DIY Pebble Nativity
Disclosure: This post may include affiliate links through the Amazon affiliate program or other affiliate partnerships. If you click on a link and buy something, I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you.
Back when I first made my pebble family art, I considered making a pebble nativity also. I even chose some of the pebbles, but for whatever reason, I never finished it. I didn’t forget about it, though, and I finally decided this was the time to actually make it.
Most of what I used I had already, and what I had to buy wasn’t expensive. For as much as you can buy these for, it’s really quite easy and inexpensive to make your own.
Here’s what I used:
I have an assortment of pebbles that I’ve both collected and bought. I used round and oval-shaped pebbles for the heads, and larger pebbles for the bodies. For baby Jesus, I used the smallest pebbles I could find. For the angel’s wings, I used some sea/river glass that I’ve collected.
These shadowboxes are my favorites. I should buy them in bulk because I seem to use them for all sorts of things. As it is, I love that they come in a three-pack. They come in several different colors, but I seem to gravitate toward gray a lot.
For my pebble family, I used the plain backing of my shadowbox as the background. For this project, I ordered a couple of different papers to try. One was a piece of scrapbook paper, and the other was this roll of paper–that I ended up using.
I couldn’t find my ModPodge, so I used some spray adhesive that I had in my craft room. I had never used it, but I’m a fan now!
Here’s how I made my pebble nativity
The first thing I did was sort through my pebbles and glass to find all of the parts I needed. I grabbed a couple of sticks from outside as well.
I settled right away on the green and gold paper, but I wasn’t sure how it would look, so I unrolled it and temporarily placed the pebbles on it to see. I like that it looks sort of celestial while also looking Christmassy.
Once I had settled on the placement, I cut the paper down to just slightly smaller than the back of the shadowbox. The spray adhesive I used has a fairly controlled spray, so I only needed a plastic bag to protect my floor from the spray. I sprayed the back of the shadowbox, and smoothed the paper on top.
As soon as the glue had dried, I started arranging the nativity pieces on top. And once I was happy with the placement, I used my glue gun to attach them. I actually made a mistake with Joseph’s body, and I was able to fix it by taking it off and re-gluing it.
Let me take the opportunity here to sing the praises of my glue gun. It was an impulse Prime Day purchase, and I love it so much! I had only had corded glue guns before this, and sometimes I don’t know what I did without a cordless option.
Moving on… Another area I messed up at first was the star, but I was able to fix it (if you don’t look too closely) with paint markers.
Once I put reassembled the shadowbox, I was done! I’ve considered finding a way to light it up, but I haven’t yet. Even as-is, it makes a beautiful addition to our holiday decorations.
Happy crafting!
