DIY Jesse Tree Ornament Day 15: David’s Staff

 
Jesse Tree DIY ornament david's shepherd staff
 

Our Jesse Tree

We’ve been using the Jesse Tree to shape our Advent celebration for almost twenty years. Early on we had only a booklet of daily readings, but over the years we added—creating our own devotional series (that carries through the 12 Days of Christmas!) and crafting ornaments to accompany each day’s reading. Now all six of our children, 20s to tot, eagerly join in the celebration. We use the readings on this website and finish each evening with hanging the day’s Jesse Tree ornament.

Find out more about how we celebrate with so many ages here, or scroll down to get crafting! These ornaments are easy to make, but take a bit of time. At the end, however, you’ll have beautiful keepsakes that can be used year after year.

We made ours extra tiny and store them in little boxes made from leftover Christmas cards.

Jesse Tree Day 15: David

Probably the easiest of all ornaments to make is David’s shepherd staff. 

 

Day 15: The Shepherd King…

God chose the youngest to be the king over His people

 

What You’ll need

  • Oven-bake or air-dry clay or salt dough (note: salt dough must be stored in a dry place or it will disintegrate!)

  • Acrylic paints, glitter, glue

 

Instructions

1.

Shape a “snake” from clay.

2.

Bend into a shepherd’s staff.

3.

Add detail with a toothpick as desired.

4.

Dry according to package directions.

5.

Paint as desired.

 
 
 
 

Resources and Links

Find inspiration for other Jesse Tree Ornament designs at our Jesse Tree Pinterest Board.

For simpler ornaments, use one of our Joy of Advent printables (linked below).

We use Sculpey clay and the materials listed below (affiliate links—support our site without adding to your cost).

 
 
 
 
 

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Rebecca Grabill

Rebecca has been writing since childhood, her first book about a kitten published between homemade cardboard covers in second grade. Although she studied religion and philosophy in university, she continued writing, earning an MFA from Hamline University and publishing multiple picture books (no longer with homemade covers) and a collection of poetry with a variety of New York and independent publishers. She has also published a wide array of fiction, essays, and poetry in magazines and journals and photographs for Getty Images. She balances writing with homeschooling the younger of her six children, launching her young adults, church activities, and overseeing a small flock of chickens in rural West Michigan.

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DIY Jesse Tree Ornament Day 16: Jonah

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DIY Jesse Tree Ornament Day 14: Ruth’s Wheat