How To Make A Gingerbread House-Get Started

Christmas decorating at the cabin

 isn't complete until the gingerbread

house is on display.  Of all the holiday

baking I enjoy this the most.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Over the years I have made dozens of 

gingerbread houses for Christmas,

Easter and even Halloween.   My children

and my 2 nieces loved to be my helpers. 

 I realized long ago that the gingerbread

house should be FUN to make.  I've learned

that it's okay if the walls are crooked and

the windows don't match.  Children can

create some very unique colorful trees and 

a wonky candy cane fence will do just fine. 

 We've created some houses that would make

Martha Stewart cringe, but to us they were

 confection perfection!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    All you need is a little planning

 and don't expect to make it in

 a day!  I hope you enjoy the

next several posts......   

The first step to making a gingerbread

house is picking out the CANDY.

 Let your imagination be your guide!

A green candy cane tree,

this would be cute inside a

gingerbread house.

Candy cane sticks.  They could be posts,

  a porch stoop, or even the North Pole. 

Delicate ribbon candy would make a

hedge.  Small candy canes can become

a fence.  Crushed candy canes could

decorate a tree, be a sidewalk or path.

Chocolate rocks.

I see a stone chimney

or walkway.

Chocolate nonpareils big or small

make wonderful roof shingles.

So do wafer candies and shredded

wheat sliced in half.

Rock candy makes colorful shrubbery

and comes in lots of colors. 

Bushes galore.

Sugar cones are the perfect base

for a frosting Christmas tree sprinkled

with colorful sugar or nonpareils. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Be on the lookout as you do your

shopping.  I have often purchased

candy all throughout the year.

Easier on the pocketbook too.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I am going to make this house with 2

decorating bags, 2 couplers and 2

decorating tips.  I use a small bag

because I have arthritis and a small

hand.  Purchase a larger bag if

you can handle a larger size. 

Less re-loading! 

A #12 round and a #22 star.

Or a big round tip and big star tip.

Also Wilton juniper green color.

A small investment if you don't

have any cake decorating supplies.

 Pick a sturdy base for your house.  

Gingerbread houses can get heavy.  This

 is a piece of floral Styrofoam about

12 by 18 inches.

It's very sad if your base bends when

you move it and your house lands on

the floor in a heap.  All that work

for naught.

Pretty ribbon to cover the edge.

If you want larger Christmas trees,

you can buy Styrofoam cones.  They

come in assorted sizes.

I think it's okay to use non edible items

to decorate with.  When the holidays

were over and my kids decided to

get at the candy, they were big

 enough to know the difference

between the candy and the plastic

stuff.  When they were small I kept

it out of reach.  So, what's in the tin of

 old cake toppers?

This little guy has been inside several

houses over the years.  I'll use him

again, make do.  Besides, he's a tradition

 now.  Maybe I'll use the wreaths

 and lamppost too. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What special ornaments do you

have?  A favored Santa, snowman

or sleigh?  Perhaps an elf? 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  

You will need a sheet of poster board 

to make a pattern of your house.

Decide where you want your house

to be placed on your base.  I want a

house and small out building.

A few trees too.

The house is a 6 in. square.

The out building is about 2 1/2 in.

square.

I cut 4 walls, 4 and 1/2 in. tall and

6 in. wide. 

I cut out a door and a window pattern
 in a proportionate size for the walls.
I just eyeballed it. 

I traced two windows on the side 

pieces and a door and a window

on the front and back pieces.

I taped the sides together.

I cut 2 roof pieces about 5 1/2 by 7 1/2.

and taped them together.  I wanted some

over hang to the roof.

I taped it to the front and back of

the house,

right where I thought it looked good.

To make the end triangle I measured

from the center top of the side, up to

the peak of the roof.  The bottom of

the triangle is same width as the side.

Draw the connecting lines and cut out.

Take everything apart.

Tape the top and bottom side pieces

together and make it 1 large piece.

Cut out the windows.

2 roof pieces and 1 bottom.

Cut out the doors and windows

of the front and back pieces.  

Keep the doors.

That's the pattern for the house.

A little garden shed?

Same process for the little out building

or any building you choose.

How hard is that?

You can get creative, stack Styrofoam

and create a landscape. Cut out a

space for a battery pack and light

the walkway with little lampposts or

cut out a removable circle for a

battery tea light.

  Maybe yours will be a mouse

house, or country church with a tiny

nativity.  How about a farmhouse

with a barn and animals?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stay tuned!