Easy Gingerbread House that Doesnt Get Eaten

Lots of people make gingerbread houses for Christmas. They use the house as a decoration, a table centerpiece and as a treat for kids and adults. If you love making gingerbread houses, but hate it that all the hard work just gets eaten, you can make a gingerbread house that will last for many years! And, its much easier to make than an edible cottage! Instead of making cake to begin your gingerbread house just use cork! Youll find slabs of cork at most any craft store and its perfect for creating a beautiful cottage without the hassle and the mess! There are no foods to clean up after, no dishes and pans to wash, and the cottage can be displayed for many years! Download a gingerbread house template and draw those shapes onto the cork. Decide on a base for the house. It can be a piece of painted cardboard or even a block of wood. The base can be decorated or not. To create the house of your dreams simply glue the house pieces together and glue the cork cottage to the base.

There are so many things you can use to decorate the cork house. First, use white dimensional paint - or another color - to conceal the seams on the cork and to add a decorative touch. If you want, sprinkle glitter onto the wet paint. Use the paint yet again to draw lines across the cork so you create the appearance of wooden planks or logs.

Decorate the roof with things like flat marbles, fake jewels, sequin, pom-poms or other supplies. Create a door by simply cutting three sides of a square. Bend the door on the uncut side and leave it slightly ajar or close it all the way. Make windows by cutting out circles, squares or other shapes around the house. Use the dimensional paint and glitter to create a snowy look around windows and doors. A short list of things you can use to further embellish the gingerbread house includes buttons, ribbon, roping, cord, craft pebbles, craft foam and sand. Simply apply hot glue and attach the objects you want. Cork can even be used to make walkways, a patio or other features for the cottage. Add fake trees or bushes from a craft store, tiny rocks which line the walkways, and similar embellishments to create the finished gingerbread house you want. A cork cottage is perfect because its inexpensive, easy to make, and it wont get eaten! You can set it out, year after year, and enjoy it just as much as you did the first time you saw it! Its a nice way to add a Christmas touch to the dining table or other area of your home.