This Ain't Your Momma's Gingerbread House!

We are SOOOOO excited to share this fun project!

So how many of you love making gingerbread houses each year

and then cringe when you end up throwing them away

after spending $20 on candy then feeling like your

torturing your kids by wiggling it in their faces with the words

"Don't Touch It!  It's a decoration!"

And when they finally can it's stale, nasty and who knows how much dust has accumulated

or sticky little hands and tongues have already tasted the treats....

(This is Nicole talking....Yes, I have issues....) 

We have been dreaming this one up for a while now,

but have had our hands full with boutique season,

so when we finally got together it was so much fun!! 

At Michaels, we found wooden puzzle dollhouses that looked gingerbreadish to us. 

We're not going to lie...they were a beast to put together with vague directions,

but the results are fantastic! 

So, if you have an hour...or two...to put together this puzzle, we highly recommend them!

Don't forget to use your coupon!

We used fake candies on all of the houses, so they would last year after year. 

We found all the candies at Hobby Lobby. 

They were going fast, so most might be gone this late in the season.

We added bottle brush trees and used lots of Snow-Tex and glitter.

Nicole's gingerbread house was quickly taken over by Little Pet Shops!

Her little girl was in Heaven playing with the houses!

You have to glue these houses together for stability.

Nicole used tacky glue and Candace used a hot glue gun and wood glue.

I love this dollhouse because the back is open, letting little hands play and it also is easy to use lighting.

Spray paint works best!  It's much easier to get into the nooks and crannies of the house.

We found a brown spray paint by Krylon at Hobby Lobby.

We used a knife to add Snow Tex (love that stuff!) to the roof line. 

and our fingers to spread it all over.

We gathered our candies and mini-lights, snipping off the ornament hole and cutting off each light.

To match the sugared candies, we put spray adhesive on each light and added glitter. 

We used hot glue to attach each candy and light.

A set of mini snowmen were added along with mini wreaths.  So cute!

Nicole's daughter quickly moved the pet shops in! Staging them just so in the house.

"This ain't your Momma's Gingerbread House!"

How cute the sleds look on the front porch!

Of course there had to be a Christmas tree for her friends!

  Her daughter picked out beads for ornaments and they glued them to the tree.

Candace gave her house a "minimalist" wreath...hee,hee!:)

We glittered all the trim work with modge podge and glitter.

Candace used some spray can flocking snow on my house and got a little carried away....

Maybe stick with the Snow-Tex.

Candace's boys have their own version of playing house.....toy soldiers and Halo guys...

death by the Christmas tree!

We hope you guys like it!

They were a lot of fun to make with the kids and will be enjoyed for years to come!

And hey, they were less than $20 a piece to make too!

Happy House Building!!!

:)Nicole & Candace