DIY Light Up Shadow Box Nativity Scene

I was a Hobby Lobby and saw these hexagon shadow boxes and little wooden nativity pieces and it gave me a brilliant idea! We’re going to turn this unto a light up shadow box nativity scene.

Supply List:

Wood shadow box
Wood nativity set
Fairy lights (Get them HERE on my affiliate link)
Greenery
Dried moss
Wood excelsior
Early American wood stain
Paper towel
White acrylic paint (Vintage White from Folk Art)
Paintbrush
Sanding block or sand paper (you can get one HERE on my affiliate link)
Hot glue gun and glue sticks
Crafting staple gun and staples

Step 1: Stain All Wood Nativity Pieces

The first thing I did was take a paper towel and some Early American wood stain and stained the shadow box and the pieces from the nativity. I placed them in the box just to see what would fit and for this box, I found that only Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus fit well so I just stained those. I set the other pieces aside for another project. Once I got most of the pieces stained, I took a paint brush with some stain to reach the hard-to-reach places and wiped off any excess with the paper towel.

I made sure everything was good and dry before moving on to the next steps.

Step 2: Paint the Nativity Scene White & Sand

Next, I painted the nativity pieces with acrylic paint, color Vintage White from Folk Art. Once they were dry, I used a sanding block and roughly sanded the edges and middles to give them a rustic look.

Step 3: Hot Glue Barn & Moss Into Place

Then I took hot glue and started to glue down the pieces. I started with the barn towards the back.

It didn’t fit completely down but that was fine because I added some moss and hot glued that as well to the bottom of my shadow box, tucking it under the posts of the barn.

Any type of moss or earthy texture would work well for here; Spanish moss, raffia, etc. I also hot glued down some Wood Excelsior also known as “Wood Wool” or “American Moss”. In hindsight, I wish I would have added this last because it was a little tough to hot glue the nativity characters on top of this loose medium but it worked out just fine.

Step 4: Staple Greenery Around Edges

Next, I took a large piece of greenery I got from Hobby Lobby and stapled it all around the edges of my shadow box. I trimmed it up a bit to my liking because it was a little thick.

Step 5: Add Fairy Lights

Next, I added fairy lights by wrapping a strand around the greenery; weaving them in and out. Then to hide the battery pack, I tucked it in under the greenery and tacked it in place with some hot glue.