I am on a serious Nativity kick this year (remember my post last week?)
In all of my hunting I found a really great piece from Clinton Whiting. It wasn’t available for sale on his site and I was super bummed. So I decided to go our on a limb and email him and see if he had it available for sale off his site. He didn’t (SAD!) so I did what any good blogger would do, I asked him if he would let me list it in my shop for a limited run. I was OVER THE MOON when he agreed (you can download the limited edition print for just $12 here!) and couldn’t wait to get it up in our sad decor-less house (remember we’re living at the inlaws old house while we renovate the Merc and all of their stuff is gone and all of our stuff is in storage so….)
The other dilem was that I had no tools. Heavens I don’t even think we have a pair of scissors. So I had to get creative and go back to the early days of Vintage Revivals DIY for which I can vouch were both horrendous and sort of ingenious. If you don’t have tools, but can wield a fierce glue gun this project is right up your alley!
To make this project you’ll need:
(2) 4″x36″ Pieces of Balsa Wood (snag this at Joann or Michaels, it’s WAY cheaper than buying it online!)
(2) Large Grommets
Rope
Poster board*
Print
To save some cash I had this printed as a large format print (where it’s basically printed on normal paper, just really big normal paper) Large format prints run around $2.00 so they are a great money saving option! The problem is that the paper is very flimsy and needs some stability. I wrapped mine around a piece of poster board and it worked great, but if you want you can have it *printed on higher quality paper and it will kill 2 birds with one stone.
I printed mine out at 20×30″, you can have it printed almost any size you want though!
I started by wrapping the print around the posterboard and gluing it in place.
Measure and cut the balsa wood so that it hangs over 1″ past the edge of your print.
Glue the balsa wood to the front of your print (make sure its centered!!) on the top and bottom.
Measure 4″ from the edge of the balsa wood and mark. Then measure the center point on your wood (mine was 2″ because the wood is 4″ thick). Repeat on the other side
Firmly press the face of the grommet into the balsa wood. The wood is soft enough that it will push all the way through! Not a tool in sight!!
The balsa wood holds the grommet in place. I chose not to set it (by putting the back on) because I didn’t want to dent the front of the wood.
Feed your rope through the grommets and knot them.
Hang and enjoy!!
How easy was that?!! Guys, let me just tell you how great it felt actually completing a project, I was on cloud 9 the rest of the day!! Man alive I can’t wait until we’re in the Merc!
Snag your print here before they’re gone!!
Did you get it printed a like a kinkos?
I am gonna try this ;loved it !
If you used magnets between the balsa wood, you wouldn’t have to glue on the print. I love this print!
What a great find. As a 6 yr old, I remember my mother purchasing her first nativity. We were living in Turkey and my parents took the opportunity to visit Jerusalem. On that trip, she came across a nativity carved out of olive wood. The artisan put great care into each piece, detailing faces and bodies. At the time, it was a huge purchase. My siblings and I knew our mother’s love for this nativity and treated it with great care. Over next 35 yrs. my mother amassed a collection so large she couldn’t display them all in her home. She loved each set, and the stories of how and where she acquired each one. Some rare art, others yard sale finds, or gifts. She wanted to be able to see them altogether. After retiring, my father purchased a little one room church circa 1910, complete with bell tower. It has become home to some of her, over 300, nativities. She spent hours putting each vingette together. It was a passion that she wanted to share with the 509 people in her town. It’s a mom and pa undertaking, open to the public in Cokeville, Wyoming. Our mother unexpectedly, passed away last month. She has left us with many great memories and stories. “The Little Church Nativity Museum”, is a testimony of her love of Jesus Christ.