Gingerbread House 2014

I am really pleased with this house. I haven't made anything like this before, and I love the way it turned out. Paul did an awesome job on the outside, and he also made me all the "glass" pieces on the inside because I am not very good with crazy-hot isomalt. My favorite part was adding all the tiny details, like the mistletoe above the door, the toilet paper roll, the wine bottles on the wall... Well, just see for yourself! Here is the Gingy family home:

Living Room

Master Bedroom

Hallway 

Kids' room

Bathroom

Kitchen

The Attic

The outside

We actually aren't sure what will be on the agenda for next year. We're thinking about venturing into other types of architecture... Maybe a cathedral? 

Gingerbread House... The making

We usually decide what kind of gingerbread house to make a year ahead of time (right after finishing that year's house!), so as soon as last year's teddy bear village was complete, we had determined that this year's house would be decorated outside AND inside. 

(Last year's village)

The process starts the same as always: sketch it out, figure out the scale, then Paul makes the templates for the pieces of gingerbread we will cut out. 

I make the cookie dough. 

And we work late into the night after the kids are in bed, so we are fueled by wine and cheese!

The baked pieces... We made the roof in a lattice pattern, and I love how it looks!

Then we covered a piece of plywood in white fondant "snow" and laid the foundation. 

Paul is in charge of the construction work. 

The house goes up. 

Making sure everything is level... Precision! 

Interior walls and floors

While he built, I got started on some fixtures and furniture. 

I was in charge of interior decorating, and Paul was the exterior decorator/landscaper.

The kitchen countertop. 

The swimming pool (which the kids recognized as our pool) is made of poured isomalt, dyed blue. 

It's starting to come together...

Some tiny details...

I even made artwork for the home by using tiny fondant "canvases" and food markers. Yes, this is a completely edible "Starry Night."

Making all the tiny details and pieces for the house was a ton of fun... Stay tuned for the final photos; I'll post them all later today!