Gingerbread House Ideas
It’s become a tradition of mine to make a gingerbread house every Christmas season. As usual, I turned to Teresa Layman’s books Gingerbread for All Seasons and Gingerbread: Things to Make and Bake for templates and inspiration. This is what I ended up with:
Below is the back:
The fondant snowman is all edible except for the toothpick as his nose.
To make the icicles, use a #2 piping tip and use flood icing. For the recipe see here.
Begin at the roofline and pipe a enough of a bead of icing so that it adheres, then squeeze and pull. Let go of the pressure when you’re happy with the length of the icicle and gently pull down.
I made the back and interior of the the house a bit more whimsical with royal icing ‘run-outs’ or ‘flood-work’. {Basically royal icing piped on parchment paper or acetate paper. If you’d like to use acetate paper, make sure you lightly coat it with shortening/lard}.
As usual, I couldn’t resist using disco dust
The inside was pretty basic with a Christmas tree, candy gifts and some sticker-inspired flood work.
I seem to get a lot of questions regarding the trees every year. They’re so simple to make!
Begin with ice cream cones of any size. Various sizes look nice as well. You can gently break your cones or stack them to make the ‘trees’ larger or smaller.
You’ll need to use a thick or stiff icing for the trees. I used Teresa Layman’s
Holding the cone by the tip, pipe stiff green ’stars’ using a #18 tip. Any star or leaf tip works really and you can pipe small, tight stars or larger, longer ones. Whatever your preference. Begin at the base, piping one row at a time, and work your way upwards until you almost reach the top.
Since you need a place to grip the cone, stop piping near the tip and let the icing dry. Once it is firm, you can gently hold on to the bottom of the tree and finish the rest. Voila!
This tree has a little bit of icing sugar dusted over it as well.
I did end up entering the house into my first competition.
Every year our local museum holds a Gingerbread House Competition to raise money for Christmas Cheer - a charity for local families in need.
I ended up with silver in the professional category, representing the school where I teach and Sweetopia.
First prize went to Cakes by Design with their adorable house and figurines.
Unfortunately I wasn’t able to attend the award ceremony as I was in class with Peggy Porschen, but I was able to get a few shots of the other houses when I delivered my house. I loved Whoville and so many of the unique ideas!
Happy gingerbreading if you decide to make one this year!
xo,
Marian
love the details of your door light fixture, window greenery, stacked wood pile, & the christmas tree inside your gingerbread house-so cute!
Great inspiration! They all look so lovely and festive.
The gingerbread houses look so cute-right out of a fairytale!
Thanks for sharing all the ideas – just wonderful! Happy Holiday Season! Juanita
I bought my first Peggy Porschen book this week & I’ve bookmarked your site because tomorrow I pipe my first ever Christmas cookie. In awe of your gingerbread house… maybe in a year or two or three I’ll be game enough to try to make one!
Your creation is absolutely gorgeous! You should have won first!
Wow, I was reading this and admiring the fine work and then I realized that you mentioned Cakes By Design! This is the kind of blog and work that makes me proud to be from Barrie, awesome gingerbreading!
You never fail to inspire me. I need make a gingerbread house RIGHT NOW! So very beautiful.
O M G!! It’s beautiful!!
Take care, Karin
What a fun post – thank you for sharing all the gingerbread houses for us to look at.
Your house is great!
i’m totally in love with your gingerbread house! and it’s decorated on the inside as well, how cute is that!!!
That is just a beautiful house! I love that you can still see the gingerbread and it’s not OVERdone, like so many are these days. It’s very tasteful and beautiful. I love it!
I am in awe of all the details.
Your house is amazing – it sure puts mine to shame!
Wonderful job Marian!! Congrats!!!
hi Marian,
beautiful gingerbread house,with all your unique and cute details inside and outside….lots of work and talent. Your’s is #1 in my eyes….
thank you for sharing.
ML
Stunning, as I knew it would be, Marian. Get in touch with me – I’ve got some photos to send you of the gingerbread show from the Botanical Gardens. I am positive one of your houses could win an award!
This is amazing! Gingerbread houses have become a tradition at my house too, but ours shrinks in comparison to yours! Can’t wait to use some of your techniques this year.
My grandson and I started last year making a gingerbread house for the holidays.Will be doing it again this year.
Happy Baking and Decorating,
Chef Angie
Gorgeous as always!
My husband and I are making a gingerbread train this year for our competition. Hope it turns out well! How did you make your chimney? I love it!
DianasaurDishes, would love to see pics when you’re done!
The chimney is made with pink tinted gingerbread, scored and baked. Crevices are filled in with royal icing.
Wow! it is soooo beautiful! I would like to be as good as you are
I will link it to my site!
Ilenia from simplynabiki.com
That is amazing attention to detail! What inspiration!
This is just beautiful. But then, which of your creations isn’t?
A friend went to the US and got me Pretty Party Cakes. I will try my hand at cookie decorating now if I find the ingredients this side of the world.
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Wow Marian! Wow! Your gingerbread house is sooooo clean and super neat! I love the way it turned out! I wish mines will turn out as good as yours! You are awesome my friend!
Beautiful!!!!!
Congrats, you are amazing. Maybe I’ll try one myself this year…
Let’s see how it goes…
How beautiful houses !!!! I made one three years ago, and I’m planning to make one this year…Thanks for share with us your ideas and works….
Ann
I love every bit of this post!! The cupcake castle has me dreaming, and those dreams are certainly sweet!
Hi Marian! Love your gingerbread house…and thanks for sharing how to make the christmas trees – can’t wait to give it a try.
Still can’t get a hold of Teresa Layman’s books here in Australia.
Have tried ebay and amazon but postage is outrageous!
Booked into a gingerbread class this Friday and am so excited! I’ll send to pics of my very first house on the weekend!
Congrats on the silver award! I just love coming to your site and looking at your gorgeous creations! XXX
You guys are so nice!
Thank you so much for your sweet comments!
Marian, you are so amazing! At my high school we’re doing a gingerbread house competition, where freshmen/sophomores/juniors/seniors each decorate one house. Unfortunately my senior class doesn’t have much creativity or motivation, but your house is inspiring!
I love, love these gingerbread houses! On average, how long does it take you to make these? The details are amazing, and I love how even the backs of the houses are so interesting and creative to look at!
Awesome job Marian!
your house is magnificent!! Congrats on silver!!!
it’s a beautiful creation….!!
p.s. who gets to eat the house – and when?
D
Thanks so much!
Jessica; I’m not sure exactly how long the house took me… I’m guessing with everything from making the dough right down to covering the board and the finishing touches, approximately 12-17 hours. I’ll have to write down the time it takes for everything next time I make one.
Dorothy; the house was donated to Christmas Cheer through the museum. A local family in need is getting it – I hope they eat it and find the candy inside!
This is amazing !
Great website. Sat here with my son looking at these neat ideas. thanks
HI Marian,
What a generous gesture to give your time and creation for someone more needy at this tiime of year. Your house is stunning! How on earth do they judge something like this ?? I loved the fact that the detail translated to the inside of the house too. What cute details. I just wanted to know how long past making one can you eat it?
[...] more inspiration, visit the Sweetopia blog post, Gingerbread House Ideas, or for a small-scale, kid-friendly gingerbread house craft, visit Kaboose. Even the experts at [...]
Wow, that’s lovely! I love all the little details like the log pile, the icicles on the roof, and the flowers on the windowsill!
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This post was mentioned on Twitter by nikolina100: wow!! http://www.sweetopia.net/2009/11/gingerbread-house-ideas/...
I LOVE gingerbread houses of all shapes, themes & sizes. Yours is simply gorgeous! Enjoyed seeing the other photos too—so inspiring!
Beautiful Gingerbread house. I am planning to make my first gingerbread house and would like to know how you made the ‘waffle’ windows…
Really inspiring. Great work and creativity… loved the ‘woodpile’!
Your house is absolutely amazing! My son and I entered our first contest this year too. We still have a lot to learn, but it was a great experience!Thanks for sharing this beautiful work of art! Do you mind if I post a few of your pictures and link them back to your site? I’d love to share this!
Your gingerbread house is probably the prettiest one I have ever seen !
Thanks for the comments!
Maria, the windows were made using a small square cookie cutter. Each ’square’ was one ‘cut’.
Kate, I’d be honored, thanks!
Thanks for the advice on the trees — am working on a gingerbread house for a preschool project for my son. Thanks to you, my tree rocks!!
[...] great stuff here, did you know you can buy blue prints for your gingerbread house? Check out Sweetopia she has a great house and tons of pictures like the ones [...]
[...] gingerbread train. For more ideas, take a look at the Dutch gingerbread house at Bake My Day, the gingerbread house at Sweetopia, and the gingerbread at Under the High Chair. If you prefer your gingerbread to look [...]
[...] one of my fellow twitter-ers or twitter-ees (not sure what the proper grammar would be) blogs. Marian, from Sweetopia is amazing! You must see the gingerbread house she made this year. Here’s a sneak peak at the [...]
[...] these sticker-inspired gingerbread people were originally intended for a gingerbread house I made, but I had extra which I didn’t use, they aren’t the right size. They’d [...]
Congrats on gettting silver!
I’m making a gingerbread house this year with my kids (found a wilton premade one in a box where you put it together) so can’t wait to make it. The tree idea is awesome and was wondering what food colour you used for the green.
Thanks The Sugar Fairy! I used Forest Green by Americolor and added a touch of black to darken it a bit more.
Ok that is seriously the cutest house I have ever seen! I love it! My sisters and I are going to try to “recreate” it on Christmas with the nieces and nephew, we’ll see how that goes! Thank you SO much for the great ideas!
I love your gingerbread house.
My daughter and I did a log-cabin version this year. It’s always so much fun.
Your gingerbread house is amazing! It looks absolutely perfect!
this website has great ideas!!!!! my daughter used some of these ideas for her gingerbread contest at school!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! hers turned out great.and also won the cutest thanks to all of you.
Aw I’m so glad to hear it matcass!!
I’d LOVE to see a pic if you have time to email it to me at sweetopia@inbox.com
It amazing how much time and effort can go into some of these projects. It really takes some skill and patience. The Ritz-Carlton here in Sarasota has put together more than just a gingerbread house. It’s a real gingerbread mansion. It has to be seen to be believed.
wow, I don`t have words, beautiful, amazing….wow:)
[...] part. You simply pipe very extended stars on to ice cream cones. You can see the full steps on Sweetopia, the blog of the very creative and talented [...]
[...] that I guarantee is pretty impressive when done completely. Check out Gingerbread House Heaven and Sweetopia that have some very impressive Gingerbread Houses on display. Even celebrities are getting in on [...]
We’re making gingerbread houses today and got good inspiration from you. Thanks for sharing!
Flavourful!
. Thanks for the share
LOVE the trees <3….where do you teach sweetopia?
Thanks everyone! Jacqueline, I teach in the Greater Toronto, Canada area.
p.s. Thank you Larry for the link and for all of your comments everyone!
[...] my crazy mind went crazy. It does that. Insane ideas when I have no time for them. Inspired by this Sweetopia post on gingerbread house ideas and the ice cream cone trees, I thought of stuffing the decorated trees with ice cream to combine a [...]