Every year I buy the gingerbread house kits from the supermarket. They’re easy and tons of fun (when you’re not yelling at the kids to stop eating all the candies). This year all our ‘gingerbread crafting fun’ took place under the super-happy SNL Gumby Christmas slogan, that I unhappily drew yesterday. Naughtiness, therefore, was kept to a dull roar. No-one likes to have their lungs ripped out while crafting (or ever for that matter).
A couple of days ago, I noticed Cookie Magazine was having a gingerbread house contest and I figured it would be fun for Lizzy and I to enter. I am sure there will be all kinds of marvelous Marthas out there who bake their own gingerbread and create multi-storey ginger mansions that will make our ‘frosted mini-Wheat’ thatched cottage pale in comparison. I’m afraid, I am a ‘kit’ kind of girl and keeping it simple means less stress and more fun.
Notes: We added our own additional red and white candies and frosted mini-wheats to the Safeway Gingerbread House Kit. Those big red feet next to the chimney are Santa’s foot prints, idea courtesy of Sam.
I saw this thatched roof idea on a magazine cover last week … I think it was Nigella Lawson, but I searched and searched, and couldn’t find the magazine again when I went frosted mini-wheat shopping.
My only regret is that I didn’t make one more trip to the store to buy the fruit roll-ups to do the stained glassed windows, maybe next year.
If you are wondering why my Gingerbread house is outside, well the lighting in my house is bloody horrible. I haven’t taken a decent photo after 1 pm, since October. I wanted a 1/2 decent photo for the contest, so I waited until daylight and carried it out on to the back deck. Silly, but necessary.
Of course, we couldn’t leave Sam and Georgia out (and we couldn’t have them help!).
This is the Midnight Express to Candyland. I was so immersed in my own creation, that I gave up ownership of the sacred icing bag to Sam. They had tons of fun.
See the lighting? Horrible …
I want to see your gingerbread creations, if you have photos, post the links below. It doesn’t have to be this years. If you don’t have a gingerbread masterpiece, feel free to rave about mine :)
MK xo
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{ 36 comments… read them below or add one }
LOVE your creations! Seriously! Even though it was made from a kit… it looks like a professional did it!
Beautiful job! I hope you win! :-)
One Scrappy Gal’s last blog post..It’s been a great day!
I think it looks awesome! I love the idea of using the mini-wheats for the roof. Stained glass windows would look fab, but it looks amazing just the way it is.
Sam & Georgia’s creations are wonderful too!
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For a kit of person, you are more creative than you give yourself credit for! I am not kidding you when I say that even if I used a kit, mine would not look even half as good as yours! Sorry, we don’t do Gingerbread creations here. Cindi
Looks cute! I may have to try out the Frosted Mini Wheat idea on ours. I think we may try out the recipe in the latest Canadian Living, it is an “A” frame ski chalet. It looks relatively easy and cute!
@ OSG — Thank you, I doubt we’ll win, but it would be fun!
@ Hannah — Thank you, I thought the frosted mini wheats were a great idea too! It made is a bit more special. I will let Sam & Georgia know. He is really proud of the contraption in the back of the train.
@ Cindi — You are always so sweet. Thank you!
@ Michelle — I’ve tried homemade, I just don’t have the knack. It’s not so much the building but the consistency of the gingerbread and the icing. If it’s too soft it collapses and if it’s to brittle it breaks cutting it up. I actually remember crying one year, trying to hold my walls together and Hayley was crying and the phone was ringing. I NEED a kit!!
They look good; I certainly don’t have the patience for that. As a matter of fact, I’m trying to get off my lazy butt one night to make some shortbread cookies to bring into work… you know, Christmas spirit and all that. Maybe on the weekend.
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I have never actually made a gingerbread house. I have seen the kits and think my kids would love it but I have never bought one. Looks like ya’ll had a blast. Great creations.
Ooohhh love it! It looks so cute and homey. I entertained the thought of doing it here but Butterfly would try and eat the candy, hubby would get all perfectionist on me and take over tsking at Butterfly when she tried to help, and the boys would be grabbing/crying in frustration…maybe in a few years. ;) Yours looks great though!
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I’m here to rave! Those are soooo cute!! I love the mini wheats. And, Santa’s footprints–oh, my! :) I can’t wait until Levi is old enough to do stuff like that.
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that does look great! i really like the mini-wheats. looks all cozy. i haven’t made a gingerbread house since i was a kid and actually…i think they were ‘grahm cracker houses’. Only vaguely remember it. My kids are too small for that kind of activity to be much fun, since i would have trouble “allowing” it to just be a silly mess. ;) but as a stepping stone we plan to make gingerbread cookies this year (for the first time). if only i could find some stinkin’ cookie cutters!! they’re oddly elusive.
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Our family has an annual gingerbread house making party..it’s just not until next weekend….I should probably start working on my blueprints.
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Just beautiful! I’m very impressed (we had to reconstruct our fallen house using DUCT TAPE once…tee hee).
outside voice’s last blog post..proof that i shouldn’t even bother
better get my butt in gear and go get baking! i’ll report back with pictures…someday!
One of my buddies is always talking about your blog at work – finally came and checked it out today, nice work! I’m subscribing to your rss feed – keep on posting!
but can you do a gingerbread apartment? lol
kingofnewyorkhacks’s last blog post..Hospital Adventure, and an inspiring New Yorker.
wow that was a cute gingerbread house and the midnight express. ^_^
I remember when I was a kid, me and mom will create ginger bread houses. I will try too look for photos and share it with you.
Well I need to wait for 2 more years before me and my can create our own ginger bread houses.
^_^laura^_^
Mmmmm, fresh gingerbread. The roof looks particularly tasty
wow, looks super! Just beautiful!
Great job! You can’t even tell that came from a kit!
Heather@It’sTwinsanity’s last blog post..Welcome to Virginia
Those are ADORABLE! Last year, a very good friend had a bunch of us over to make gingerbread houses. We started with 1/2 pint milk cartons, and put frosting on them. Then we stuck graham crackers on the cartons, and then decorated them with candy. They were SO cute and even a NON-crafty person like me successfully made a cute gingerbread house. What a fun activity for the kids…if you can keep them out of all the candy, lol.
that looks like fun!!!! the idea above with the milk cartons is clever.
Anyhoo… I tagged you for a meme… go check it out.
take care.
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Wow, your work looks fabulous! I love the roof of your gingerbread house, it looks like the roof is full of snow. I’m now inspired to make my own gingerbread house, too. Anyway, I hope you win the contest. Good luck!
Your creations look so good. They’re really well done. Good luck for the contest. Hopefully you win. And now I’m trying to do some gingerbread creations on my own, your work has really inpired me.
I am impressed by your creativity! Like the Sam’s touch with the
Santa’s boot imprints on the roof. Frosted miniwheats make for
a nice “edible roof”. I stumbled this for you. Nice Touch.
Mia
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Looks yummy..no wonder the kids want to eat the makings! You have done a really great job on the Gingerbread house and Train. I myself would be one of the kids, gobbling up the makings.
Oh my gosh, that is so pretty. It inspires me to make my own. An easy gingerbread house I’ve made before is with graham crackers. I’ve got to get busy!:)
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Your house looks great! I think I made one last year, can’t really remember. I did take a look at the kits today when I walked past them.
Started to reach out my hand and changed my mind mid grab. I decided to forgo the tears that would surely come from the 4 year old niece if I had bought it and we put it together and I put a piece of candy in the wrong place.
Instead, we made sugar cookies with icing.
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Great creations you say that you photographed it outside because of the light but I think it just adds that little bit of realism.I used to have a bakery business In the UK and they would have looked lovely in my shop window.
Just popped in to say I had the baby. An 11 pound boy! We are all well and I will post on my blog when I get more than 5 minutes respite from breastfeeding my little hippo!
By the way, the gingerbread house is beautiful.
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Wow, very nice! I love gingerbread creations and have had no time this season to make my own :( I absolutely love the Food Network Challenge where they battle with gingerbread sculptures. It’s so cool!! Next year I’ll have to make it a point to build an elaborate gingerbread house!!
Great job!
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Wow… those are really beautiful! BTW, congrats Susy-Q on your baby!
Congrats Susie-Q! We used to make cake and candy houses every year around the holidays. We never did use gingerbread, but we still made great houses. We would make a large square cake and we’d each cut out our own chunk and make it into whatever we wanted. Good luck on the contest, they look great!
These look so tasty and appealing.
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The Midnight Express to Candyland is just awesome! Great job!
I may have to try out the Frosted Mini Wheat idea on ours. I think we may try out the recipe in the latest Canadian Living, it is an “A†frame ski chalet. It looks relatively easy and cute!
nice thoghts…
even they are clear and different…..
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