Gingerbread Houses - 2014

So I've asked my Cake Mama friends on Facebook what kind of gingerbread house they prefer.  Do they like ones with just piping, one with tons of candy, or ones with a combination of both.  I tried to provide examples of all of these in this blog and I gotta tell you, my favorite one so far is the one with a combination of both.  The touch of whimsy is just want I like about Gingerbread houses, but it's not too much.  

So here's the first example.  JUST PIPING.

This was for my mom.  She wanted a wintery gingerbread house.  One that she could have out for longer than just Christmas.  I think it turned out really cute and was the inspiration for the one I did most recently (coming up...)

I hosted a Gingerbread House workshop and my students made some spectacularly decorated Gingerbread Houses.  Here's Sofia with her masterpiece.

I particularly like her roof with all of the fun colors!  And she made a sleigh out of candy canes. 

My daughter Josie and nephew Connor made theirs with lots of fun details as well.

Here are a few more from class.  Crushed candy canes pressed into extra frosting (on the left) really make for a sweet-smelling abode.    Beautiful!

Here's the one I made for a sample at Ben Franklin Crafts.  Piping and lots of candy.  I had kids from the audience help me with my design.

Then I had my other nephew over.  He's finally at that age (3 years) where making a Gingerbread House was a fun project for the two of us to do.  At least, that's when I started with my daughter an other nephew, Connor.  

I laid out all of the candy and I did the piping, but he directed where everything went.  Check out those fine motor skills!  Not to mention his level of concentration!

 I think he looks pleased!

He wanted the snowman to be falling off the roof.     And when I asked him if he wanted any windows on his house he said, "Yes."  Then I asked, "How many?  One?  Two?"  He held up both of his hands and said, "TEN!!"  So, there are ten windows on one side of his house.  He didn't want any more.  ;)

And here's my latest creation.  This one is a gift for my daughter's teacher at school.  It's a combination of both color and piping.  This one was super fun to make.  The light dusting of powdered sugar on the top of the house really completed the look I was going for.

I think ALL gingerbread houses are pretty darn neat and they're so much fun to put together.  I like that it is a tradition in my family and something the kids really look forward to every year.  Do you have a preference for design?  How do yours look?

Gingerbread Houses 2012

I taught my Gingerbread decorating class again this year and had just as much fun as I had last year.  I saw some familiar faces and some new ones to the class.  We spent the first 30 minutes of the class assembling the pre-bakes gingerbread houses (we used Wilton kits) and learning a few piping techniques such as stars, dots, icicles, zig-zags and wavy lines.  The kits only come with tip 5 and the tree (which you'll see pictured below) came with a star tip.  You really don't need more than that to decorate your gingerbread items.   

 These two were cousins.  Looks like they were having a pretty good time!

 Decorating gingerbread men and women too!!

He was SO proud of his gingerbread man!

 Here is pride too!

My mom and daughter attended the class as well.  It was so fun to have them there.  This is the first time Josie was able to see her mommy teach a class.  It was exciting for the both of us!  And my mom did a GREAT job helping Josie with her house.

 These five had a great time!  Look at the village they created!

 Complete with a beautifully decorated Christmas tree!

 Here's my house that I made.  Mine went to my mom...per tradition.  ;)

 Here is Josie with her completed work of art.

 Evelyn's turned out beautifully as well!

And today, I got to spend some time with my nephew who got to decorate a gingerbread house with his Auntie.

Here he is with his completed work.  And now...to play video games!

SUPER fun!  I love traditions and I hope to carry these on for years to come!  Merry Christmas, Everyone!

Gingerbread Creations

This time of year is usually a little slow in the "cake department". Many people are filling up on all of the Christmas goodies and cakes are taking a back seat. That's A-OK with me, as I use this time to do other things in the baked goods department.

One of my favorite things to do is make gingerbread houses. I made my very first one last year and fell in love with the process. It was wonderful to share the experience with my daughter and nephew and wanted to do that again this year. But to start out the season, Michael's had me do a Gingerbread House demo in November. The gingerbread house became part of the gingerbread display by the Wilton aisle. Looks good enough to eat!

A few weeks later, my daughter Josie and I made hers. I did all of the piping and she did all of the decorating. She's REALLY proud of her creation!

On St. Nick's Day, I was able to spend the morning with my nephew. He's a pretty big fan of trains and I found this train kit and thought it would make a fun project for us to do. Again, I did the piping, but Connor did ALL of the decorating! (His mom went out and bought some candy coal to put in the tender!)

And then this weekend, I taught a Gingerbread House Workshop at Ben Franklin Crafts. We had a wonderful turn-out with some delightful adults and kids alike. Actually, all of the kids were boys with TONS of creativity. Check out their masterpieces!

This one had a VERY cool Christmas tree on the back!

These boys had a Christmas tree, a penguin in a pond AND an igloo!

Fun trees made out of Tootie Rolls, a snowman made out of StarBursts, and a patio with a GRILL made these houses unique!!!

Wonderful Christmas lights and cheery wreath decorating this home!

Carol added small candies around the windows which made them look stained-glass. She also added "candles" in some of the windows for added whimsy.

I was able to get one done, too, and dropped it off for my mom. :)

Now that the gingerbread houses are done, I'd better get moving on the rest of the holiday baking. Happy Holidays!!!