot or anywhere like that.
they're super cheap and you can buy them in a few different sizes including one by fours. the thing
that's great about furring strips besides the fact they're super cheap is that they're really roughly
cut to be used usually places where nobody's ever gonna see them. but they're perfect if
you're trying to get kind of a reclaimed lumber look because the wood is usually really rough.
i've even found some before that has a little bit of bark still on it which is what i'm using to
make this. it's perfect. generally when i'm building using furring strips i'm trying to find
the straightest smoothest boards i can but for a project like this where you want it to look rough
just grab the most textured piece you can find. compared to cutting out the figures cutting out
the pieces for your stable is a piece of cake. you can just make your straight and angled cuts using
a miter saw. you can find all of the measurements you need and detail plans linked below in the
video description. i constructed my stable using wood glue and finishing nails. if you have a nail
gun this is a great project to use it on and it makes it go a lot faster. but if you don't,
a hammer and finishing nails will also work just fine. you can just set your figures into place
or you can use a couple of nails to attach them to the stable. i ended up attaching mine because
my kids stomping around the house kept knocking them over. i really love how this stable looks
the same from both sides. it's perfect for any spot where you have a 360 degree view but if you
would prefer you can put a backing on your stable so that the figures stand out a little bit more.
so what do you think with or without the backing? for me i think it depends on where you're going
to put it but either way it looks nice. if you haven't i would love for you to subscribe to my
channel etc where i share lots of inexpensive diy projects for creating home that you really love
from the home that you already have.