The holidays are a great way to bring your creativity skills to the table. Creating a gingerbread house is a tradition that allows you to customize your house based on what you like. Crafting a gingerbread house isn’t just about the structure, it’s a canvas made of edible wonders. This is our ultimate guide to decorating gingerbread houses, this will take your gingerbread housing skills to a whole new level.
Sturdy Foundation
Before you dive into decoration you have to build the foundation of your gingerbread house. This may not sound important but if your house is structurally sound it will not be able to hold to decorations. Allow the icing to set before adding your decorations.
Pick A Theme
Ahead of buying any decorations you have to pick a theme. Here are a list of themes for you to choose from:
Theme Ideas
Candy Wonderland
Gingerbread Village
Santa’s Workshop
Winter Wonderland
Cocoa Cabin
Holiday Market
North Pole Express
Gather a Variety of Decor
The key to making your gingerbread house visually appealing is to have a diversity of decorations. Stock up on all different edible treats. Here are some ideas for you gingerbread house decorations.
Decor Ideas
Classic Candies:
Candies are great for charming walkways, a vibrant roof, or to border your windows.
– Gumdrops
– Peppermints
– Licorice
Chocolates and Cookies:
These are a great decor to resemble roof tiles and fencing.
– Chocolate Chips
– Miniature Chocolate Bars
– Chocolate-covered Pretzels
Candy Canes
This tasty treat is great for pathways or just to give it a little festive touch on the corners.
– Candy Cane Pillars
– Crushed Candy Canes
Marshmallows:
Marshmallow can add a snowy landscape or can craft a marshmallow snowman!
Edible Glitter and Sprinkles:
A little textures makes your gingerbread house sparkle .
– Edible Glitter
– Colorful Sprinkles
Tips:
Use different textures:
Incorporating different textures adds more interest in your gingerbread house. Crumble up some cookies or graham crackers and use it as gravel.
Play with color:
Don’t be afraid to use a variety of colors. You want your house to stand out.
Optimize icing techniques:
Take your time with the icing, it can be different. Using piping bags is a great way to help you with icing your gingerbread house.
Work In Layers:
Approach the decorating process in layers. Start off with the frosting and then add the big details. At the end add the finer details.
Finally, have fun and be creative!
The most important part of the gingerbread process is to have fun and be creative, this shouldn’t be a stressful activity. With a solid foundation and a diverse range of decoration you will have the best gingerbread house around. The joy of decorating a gingerbread house is the freedom to express your creativity. Happy decorating!
