Season of Simple Grace Diorama

I grew up practically living in church, sang in the choir, played piano during the services-(I am so nervous playing for the public that I was not asked unless they were really desperate!) , even taught Sunday school. And even though I have not been to a local church for a very long time, I still love the hymns and try to read to my children stories from the bible and try to instill in my kids the values that I have learned over the years.

I saw Season of Simple Grace set and it just spoke to me and I wanted to make a nativity scene but did not get around to it until just recently.

In case you are not familiar with diorama cards I will outline it here.

Cut out a half circle using a circle cutter on the front of the card and then cut a slit on the back around the same distance up from the bottom as the bottom of the circle in the front. Here it is up about an inch from the bottom of the card. This is where you will slide in the top of the circle to form the base of the "stage"

I stamped and cut out the images of the kings, shepherd and Christ's family and cut the bottom long with an angle to slide into slits cut on the stage and cut the base in half as shown so that it could be taped going opposite directions so that they would stand up better. I cut the kings separately and cut out extra sheep so I could place the figures in front and back of the center figures.

Cut a slit on the stage where you want the figures to sit and then slide the bottom into the slit.

Then tape the bottom to the bottom of the stage, splitting the base as shown.

Just keep adding the figures until you get an image you find pleasing.

This would be great with snow scene with trees in the background and a deer in the front or snowmen, or little girls boys sitting on the stage, a car/truck in a snow scene, gosh my mind races with all the things you can do with this.

Here is the finished card. I stamped the star in the front and heat embossed it with silver EP. The front panel was stamped with woodgrain stamp (SU background stamp). The sentiment from the same set was stamped with chocolate chip ink onto creamy caramel and attached to the base with brass brads. I tried using some fancy hardware to attach the sentiment but simple won out at the end. I used spica pens in gold for the halo around Mary and Joseph and glitter around baby Jesus but hard to see it here.

27 days until Christmas!

Lynda