3. Scalloped Roof from Tesco
25 Gingerbread House Ideas, Tips, and Tricks
Tip #1: Decorate before you assemble
I have never tried this before, but now that I think about it, I can totally see how much easier it would be to decorate first and then assemble the house.
If you’re using a lot of piping or intricate decorations on your pieces, it will be much easier to decorate with the house still in it’s flat form.
Once you have your decorations, go ahead and glue the sides together then the roof.
Tip #2: Make the Strongest Icing “Glue”
Have you ever had a gingerbread house fall apart or cave in while you’re putting your finishing touches on?
You need a strong icing for your home construction, whether you’re using store-bought kit or a homemade gingerbread house.
Icing Recipes
Here are three icing cement recipes guaranteed to keep your gingerbread house standing strong. Use the one that suits your needs best:
-> Royal Icing Glue
-> Melting Sugar Gingerbread Glue
Tip #3: Choose Big Candy for Big Impact
Candies that are big and showy are perfect for making eye-catching gingerbread house displays without relying on piping skills and hours of intricate work.
Check out these examples of big candy making light work of decorating a gingerbread house:
Marshmallow Rope Roof from The Gingerbread Journal:
Tip #4: Keep your Icing Workable by Covering with a Damp Cloth
The icing is one of the most important components of your gingerbread house. It’s used to hold the house together, to glue your colorful candies into place, and can be used as a stand-alone decoration when piped onto roofs and such.
The gingerbread icing is meant to harden so that it does it’s job well. However, the last thing you want when you’re making your beautiful gingerbread house is for the icing to harden before you’re ready.
The Frog Prince Paperie shares this tip for keeping icing form hardening: place a damp cloth over your bowl of icing so that it will stay the right consistency for decorating and gluing.
Tip #5 Use Store-bought fondant for custom Gingerbread House Decorations
(This post contains affiliate links which means I may earn a small commission if you click a link and make a purchase. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.)
Use a plain white tub of fondant to create custom decorations for your gingerbread house. The fondant is perfect because you can dye it any color you need, and either cut or roll into the shapes you need.
In this gingerbread house, fondant was used for the roof, the candles, the window treatments, door, and the Christmas trees:
This snowman from Sweetopia is made from rolled fondant:
Now that you have these pro tips under your belt, you can get started on making your own amazing gingerbread houses (we make them every year as a part of our Christmas traditions!). Keep reading for more great DIY Gingerbread House resources. I’ve done the legwork for you and I found the best gingerbread house recipes and inspiration on the web.
5 Homemade Gingerbread House Recipes
I have only ever used gingerbread house kits (like this one) in the past. But after seeing some of these homemade recipes, I think that making my own gingerbread house would be totally doable.
In fact, if you plan on hosting a gingerbread decorating event, you will save money by making your own. Plus, making your own gingerbread house from scratch offers the most creativity for making the size and shape you like the best.
4. Vegan and Gluten Free Gingerbread Recipe (Can be used to make gingerbread house)
5. Don’t like ginger but still want to make and decorate a house? Try this chocolate “gingerbread” house.
5 Free Printable Homemade Gingerbread House Templates
If you aren’t using a gingerbread house kit, you’ll need to cut your own house pieces.
One simple option is to buy a gingerbread house cookie cutter that you can use every year. Or, take a peak at these free gingerbread house templates in a variety of shapes and sizes:
5. Mini Gingerbread House Template
DIY Wood Gingerbread Houses
I’m not very crafty but I do love a quick and easy do it yourself and my DIY wood gingerbread houses are my favorite thing this Christmas! I love that you can personalize them any way you want and this is a fun project for the whole family not to mention they make the perfect gift. I love the way they look grouped together as a snow covered village in my kitchen but they would also make a beautiful centerpiece, cute gift toppers or even ornaments.
I love decorating with little Christmas houses! Remember the Doodle Houses I made a few years ago?
Below, you can watch a short video of my painting process.
This post contains affiliate links which means if you make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Tips for Painting Wood Gingerbread Houses
I found the little wood houses at the Target dollar spot area but these wood houses are similar and perfect for adding your artistic touch. Below are some plain wood houses waiting for your artistic touch.
Click the little wood house pics below to see more.
You can get different effects by globbing the paint on in dots and dashes or you can let the paint applicator tip touch the wood for a smoother finish. My favorite is adding snow covered peaks and icicles dangling from the rooftops.
I painted the fronts of the houses and sides of the rooftops but you could paint both sides of the houses if you want to use them as a centerpiece. I recommend letting each side dry for 24 hours.
These are far from perfect and I like them that way! There is always time to wipe off the wet paint if you make a drastic mistake!
When I look at this little gingerbread village, I’m reminded of my trip to Amsterdam last year and the charming houses that line the canals.
Funny story about the making of this video: I asked my husband to video me as I decorated the gingerbread houses and after telling him exactly where to stand and what angle I wanted, he completed his task and was all proud of himself. When I went to check his work few minutes later, I saw he had taken a photo … not a video! Eventually, the video was shot but now my husband lives in fear that I’ll ask him to do it again!
More little Christmas houses this way …
Little Christmas Houses – Creative Decorating Ideas
Click the pic below to buy your own little wood houses.
I’m decking the halls and trimming the trees and can’t wait to bring you more Christmas decorating ideas.
See my gingerbread village and so much more in my …
