In this beautiful Christmas tutorial, Melissa Bradshaw of Junk & Craft Treasures shows how to create a stunning Layered Nativity Board using a mix of Essential Stencil’s holiday stencil packs. This festive wall art captures the story of that Holy Night in rich, layered detail — yet it’s easy enough for any DIY enthusiast to recreate at home. Follow along below for every step, from painting the soft night sky to stenciling the nativity scene’s glowing details.
Start by brushing random strokes of light blue, dark blue, and grayish blue across your board. Blend until you achieve a soft, cloudy night sky look. It doesn’t have to be perfect — the variation adds charm!
Once dry, lightly sand the surface for a smoother finish.
Center your stencil and fill only the skyline portion using a regular stencil brush. Keep it soft to resemble a distant silhouette.
Position the first layer of the stable and fill with brown paint. Then line up the roof and fill with a warm yellow to create a glowing effect.
Stencil Mary and Joseph inside the stable. Use beige for skin, white for Mary’s veil, red for her dress, olive green for Joseph’s robe, and brown for hair, shoes, and cane.
Next, stencil the manger in brown and Baby Jesus in white. Align the second layer and add a soft pale yellow glow.
Stencil the shepherd on one side of the board. Paint his face beige, hair and cane brown, and clothing gray.
Add animals: white sheep with black faces and feet, dark brown bull with gray horns, and gray donkey with black mane.
On the opposite side, stencil the camels in beige with black ropes and muted green saddles. Add all three for balance. Then, stencil the Wise Men seated on the camels — beige for skin and red for their royal robes.
Stencil “Unto Us A Child is Born” in white across the top. Then, add angels with white robes and gold trumpets, wings, and faces — spacing several across the sky.
Finish by stenciling a large white star above the stable and scattering smaller stars in white and gold to create a glowing sky. Once dry, you can add rustic trim or leave it natural — either way, it beautifully tells the story of that Holy Night.
We can’t wait to see your version of this project! Tag Essential Stencil and Melissa Bradshaw of Junk & Craft Treasures when you share your creation.
Shop all Christmas stencils here: Essential Stencil Christmas Collection
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