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DIY Wood Nativity Blocks

Making your own nativity blocks is an easy, festive way to get your whole family involved in decorating for Christmas.  This project is perfect for kids, beginner Silhouette users, and they make a great gift! You can make this set as elaborate or as simple as you’d like!

This is a sponsored post.  I was provided product from StyleTech Craft for this project.  All opinions are my own. This post may contain affiliate links.  See my full disclosure and privacy policy HERE.

Every year for Christmas, my husband and I host the elders of our church and their wives for a small Christmas gathering.  Several years ago, when we hosted the first one, I created Nativity Shadowboxes to give each couple for a Christmas gift. Ever since, I have been creating gifts each year to give them at our party. This year, I decided to make some DIY Wood Nativity Blocks.

DIY Nativity Blocks are a great craft for the whole family! Add these to your DIY gift list, or to your own Christmas decor!

Already having the files for this from previous projects, it was just a matter of looking at them in a different way, and trying to recreate them into something special.  These DIY Wood Nativity Blocks are SO simple, but turn out to look primitive and sort of that “farmhouse” style that is so popular right now. This is a great project for a beginner with a Silhouette machine.  All you need is a few simple supplies, a little bit of time for paint to dry, and you’ll have an easy gift or another nativity to add to your own Christmas decor.

What do you need to make wood nativity blocks?

Silhouette or other vinyl cutting machine

Nativity cut file {I found mine on the Silhouette store}

Permanent adhesive vinyl

Transfer Tape

Wood blocks

Spray Paint

Sandpaper

How do I make nativity blocks?

The first step in creating the nativity blocks is to cut your wood.  I used some 2×4 pieces my husband already had in our basement.  The larger blocks, which I used for Mary, Joseph are about 5 1/2 inches as a rectangle.  The smaller blocks, which turn into the manger and the star, are a 2 1/2 inches.  

Next, give your blocks a nice coat of paint.  To keep it simple, I used black and gray spray paint.  Let this dry completely, and allow it to come to room temperature {if you are spray painting outside} before applying the vinyl.

Then, you will cut your vinyl. For this project, I used several finishes of StyleTech Craft adhesive vinyl.  The possibilities are endless with their array of colors and finishes, so you can really make each set different! I used some gloss vinyl, ultra metallic, and polished metal. I did NOT mix vinyl types on each set.  So in other words, one is all gloss vinyl, another is ultra metallic, and so on.

Cut your Mary, Joseph, manger and star slightly smaller than your blocks. You want a nice border around them when you adhere them to the blocks.

This is a simple cut, just using the adhesive vinyl settings that are on your machine. Another nice thing is that the shapes don’t require a lot of extra, fine weeding.  They are solid enough that you can just remove the excess around the outside, and you are done!

Then, when your blocks are dry, you can distress them if you’d like.  I did, as I like that look.  Whether you distress or not, wipe them down with a soft cloth to make sure any extra debris is off of them.

Finally, apply transfer tape to your cuts, and from here apply them to the wood blocks.  Remove it gently, and smooth your vinyl.  All done!

Creating DIY Wood Nativity Blocks really opens up a huge range of creativity for DIY Christmas gifts. This project is so easy, and even the kids can get involved! Also, you can expand your set if you’d like. A lot of the cut files you will find on Pinterest, or on the Silhouette store, etc have multiple nativity characters in them. For this, I just separated a few from a larger file, so I could keep it simple. You could also add a base, with a nice Christmas saying on it to arrange your blocks on.  Seriously, the possibilities are endless!

These Nativity Blocks make a great teacher gift, Sunday School teacher gift, or a nice addition to your decor and something your child can arrange and play with, without breaking or chipping like other nativity sets.

DIY Wood Nativity Blocks

DIY Wood Nativity Blocks

Create beautiful, farmhouse style nativity blocks with a few simple supplies. These make beautiful Christmas gifts, or a nice addition to your current holiday decor.

Materials

  • Silhouette or other vinyl cutting machine
  • Nativity cut file {I found mine on the Silhouette store}
  • Permanent adhesive vinyl
  • Transfer Tape
  • Wood blocks
  • Spray Paint
  • Sandpaper

Instructions

  1. The first step in creating the nativity blocks is to cut your wood.  I used some 2x4 pieces my husband already had in our basement.  The larger blocks, which I used for Mary, Joseph, and the angle are about 5 1/2 inches as a rectangle.  The smaller blocks, which turn into the manger and the star, are a 2 1/2 inches.  
  2. Next, give your blocks a nice coat of paint.  To keep it simple, I used black and gray spray paint.  Let this dry completely, and allow it to come to room temperature {if you are spray painting outside} before applying the vinyl.
  3. Then, you will cut your vinyl. For this project, I used several finishes of StyleTech Craft adhesive vinyl.  The possibilities are endless with their array of colors and finishes, so you can really make each set different! I used some gloss vinyl, ultra metallic, and polished metal. I did NOT mix vinyl types on each set.  So in other words, one is all gloss vinyl, another is ultra metallic, and so on.
  4. Cut your Mary, Joseph, angel, manger and star slightly smaller than your blocks. You want a nice border around them when you adhere them to the blocks.
  5. This is a simple cut, just using the adhesive vinyl settings that are on your machine. Another nice thing is that the shapes don't require a lot of extra, fine weeding.  They are solid enough that you can just remove the excess around the outside, and you are done.
  6. Then, when your blocks are dry, you can distress them if you'd like.  I did, as I like that look.  Whether you distress or not, wipe them down with a soft cloth to make sure any extra debris is off of them.
  7. Finally, apply transfer tape to your cuts, and from here apply them to the wood blocks.  Remove it gently, and smooth your vinyl.  All done!

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Did you make this project?

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