No-Bake Gingerbread House

 
Christmas just would not be the same if we didn’t make a gingerbread house together each year.  Every year we make one a bit different, but this year I decided I would try something that I have not done before, a no-bake version made out of graham crackers.  And am I glad I did, this was really fun and easy too! The reason I have preferred to use use sheets of baked gingerbread were the lines between the crackers, and being able to see the box or base beneath.  After a little bit of experimenting and some hot-glue, I was able to achieve a much smoother surface without the work involved with sheets of gingerbread.  Here is what I did…

 
Supplies:
Box or boxes to create the base for the house.  As you can see from my very classy cereal box and masking tape example above, this can be free. 
Hot Glue, tape
Rolling pin
Plate or platter to place house on (I used a large doily underneath too)
One box of graham crackers (two if your house is large, mine was more of a cottage)
One can of white cake frosting
Ziploc bag for frosting, scissors
Little fir trees (dollar store)
2 Candy canes for the door
Miscellaneous candy for decorating.  We used spice drops, red imperials, cookie decorating sugar, mini marshmallows, candy canes, peppermint candies, and a little square of chocolate for the doormat (my 6 year old’s idea!)
 
Directions:
I began by covering the front and back with graham crackers, gluing each in place with hot glue in a diamond pattern.  On the areas where the crackers hung over the edge I trimmed them carefully with scissors, I know I was a bit surprised they worked that well too.  Next I covered the sides and roof in a square pattern and ground up my remaining crackers and scraps with a rolling pin.  Doing one section at a time, I ran a thin line of hot glue between the crackers and sprinkled the graham cracker dust over the hot glue, patting it down a bit as went.  This gave the surface a nice smooth effect and now I could not see the box underneath. 
 
Next I placed the house on the platter with large paper doily underneath and put my trees and marshmallows (snow) in place.  Trimming the candy canes down we made the door, and used hot glue to attach all of the candies so they would stick well. 
 
I cut a small corner off of the Ziploc bag and filled it with frosting, using this to pipe the frosting onto the rooftop and eaves.  Using the tip of the bag and slightly pulling the frosting down over the edges I created the icicles.  I decorated the roof with red imperials and used the course decorating sugar for sparkly snow all over the frosting so it would cling before it set. We glued our little doormat in place and cleaned up.  Along the way we ate way too many spice drops and spoonfuls of frosting, but that’s part of the fun!
 
The kids were soooo excited to see the house the next morning and talk about how we made it.  It was really fun, and easy too.  And I have to admit, I may never piece together pieces of baked gingerbread again now.  And I am thinking about making a whole little town of cottages next year….
 
 
As always thank you so much for your sweet comments and ideas.  YOU are what twelveOeight is about, and I appreciate you so much 🙂
 
Hugs & blessings friend,
 
xoxo, Tanya
 

Weekly Link Parties & Buttons where you can find me posting projects:
Friday

Sunday, http://itssoverycheri.com/2012/10/14/its-party-time-linky/

Sisters Of The Wild West, Just Us Four, Nifty Thrifty Things
Cherished Treasures, Polkadot Pretties, Homemaker On A Dime (button below), Under The Table And Dreaming (button below)

Monday
Making The World Cuter Monday , Be Colorful, DIY Home Sweet Home, Between Naps On The Porch, Craft O Maniac, The Southern Institute, Keeping It Simple, Skip To My Lou,
Brassy Apple, C.R.A.F.T, Get Outta My Head Please, Krafty Kat (button below)
http://makingtheworldcuter.com/2012/07/cuter-monday/, The Dedicated House, Alderberry Hill (button below), Kampen Lane Designs (button below), My Favorite Finds, http://makingtheworldcuter.com/2012/08/making-the-world-cuter-2/, Just Dawnelle, Mad In Crafts

Tuesday
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia,Sugar Bee Crafts, A Diamond In The Stuff, Home Stories A to Z, Reasons To Skip Housework, Domestically Speaking, How To Nest For Less, Ladybug Blessings, Cherished Bliss, The DIY Dreamer, The Winthrop Chronicles (button below), Cozy Little House, Homework (button below), Today’s Creative Blog, House On The Way, The Inspired Room, TheNY Melrose Family, Shanty 2 Chic, Thistlewood Farms

Wednesday
Savvy Southern Style, Someday Crafts, Ginger Snap Crafts, Clean & Scentsible, Uncommon Designs, Southern Lovely, Lil’ Luna (button below)
Family Home and Life, Practically Functional, Vintage Gwen, Rae Gun Ramblings, The CSI Project, I Gotta Create, Tales Of A Trophy Wife, Pincushion Creations, Adorned From Above,, http://simplykierste.com/

Thursday
Delightful Order,The Shabby Creek Cottage Somewhat Simple
Embracing Change, House Of Hepworths, 52 Mantels, Not Just A Housewife, Beyond The Picket Fence, AKA Design, Crafty Scrappy Happy,Christina’s Adventures, The 36th Avenue, Two Yellow Birds Decor, One Artsy Mama, Saving 4 Six ,http://www.chocolatechocolateandmore.com/

Totally Transformed Tuesday


Liz Marie BlogI Heart Nap Time

Lil\'Luna





mop it up mondays



homeworkUndertheTableandDreaming

Home Stories A2Z

14 Responses

  1. I am so glad you shared this idea. I use to make these with the kids when I was a teacher…I guess I had forgotten that we made them. I am putting this on my list for next year…I am sure others will love this too! Dianntha

  2. No-bake gingerbread houses have been made for years! My kids and I made these houses back in the 1970s! And I also taught Girl Scout leaders how to make them. To glue the graham crackers to a box base, just use royal icing! No need for hot glue!

  3. Your gingerbread house looks awesome!!!! So fun and festive!!!! I baked all the pieces for mine this year and it was way too much work! This looks fantastic!!! Merry Christmas!

  4. Greetings! This is my first comment here so I just wanted to give
    a quick shout out and say I really enjoy reading your posts.
    Can you suggest any other blogs/websites/forums that cover the same topics?
    Thanks for your time!

  5. Hey would you mind stating which blog platform you’re using?
    I’m planning to start my own blog in the near future but I’m having a tough time deciding between BlogEngine/Wordpress/B2evolution and Drupal.

    The reason I ask is because your design and style seems different then most blogs and I’m looking for
    something unique. P.S Sorry for getting off-topic
    but I had to ask!

Leave a Reply to Maria Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

hi there !!

Welcome to twelveOeight! I’m Tanya and I am so glad you are here. If you are ready to start loving the home you have now, then join me on my mission. One thrifty project at a time we can make our today homes our dream homes.

Join the newsletter

Search this site

What's new at twelveoeight

TWELVEOEIGHT PROJECTS & DIY’S:

Archives

I am thrilled to be a part of:

Featured in:

Join the newsletter

Never miss a post! Subscribe to the newsletter for monthly updates and other special news.