Gingerbread Houses

Merry Christmas!

This was the activity for the little girls Christmas Day afternoon.

When I saw the boxed versions at the store I thought they were a bit pricey...  And my first thought was I can make those and buy all the candy for the price of one.

Which is true - well at least the price of two and I needed four.

So began the process.  I found a great recipe for gingerbread via Martha Stewart Living.

Baked up four houses (one batch of gingerbread dough made two houses)

These I had done before the little ones arrived.  

When the little girls were here we broke-up butterscotch candies to make the windows for window glass.  (275 degrees for 10 minutes, apx.)

The front 'stained glass window' is different color lifesavers crunched up and done the same way.

We used stiff royal icing for the 'construction' compound.  

Up to this point all went really well.

 Then the put-it-together process began, what a hoot.

  We would get things together and then add another piece and the structure would come apart.  Patience was needed.

(At this point I was thinking paying for the prefab houses would have been well worth the money...) 

 But my dear daughters - in - love had  great patience and stuck with the projects helping the girls hold walls and roofs until the frosting was set. 

Now the decorating began.  I think as many candies were eaten as are on the houses.  Our youngest loved the 'roofing'.  She ate her way through enough 'shingles' for a whole house.  :-)

The table was covered with royal icing as were the girls.  The dogs loved it if something made it to the floor and did their part by cleaning up.

But memories were made and fun was had by all.

We cleaned up the table and the girls and then got a few photos so we will have record of the final product.

Hope you too had a fun Christmas project.

a little bird