02/11/2026
My latest nativity aquisition arrived in today’s mail, purchased from Etsy. These figures, all under 2 3/4” are made from the inner individual Tagua nuts from Columbia, that are crowded in an outer shell, much like a pomegranate, but much larger. When the outer shell is opened the inner, lighter portion of each nut is the texture of thick jello that hardens the longer it is exposed to air, during which time various shapes can be carved from it and this brown, outer peeling can be crafted into various designs to enhance the figure being created. This inner “jello”, when harden can be made into many useful items such as buttons for clothes, eating utensils & much more.
For this nativity set, lighter color inner parts were cut/shaped to be halos for Mary & Baby Jesus, gifts from the Magi, ears & horns for the animals, Joseph’s crook-staff, Mary’s head covering, and even the Christ Child himself at 3/4” long!
My latest nativity aquisition arrived in today’s mail, purchased from Etsy. These figures, all under 2 3/4” are made from the inner individual Tagua nuts from Columbia, that are crowded in an outer shell, much like a pomegranate, but much larger. When the outer shell is opened the inner, lighter portion of each nut is the texture of thick jello that hardens the longer it is exposed to air, during which time various shapes can be carved from it and this brown, outer peeling can be crafted into various designs to enhance the figure being created. This inner “jello”, when harden can be made into many useful items such as buttons for clothes, eating utensils & much more.
For this nativity set, lighter color inner parts were cut/shaped to be halos for Mary & Baby Jesus, gifts from the Magi, ears & horns for the animals, Joseph’s crook-staff, Mary’s head covering, and even the Christ Child himself at 3/4” long!
