This is a very cool thread, I just stumbled upon it today. As I was reading the last few pages I ended up following a site to the ultimate g-bread site and off on the side was a picture that was from flikr. It looked like a snow globe all made of gingerbread. Does anyone have a clue how to find that pic or even better how to make one of those? It was awesome! I'm glad I found this thread I am making a "Santa's Village" for my small town to auction off to raise money for our schools, and just the few pages I have read has given me some new ideas. Thanks everyone!!!!

Do you mean this one?
http://www.gingerbread-house-heaven.com/looking-for-a-globe-outline.html

No that wasn't it but I did find the one I was looking for. Let me see if I can send out the site, try www.flikr.com/photos/ultimategingerbread/2997416766. This is one of the prettiest things I have ever seen in g-bread. I wish I knew how it was done.

Got it! (Just take out the final dot in your link.)
Made by Billie Mochow of Burns, Tennessee in 2007. Looks like it was baked in halves around a sphere.
Gingerbread experts, please weigh in here.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3289/2997416766_9fb8be97ba_o.jpg
She won grand prize the next year with this one.
http://peakdefinition.smugmug.com/Events/2008-National-Gingerbread/Grand-Prize-Winner-Adult/6599020_bCFEV#421688688_t5axD

I agree the tops are maybe baked on the outside of a bowl but that bottom that it sets on....hum..... and think about how small those pieces on the inside are. I just think she has a lot of talent! Yes come on experts lets play this one out.

Yes, you can bake gingerbread over inverted stainless steel bowl, old ladle or here you can even buy small forms for Easter eggs and Christmas ornaments (balls). Should this be not enough, you can use glass bowl, or glass tumblers (thick glass, use carefully and cover in aluminium foil). Here you can see what can be done this way. Sorry, it is in Czech and you won't understand the text, but the pictures are worth a look.
Some other interesting pictures
dose - heart
Christmas ornaments

You can make the form from food safe sheet metal - bend it in the form and use it. For the hearts - you could use the heart cake form on the side - find a loaf pan which will act as holder (we can find several dimensions of both pans here, it is only matter of searching). Bake an half of the heart, repeat. Bake the top and the bottom part, glue together.

Good luck!

I am looking for huge help.

I am planning on building a gingerbread house brick by brick. Patrica Howard did a house I believe in 2007 for the Grove Park Inn competition. She did it brick by brick.

Should I build it directly to the board, just like you would do a brick house or should I build the walls laying flat on a cookie sheet (doing it brick by brick in flat position) and then once dry, I would assemble it. Did I confuse anyone?

Also, if I do it brick by brick, do you think the royal icing would glue them together? I'm worrying about the powdery crumbs once I cut the bricks out.

I'm just curious why you'd want to do this brick by brick -- why not make a sheet and emboss with a brick mat?

Hi bobwonderbuns. I just wanted to try something different. I love the look of it. Here is a picture:

http://gosoutheast.about.com/od/theholidays/ig/Gingerbread-House-Photos/Gingerbread-Hse-Grand-Prize-07.htm

I think with the brick by brick, they looks more unique and realistic.

Rylan - here is another alternative for your "wall by wall" option. You can build the walls before baking - meaning cutting the bricks from the dough, laying them on the cookie sheet leaving small space between them. The dough expands when baking and you will get one brick wall when finished.
Similar you can make log cabins - put strips of dough on cookie sheet next to each other and bake.

I only check a few things on the last page of this thread and I have now so much ideas for christmas! My sister will be sooooo happy ! (she is my biggest "fan" I think when it comes to my cookies)

Majka_ze, that a really nice idea! But then again, I was going for a particular design that will have to require brick by brick.

I was going for a castle-like structure that is partially collapsed--that being said, you can see individual pieces of bricks. Hmm, do you think I can achieve that with your method?

WOW!! I can see why you'd want to do it that way. That's gorgeous!!

I think so. It would take a bit of practice. Don't cut square bricks, make them slightly rounded, larger on bottom. I would simply deform them between my fingers.
The trick is to learn how much they expand. You want the bottom to connect but the top stay separated - even so slightly. I think 1/8" between the individual bricks is about just right. Even if the bricks should expand more than you expect, you would get an uneven area where the individual bricks are still visibly separated. But make a practice run.

Or you can go with your idea, but in this case I would bake the bricks already cut. The RI would hold even cut gingerbread - after all, we often go with knife after baking and correct the parts for gingerbread house, but you would need to cut many brick when the gingerbread is still hot. I would roll out the dough on parchment paper, go with pizza wheel over it and cut the individual bricks, removing strips of dough between the rows and columns. Did you understand what I wanted to say?

I remember that... I think they had it on the Food Network that year.
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Rylan, I don't see why you couldn't combine both methods. Pre-built walls for the sections, and individually baked bricks for the crumbling parts.

Majka_ze, thanks for the suggestions. I will try your method and the one I came out with. I hope both works well.

My concern is, if I do the brick by brick method and use royal icing to attach every single one, I would be worried for them collapsing. Like you said, many people often attach cut gingerbread--but would this work if I have hundreds of small pieces being attached by royal icing? Is there a way I can make my royal icing stronger?

Also, one more question. When I make gingerbread houses, I usually use royal icing with fresh egg whites. If I use meringue powder, will it still be as strong to attach the pieces?

7yyrt, I will try a test run and see if both methods will show a similar look.

Thanks again for your input.

RI is after drying harder then the gingerbread, IMHO. You can make it harder by adding teaspoon of white vinegar per egg white - it works much better then citrus juice which is sometimes recommended. It does two things - makes the RI harder and cuts the possible grease which could destroy it. Otherwise, do the usual - wash all the bowls, whisks etc. again in hot water and let them air dry or dry them with fresh paper towel - you can get traces grease when drying with cloth towel, even a clean one. After preparing the RI, cover it with cling film straight on the RI and once again over the top and leave it for 30 min. or an hour. Many of the air bubbles come to the top.

I would say even gluing individual bricks should be strong enough. The problem is holding the walls straight. I would take square can, ev. even square baking pan when you want to do it this big, fill it with sand or water to make it heavier and build the brick around it, leaning on this wall. The reason it that it gives more time to the RI to dry in the bottom parts then going one wall at time.
It could be better to have a piece of solid gingerbread as backing and glue the bricks on top of it - meaning you get double width wall. This depends on the resulting size of your structure.

Good luck!

What a genius! I never thought of using gingerbread as backing. That will just make everything much more stable for the main structures. Thanks for the tips! THANK YOU THANK YOU!

I also never knew about the vinegar, now I know. Thanks. With my question earlier, does royal icing with meringue powder work great with gingerbread houses? I wanted to use ones with the real fresh eggs but I don't want to run with the problem of thinking what to do with the egg yolks. Last year, I had about 3 dozens of egg yolks from making royal icing for a gingerbread house and I had to make flan out of them. I don't think I want to make that much flan this year, hehe.

I love this thread! Here's my gingerbread house from last year - great fun putting it together - EmilyG.

Verono, I tried looking for some in my area and I couldn't find any--I've only seen Egg Beaters. Also, I have bags of meringue powder in my storage room and I was hoping to make use of them.

Emily, I love your gingerbread! You should give me a free sample of Sugarveil. hehehe just kidding.

Ha! And Rylan, I've been checking our that wonderful brown and white fondant cake you did - Wow, how great is that! EmilyG.

Aww, thank you Emily!

Hey Rylan, I always make my RI from meringue powder. I actually use Colette Peters recipe. It's very strong. I was also thinking you could attach your bricks with melted chocolate...

EimlyG, that's just a precious little house!

Thanks Wendy, I'll do that. I was thinking of melted chocolate as well but I'm afraid it might melt--especially if the kitchen gets hot and at the same time it would cost me more.

EmilyG, your house is soooo cute!