This post may contain affiliate links, but all opinions are 100% mine!
Sometimes I think I am kind of crazy with the things I take on, but then it all works out and I remember, once again, that crazy is okay.
Like when I made sixteen gingerbread (okay, graham-cracker) cottages and had fourteen children over to decorate them...at first I thought I'd lost my mind. But then we had such fun that I can hardly wait to do it again next year!
To pull this off, I pre-assembled the cottages the day before our playdate (click HERE for a tutorial), and filled every table in my house with all those yummy fixin's for decorating an hour or so before our guests arrived. You could also ask each guest to bring a bag of candy.
When the children were ready for decorating, I came around with white and green icing to put in those clear plastic cups, and it worked great. There was hardly any mess to clean up at all (or maybe I just didn't see much of it...thanks Mommies!)
We also wore our cute chef's hats (find similar ones HERE), and the kids were so cute in them!
Then there's Little Boo, who didn't wear his hat and also wanted nothing but white icing on his cottage. That one marches to the beat of his own drummer, I tell ya.
At the end of the playdate our guests got to go home with their hats and their creations, and fun was had by all. And moms, sorry about that sugar high.
Update! Find Part Tu-Torial (detailed instructions on how to make the cottages) here:
Love,
Wow! sooo cute and what a great idea!!!! What kind of icing did you use to keep the houses together?
ReplyDeleteHi Melissa! For this event I used Royal Icing (this recipe: http://www.wilton.com/recipe/Royal-Icing), however since then I have started hot-glueing my houses together! It is much faster and when you make this many, time is precious. Plus, no one eats them anyway, and I am always sure to tell my guests that the houses are no longer edible!
DeleteWhat did you put the gingerbread houses on to keep them stable?
ReplyDeleteI found these square cardboards in the baking section of the craft store (I think they are called cake boards? Someone correct me if I am wrong). I have also used paper and styrofoam plates.
DeleteHow far in advance did you make these? How long till they get soggy?
ReplyDeleteI have made them up to 5 days in advance with no problems! Tune in tomorrow for a full tutorial:)
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ReplyDeleteHi, How many boxes of graham crackers did you use to make the 16 houses? Thank you, Sabrina
ReplyDeleteHi Sabrina! It takes 46 crackers for 16 houses (4 crackers per house--see the tutorial at http://thatmommyblog.blogspot.com/2013/12/easy-gingerbread-houses-part-tu-torial.html)--but make sure you factor in about 1-2 crackers per house for breakage!
DeleteDid you Hot Glue then put icing on top of that?
ReplyDeleteAlisa, yes I do use hot glue and then decorate with icing over it. The houses pictured here were made just with icing, but you can see my tutorial on using glue here: http://thatmommyblog.blogspot.com/2013/12/easy-gingerbread-houses-part-tu-torial.html?m=1
Deletepictures of the finished houses would be fun to see
ReplyDeleteI agree! That's why I published some in this post: http://thatmommyblog.blogspot.com/2013/12/easy-gingerbread-houses-part-tu-torial.html
DeleteWhy not use Royal Frosting instead of hot glue? The frosting sets hard and is edible.
ReplyDeleteGood question! I've done it both ways, but have found it much quicker to use hot glue (no more holding crackers waiting for frosting to dry), and when you are making a dozen or more houses, time is of the essence! I just make sure to let everyone know if I have used hot glue:)
Deletethese are so cute! how did you cut the cracker without it crumbling into tiny peaces?
ReplyDeleteCheck out my tutorial here: http://thatmommyblog.blogspot.com/2013/12/easy-gingerbread-houses-part-tu-torial
Deletehow did you cut the cracker so they didn't crumble?
ReplyDeleteGreat question! Use a serrated knife and gently saw—I have more advice on the brand of cracker and more tips: http://thatmommyblog.blogspot.com/2013/12/easy-gingerbread-houses-part-tu-torial
DeleteI absolutely love this!!! I'm hosting a similar party on Saturday and am so happy to have found this post!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I hope you have great fun at your party! Merry Christmas!
DeleteDid you use royal icing to attach the decorations/ Would canned icing be ok? Did you pipe any of the icing?
ReplyDeleteYes we use royal icing, and I highly recommend it over any other kind because it is super strong and sets up quickly! You can find the recipe I use at: https://thatmommyblog.blogspot.com/2013/12/easy-gingerbread-houses-part-tu-torial.html Have fun!
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