putting it all together

We had one day to put everything together this year. These pictures are the result of our work that day. Andrea has the house now, and will finish up the detail work (snow, reindeer, elves, sleigh, north pole, etc.) and deliver it to our display location in Gia's restaurant in Logan.

Modeling figures is Andrea's forte. I'm sure she will post more about this, but I had some good pictures so I will share what I have. This year Andrea used a marshmallow fondant to make the figures. Last year she used gum paste, and she has all kinds of pros and cons to each method. Here is Santa and Mrs. Clause chilling in the hot tub. For water we used blue sucker mix poured over crushed tinfoil for a bubbly look.

2010 - Day After Christmas

Well hello, all you gingerbread fans! This year's project is titled "The Day After Christmas" and centers around the theme of what happens at the north pole once the deliveries are done. Santa and Mrs. Clause are chilling in the hot tub, the reindeer are relaxing, the elves are celebrating. A fun twist on the north pole theme.

These pictures detail the gingerbread process. Andrea's husband modeled the pattern for us with his computer animation software. from there I transfer the pattern pieces to card stock. Baking took a day. we use Loretta's favorite gingerbread recipe from http://www.ultimategingerbread.com/. After baking I trim the pieces again to make sure they are true to the pattern. They have a tendency to grow in the oven.

The windows are crushed jolly ranchers. you can use any hard candy. place the candy in the window openings and bake in a 250 degree oven for a few minutes till the candy melts. it will stick to the gingerbread naturally. I use parchment paper under my pieces and never move them off the paper from cutting to baking to trimming. That helps to maintain shape.

for roof pieces and corners I use a dremmel to bevel the backs of the pieces. This way you get a trim fit without messing up the pattern dimensions with overlapping.

Rice crispies are my friend! they are wonderful for structural support and trees. add the coloring to the marshmallows before mixing with the cereal.