Gingerbread House

Gingerbread House Ornament

Sweet Treats collection could not be complete without a gingerbread house. So, I designed the Gingerbread House ornament with all cookie bakers in mind. Especially those fond of gingerbread cookies. Evoke your childhood memories of reading the classic fairy tale of Hansel and Gretel with this ornament. And remember reading the tale of The Gingerbread Man as you hang this keepsake from your Christmas Tree. And, celebrate those special memories of decorating Christmas cookies with your children, as well as those of decorating gingerbread houses this holiday season to come!

Gingerbread House Ornament Design Process

A Childhood Memory

As a little girl, I was always enchanted by the magic of the kitchen oven. So, I started experimenting with baking as soon as I was old enough to be in the kitchen by myself. First, I started with simple sugar cookies. Then, I graduated to baking gingerbread cookies, because decorating the cookies was a lot of fun. Shortly after, I decided to try baking large sheets of gingerbread to build gingerbread houses.

My mom and dad are both architects. So, building any type of structure with any type of materials was a common activity in our home. Building with edible materials was just up my alley! I specifically  remember the first gingerbread house I baked and build. Granted, its traditional shape was quite simple. But being the first one, I had never forgotten the fun that it was to build it. In fact, I remember using clear gelatin sheets for the glass windows. Also, I remember making royal icing to decorate it and to glue the colorful candies and gumdrops. So, building upon these memories, I created this delicious and charming Gingerbread House ornament to celebrate these memories.

The Design

I used small boxes in a variety of shapes to build the base of the houses. Then, I used cardboard to build their roof. Next, I painted the houses a chocolate-caramel-brown color. Subsequently, I decorated the houses using lace to resemble the icing designs. Also, I used colorful buttons, beads, and ribbons. Moreover, I used striped straws to resemble candy canes. After that, I added clear glitter to cover the roof. Hence, making it shine like snow as the lights hit them in the right angle. Finally, I added pine trees by the front to evoke the setting of an enchanted forest.

These houses are large enough that they can be set on the mantle or as part of the Christmas Eve table’s center piece. Collect this and all the ornaments in the Sweet Treats Collection to create a spectacular Christmas Tree inspired on The Nutcracker’s Sugar Plum Fairy and The Land of Sweets.

Specifications

Year Designed

2016

Size

Actual sizes may vary, approximately 4.5” x 4.5” x 5.0”

Materials

Cardboard, small boxes, paint, trims, ribbons, beads, lace, baked clay, paper, buttons, glitter, craft foam, drinking straws.

Note: Given the handmade nature of the ornament, all ornaments are different. The pictures depict just one sample of the ornament.