So Friday night I start the project. I tried melted sugar and water for the glue so that it would be clear and clean looking. The houses will not stay up. I try to wrap them around tea boxes. The boxes are too big. I give up and go to the neighbors house to drink their wine and raid their cabinets for boxes small enough. I decide that cutting off the end of Swiss Miss boxes and Apple Cider boxes will work. It does, but the roofs still fall off. I say F it and go to bed.
Saturday my Sister and I go to a flea market full of Christmas lovelies. I feel inspired. I also feel that I've sunk $30 plus dollar into this project and damn it I'm going to make it work! On the way home I buy little milk cartons and make some royal icing. Either the graham crackers have shrunk or the milk cartons have gotten bigger but they looked like hell. I decided we were going to play Extreme Gingerbread House Makeover and pretty them up. I told everyone they didn't have to participate if they didn't want to, but in reality I would have screamed.
The gingerbread hood
The girls sampling Shannon's pomegranate spritzers
Lauren's roasted tomato bruschetta
Look at that group participation!
Josh explains modern architecture to Issy
Josh's gingerbread house. Please take note of the skylights and angled roof. Very clever!
Bryan has some inner anger issues...
He claimed it is deer hunting season and Santa and the reindeer have crashed on landing
Yes that is a candy cane gun propped up against the graham cracker fence....
Shannon's who ville house, I love it! She did the best with what she was given
Even though the roof collapsed
Lauren's classic gingerbread house. It's displayed on my shelf!
Ryan went for romantic cozy cottage. Check out Santa on his sleigh
Charlie loves this group. They let him sit on their laps and snag their tights
(I used pappardelle)
Bryan and Jabba the Hut
My favorite cake ever from Creme de la Creme
Banana Chocolate Gateau...I bought it with a Groupon deal. Score!
Banana cake layered with carmelized bananas, chocolate ganache and caramel buttercream frosting
So happy I didn't have to make a dessert after my gingerbread struggle.
I'm swearing off them forever!
Posts
I love the gingerbread idea! I might have to switch up my holiday party next year and do something fun like this! Very cool the guys got involved too! Not sure my bunch would be so cool about it!
ReplyDeleteThe deer hunt house is hysterical and the who-ville roof collapsing. Tell her to think of the Vikings stadium on Sunday!! HAHA!
i'm cracking up looking at the gingerbread houses! PS that cake looks aaamazing!
ReplyDeleteYour food pictures always have me drooling! You might have a gift for food...
ReplyDeleteI love that you threw a gingerbread house party. How fun.
Gingerbread houses are a total pain, but at least yall tried. I would have just sat in the corner drinking pom spritzers.
ReplyDeleteI think the houses turned out really cute, so totally worth it. :) The last gingerbread house decorating party I went to, we just used canned frosting. I think most of the houses were able to stand, but I always think gingerbread houses are a good idea until I actually sit down to do one...then I remember the pain and struggles. Glad I'm not the only one!
ReplyDelete~Jenifer
Those houses are awesome! Not perfect, but very beautiful and creative :) Looks like the best night ever!!
ReplyDeleteBryans house wins. Hands down.
ReplyDeleteThe dood that made the heart shape out of candy canes? He needs a man test STAT!
Your houses had me laughing out loud, for real. and so did bryan's.
ReplyDeleteThis is why I avoid most crafts:) Next time use a hot glue gun. You can't eat your house, but it stays put together!
ReplyDeleteI know I shouldn't have, but I completely peed my pants laughing at this. I would have said F it and went to the neighbors for liquor too!! I can't craft, glue, diy or anything else. Bake maybe yes, but if there's an element of anything to do w/glue...well let's just say that would have been my own blood on the deer house. AHAHAHAHA!!
ReplyDeleteThe Whoville house - there's a DIY'er!! Tell me I'm right!! That was brills!
You crack me up and I loved this post. Yahoo!
xo,
c
ps-short rib? did someone say short rib?
Gingerbread house making, so much fun! That cake looks amamzing, I wish I lived closer so I could pick one up for Jeremy's birthday this week.
ReplyDeleteomg that cake is my idea of heaven- YUM! Love the gingerbread houses- lol. im decorating this weekend w/ my mom and little cousins!
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure your gingerbread houses would pass UK building regs. The cake however I would happily risk my mouth test.....
ReplyDeleteHouses from hell; you crack me up! Ryan's looks pretty cozy. Thanks for the laugh.
ReplyDeleteYou can come make gingerbread houses next year with the kindergartners at Discovery. :)
ReplyDeleteOMG, we just did this project in dev's kindergarten class. she has a SUPER GLUE SUGAR RECIPE! man, that stuff is like nuts - it's egg whites, conf. sugar and lemon juice but it stays!! let me know if you want the recipe for next year (or this year!). :)
ReplyDeletelooks great to me!! i love the candies. the one Madi did...she just plopped marshmallows on because she wanted to listen to the story and police her princesses another kid was playing with. i shoulda sent over to your house. you coulda kept her more focused!