The year I got married, I purchased nativity figurines and my grandfather built a stable for me. I wanted to carry on this tradition for my daughter. She also has a dog that likes to take things so I decided to create a nativity that would fit inside a large lantern that could be closed up with the figurines safely tucked inside.
I started with a foamcore base that was cut to the dimensions of the lantern I purchased. From there, I attached small rocks to the interior and filled in between with paper clay.
The beams were cut from basswood strips and used an exacto knife to cut grooves and make the edges look worn before painting them.
The first coat of paint I used on the clay parts was way too orange, so I toned it down with some white and cream colors.
Once I glued the beams into place, I added roofing on top. The roofing is made from daylily stalks that had dried when our flowers finished blooming this fall. I removed them, cleaned them and put them with my stash of pinecones and other natural things I’ve found that make good building materials.
The backdrop is an image of Bethlehem I found online and printed on our large format printer. The battery pack for the lighting is attached up inside the top of the lantern so it is out of sight. The wire runs down the back behind the printed backdrop and into the stable in one of the beam slots along the back wall.
Finding figurines that would meet the height requirements that I needed wasn’t easy but after some searching I found these on amazon. The figures can all fit in the lantern or the doors can be open with the kings and shepherd standing outside. I also added a few clay post made from painted wooden pieces I purchased.
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