Happy Home

This gingerbread house is 12 inches at its highest and about 15 inches wide. I cut out my own template. For the doors and windows I used a cutter. I first used a brick impression to imprint the dough before I baked it. I used isomalt for the windows and painted with white color mixed in alcohol to look like curtains. The red poinsettias, the yellow flowers and the pink roses were piped. The blue forget me nots were cut out of gum paste. The grass is coconut colored in green. The decorated Christmas tree is an ice cream cone piped with royal icing. I have used gum paste for the miniature food I made. The trees are rice Krispy cereal mixed with marshmallows and shaped into trees. The “2020” is marked on the delivered newspaper near the door (I wished it looked more like a newspaper!!!). Here in Southern California it is always a sunny on Christmas day. So I tried to capture that summer like season for this gingerbread house.

Piping roof, pressure piping flowers (pink rose, poinsettia), string work on the tiny white cake, gum paste molding (food), isomalt (windows), painting on isomalt (curtains).

Although I have made gingerbread houses before, I think with all the information I got, I was able to correct many mistakes I had. Some of my pieces were warped and I learned it could be due to the baking sheet I used (https://www2.ljworld.com/news/...-share-secrets-trad/).  A thick baking sheet can eliminate this error. To get the pieces flat with no bumps, I baked for 6 minutes and then opened the oven and flattened the bumps with the back of a metal measuring cup. Something else I learned was to use the same royal icing color as the gingerbread house so that the seams will look neater and the colors matched. Everything is edible except for the board.

Thank you to Julia and Christinefor this challenge. It was a chance to learn to do better.

Happy and safe holidays to all.

Wonderful job, Zeena. Thanks for all the details too. People so often use Rice Krispy treats as covered structural elements in cakes. Pretty clever to keep them uncovered for trees!

@Julia M. Usher posted:

Wonderful job, Zeena. Thanks for all the details too. People so often use Rice Krispy treats as covered structural elements in cakes. Pretty clever to keep them uncovered for trees!

Thank you Julia.

What a fabulous job. This is something I’d keep forever.

Beautiful work ❤️❤️❤️!!!

Zeena! This is wonderful! So vibrant and colorful. What a happy house - I love it!❤️

WOW! Absolutely wonderful artwork dear Zeena @Zeena ❤️😘 I love every detail on this work of art!! So very great!!!!

Sooooo beautiful!!🥰

@Tina at Sugar Wishes posted:

What a fabulous job. This is something I’d keep forever.

Thank you.

@iSugarfy (aka swissophie) posted:

Beautiful work ❤️❤️❤️!!!

Thank you.

@LisaF posted:

Zeena! This is wonderful! So vibrant and colorful. What a happy house - I love it!❤️

Thank you. I am glad you like it.

@Icingsugarkeks posted:

WOW! Absolutely wonderful artwork dear Zeena @Zeena ❤️😘 I love every detail on this work of art!! So very great!!!!

Thank you my dear Gabi. I am glad you love all the details. It did take time.

@Heather Bruce Sosa posted:

Sooooo beautiful!!🥰

Thank you dear Heather.

Lovely house!!!! Congratulations!!!!

@Crucis Cookies posted:

Lovely house!!!! Congratulations!!!!

Thank you

Amazing !! Beautiful work ❤️

@Ewa Kiszowara MOJE PIERNIKI posted:

Amazing !! Beautiful work ❤️

Thank you.

Great work dear Zeena,thank you for how you did your 3D gingerbread project,wonderful infoLove all details❤️

What a gorgeous house Zeena @Zeena!! So much detail! I love that your house has 2 doors . And the table with a table cloth...wonderful. The wreaths on the door and above the windows are the perfect touch. Beautiful work...so much texture and dimension too. Using colored coconut for the grass is the perfect way to create added texture, too. Love it!! The fact that you made your own template is truly impressive. I know how much work that takes and you've done it all beautifully. This must have taken you a long time...the attention to detail really shows. Thank you for including all the process and viewpoint pics. I just love everything my dear ❤️❤️❤️ Hugs...

@Petra Florean posted:

Great work dear Zeena,thank you for how you did your 3D gingerbread project,wonderful infoLove all details❤️

That  you.

@Cookies Fantastique posted:

What a gorgeous house Zeena @Zeena!! So much detail! I love that your house has 2 doors . And the table with a table cloth...wonderful. The wreaths on the door and above the windows are the perfect touch. Beautiful work...so much texture and dimension too. Using colored coconut for the grass is the perfect way to create added texture, too. Love it!! The fact that you made your own template is truly impressive. I know how much work that takes and you've done it all beautifully. This must have taken you a long time...the attention to detail really shows. Thank you for including all the process and viewpoint pics. I just love everything my dear ❤️❤️❤️ Hugs...

Thank you dear Carol@Cookies Fantastique. Thanks for all your positive words. Be safe and happy holidays.

Fabulous!!!

We usually think of Christmas as being snowy and cold, but your gingerbread house reminds us that Christmas can also be sunny and even warm. All of the different techniques and media you have used create wonderful visual interest, but it's also the little details that make this an impressive gingerbread house. I especially like the added touch of the food table and the presents under the tree.

@Evelindecora posted:

Fabulous!!!

Thank you.

@Sweet Prodigy posted:

We usually think of Christmas as being snowy and cold, but your gingerbread house reminds us that Christmas can also be sunny and even warm. All of the different techniques and media you have used create wonderful visual interest, but it's also the little details that make this an impressive gingerbread house. I especially like the added touch of the food table and the presents under the tree.

Thank you Christine@Sweet Prodigy.

Amazing details!!

Perfect!!

Zeena, this house is perfection! All the fun, cheerful details. I am ready to move in

@mintlemonade (cookie crumbs) posted:

Amazing details!!

Thank you.

@Dolce Flo posted:

Perfect!!

Thank you.

@Tunde posted:

Zeena, this house is perfection! All the fun, cheerful details. I am ready to move in

Thank you.