The Christmas season is in full swing! One of the things I love the most about this time of year is celebrating the birth of Jesus, who came from the most humble beginnings in a manger to be the redeemer and Savior of my life and yours! That, my friends, is the ultimate Christmas gift! The four weeks prior to Christmas are known as the Advent season, and for this month’s Silhouette Challenge I have created a Nativity Advent Candle Box!
Here is how to make one for your home:
First you need a box and some wood stain. This unfinished wood box came from Consumer Crafts – it is about 13″ wide and 5 1/2″ tall (without the handles). I used an early American stain to finish mine.
The cut files for this Silhouette project are designs #34647 and #34648 – the Christmas Nativity. Depending on the size of the project you’re working on, you will need to resize them to fit. Also, when you use design #34648, you will need to separate the animals so you can move them around to each side of the manger scene. Once you have your images laid out and sized to your specifications, all that’s left to do is cut!
I used gold adhesive vinyl. After cutting, I peeled away all of the negative space leaving only my nativity scene. Using transfer paper, I transferred my vinyl images to the box.
For the “advent” part of the Nativity Advent Candle Box, head to your local dollar store and pick up a few candles and floral foam. I found these cute mini candles in sets of three at the Dollar Store. For an advent candle, you light one candle each week of advent, then the biggest candle gets lit on Christmas Day, so I used four of the white candles for the weekly advent candles. Because they are so small, I used the floral foam block to raise them up inside of my box.

I added gold bells to finish off my Nativity Advent Candle Box, and placed it on my mantle with my other Christmas decor. Since we are in the second week of advent, I currently have two candles lit!
I love my handmade advent candle box, and look forward to using it year after year.
My Silhouette buddies and I are all sharing awesome projects on our blogs today, so be sure to visit each one for tons of inspiration!

- 2013 Snowman Christmas Card by Please Excuse My Craftermath…
- Christmas Hoop Art by Lil’ Mrs. Tori
- Silhouette Nativity Advent Candle Box by One Tough Mother
- Christmas Party Photo Booth Props by unOriginal Mom
- Another Stenciled Tea Towel by Cutesy Crafts
- Silhouette Gift Tags by Rain on a Tin Roof
- Snowflake Pin / Ornament by Coley’s Corner
- State Sign Couple Gift by It Happens in a Blink
- Mason Jar Christmas Ornaments by Vintage News Junkie
- Merry Christmas Wall Decor by One Artsy Mama
- Deer Head Holiday Banner…featuring Santa’s Reindeer by The Thinking Closet
- Restore your UGGS (with PAINT) by From Wine to Whine
- Monogrammed Snowflake Ornaments by Architecture of a Mom
- Christmas Countdown Sign by The Girl Creative
- Elf Chalk Sign: “The Best Way to Spread Christmas” by Weekend Craft
- Glittery Christmas Subway Art by The Turquoise Home
- Sketch Pen Labels by Sowdering About in Seattle
- Snowflake NOEL Sign by My Favorite Finds
- DIY Holiday Hostess Gift by Everyday Paper
- Folding Nativity Backdrop by Chicken Scratch NY
- Recycled Glass Jar Advent Calendar by Nearly Handmade
- Reindeer Card: Double-Sided Print & Cut by GetSilvered
- Personalized Block Ornament by Suburble
- Paper Medallion Christmas Tree by Create & Babble
- Mini Mid-Century Homes by Tried & True
- Glitter and Vinyl Minecraft Christmas Ornament by A Tossed Salad Life
- DIY Countdown to Christmas Refrigerator Style by My Paper Craze
- Reversible Recipe Holder/Block Frame by The Sensory Emporium
- DIY: Lettered Christmas Pillows by The House on Hillbrook
- Simply Charming Christmas Ornaments by Life After Laundry
- No Glitter was Worn by GiveMeAPaintbrush
- Make Easy Ornaments from Paper Circles by Bringing Creativity to Life
- Cutting Machine Embroidery Applique by Terri Johnson Creates
- “Believe” Christmas Banner by Daily Dwelling
- DIY Christmas Nativity Card by Pitter and Glink
Do you have a Silhouette machine?
Looking for Silhouette inspiration, support, trouble-shooting? Interested in joining us for our group posting event next month? Then, we’d love to have you join our Silhouette Challenge Facebook group. To join, simply fill out the new member request form, and Lauren from The Thinking Closet will get you squared away.
And now, what you’ve all been waiting for….
$155 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway!
How about getting a Silhouette of your very own!!! You can buy one, plus lots of fun Silhouette goodies, if you are the lucky winner of the Amazon Gift Card giveaway, brought to you by the Silhouette Challenge group! Good luck!!

28 Responses
Look at you go with your Silhouette! I love I collect nativities, and I really want to craft something with a nativity scene and vinyl. I’m thinking a glass block. This turned out so awesome!
Thank you so much Carrie! I love my little nativity 🙂 All the projects today are so fabulous! I’m looking forward to hitting all the blogs to check them out!
That turned out beautiful!
Wow!! I totally LOVE this!! Great Job!!!
This is really gorgeous Kirsten! I love how the gold tone complements the wood stain. And what an ingenious idea to use a foam block to put your candles on! 🙂
Hi Kirsten!
What a beautiful project! I love the look on your mantel!
Bev
I love the stain job!! The whole project is classic and pretty.. good job!
This is incredible!!! I love the gold vinyl on this!!!
I love the way this turned out. Love the idea of the nativity on the box. Thanks for sharing your inspiration and Merry Christmas to you and your family! 🙂
I love how this turned out, Kirsten! It’s just beautiful.
The nativity on the box is lovely. The gold looks perfect against the wooden background.
And I have to mention that we both have extremely good taste in web templates 🙂
Such a cute idea. I was thinking about making a smaller version of this for gifts this year.
Such a beautiful project! Great minds do think alike! 😉 I really love the gold vinyl you used. I tried to order some during the big sale, but it was sold out. I’ll have to try again later.
That box is beautiful. I love it!
What a gorgeous project! I just love the gold vinyl against the wood. Great project!
Wow, this is really beautiful! I love the gold on the wood stain!
Oh you did an amazing job on this! it’s so pretty!
This is so sweet! I love it, Kirsten!
I’m itching to make a project with the nativity silhouettes myself, but I would never have though to combine it as a wooden candle holder. Thanks for the inspiration!
Kirsten, I love this. Especially the gold vinyl on the stained wooden box..it’s perfect!
This is so beautiful & classic. I just love the candles. You’ve definitely inspired me to have a more traditional advent in our home in the future.
Love that we both used gold vinyl this round! It’s just so fun and festive! And the intro paragraph to this post really brings things back to what this is all about: our Savior Jesus Christ. Thanks for the important reminder! And thanks for making this December Challenge & Giveaway so special by participating!
This project is beautiful, Kirsten. You know how to make something simple yet stunning at the same time!