Today we did the trucks!
The houses are easier to put together! The trucks come together bigger than I thought they would be!
This time I had fewer kids so I let them pick the color of the icing they wanted.
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-photo_1543452.html

Cookiemama2, those are adorable! My oldest son works for UPS and it looks like his truck! Too cute.

I finally uploaded my "personal house."

http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1543541

Rylan, how are you progressing?

I came across this UP house over on Craftster, and just HAD to share!
http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=332999.0
http://www.searchlawrence.com/Gingerbread_Pixars_Up_Carls_House.php
There's an Empire State Building and a space shuttle on the second link, too.

Oh my gosh that is soooo cool!! I recognized the old guy from UP right off!! Great links! Thanks for sharing!!

Hi guys, just saw this thread again. I didn't get to finish mines last Christmas but here it is:

Only 25% done at at that point. Bushes weren't supposed to be there. This was 4 feet wide.

Very nice Rylan!!

Oh wow... Rylan, I love the design~! You can finish it for this year Now don't procrastinate... Christmas will be here before you know it..

Oh wow, I forgot about this thread!! Thanks for bringing it back!!

Anyone have some suggestions for a new theme? I created my penguin ice castle last year and have done numerous others over the last 20 years or so...a chapel and some regular houses. I was wondering if anyone has ever tried a gb manger, but assumed the majority of the medium might be gum paste/fondant for the animals and I'm not sure my skills in that medium are up for that challenge just yet. I also thought about Santa's workshop, an elaborate bird house, or carousel.

Anyone have any patterns or pictures that you'd like to share. I generally make my own with foam backed poster board. It's never too early to start planning it all out.

Flat figures could be gingerbread, I found some nice photos and a listing for cookie cutters.
If you wanted 3D they could be fondant, marzipan, or why couldn't they be gingerbread? If a dough is correct for rolling into balls, it should be worth trying to make figures.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisof4/2117139668/
http://gingerbread-designs.com/honors.html
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000507JM/?tag=cakecentral-20
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pUXaddJMQyw/SxQ6oh6zcKI/AAAAAAAAAeA/qab_1PSu-W8/s1600/nativity4.jpg

I just passed this link on to a fellow gingerbread enthusiast last week! She was looking for patterns for very large houses...

Rylan: I know how much we corresponded back and forth on your house and how much you struggled with it. It looks awesome anyway! typical of you.

PenGwenny: If you have ever worked with polymer clay , you can work with gumpaste and fondant... besides, your piece last year was adorable and you used penguins in that. You might want to consider a Christmas Village, or a General Store. I think I am going to go for a General Store myself this year. I'd like to make it three-sided (much like a shadow box) so I can dress up the inside.

For those of you who missed this one, here is a favorite of mine. It was done by Mike Elder for a charity auction:

http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1524917

I just love the imagination and detail he put into this project.

Right now, I'm going to work on a Halloween Mansion for the kids I baby-sit. I say that every year, but they are going through a hard time this year (their parent's are divorcing) so I really want to complete this project on time this year!

7yyrt and BobW: It's always good to hear from you!

Happy Gingerbreading Everyone!

Hre's my festival of trees entry...hope you guys like it

or not....can't get it to post...there's pictures of it in "my photos" if anyone would like to see it...

cheers

I just came across this blog from last Christmas...
http://newfinmysoup.blogspot.com/search/label/Gingerbread%202009

perfecto, Win! Thx, you are the best

Hey everyone, where's your new gingerbread pix??? Whatcha all been workin on lately???

No gingerbread here except gingerbread men, and DH under-baked them.

One little baby not wanting to sleep alone in his crib is keeping all the adults awake.
Try a virtual gingerbread house.
http://www.jennybharris.com/activities/home/sweethome.htm

Oooooh! I love this thread, so happy to see it pop up again! This gingerbread season has been a huge success in our household. My daughter and I both entered the National Gingerbread House Competition at the Grove Park Inn for the first time.

I won Grand Prize with my Christmas Matryoshka dolls and my daughter placed in the top ten in the youth division for "Sugar's" doghouse. Here is the link to Grove Park Inn's website to see the winners from this years competition:

http://www.groveparkinn.com/gallery/2010-National-Gingerbread-House-Competition%99

And if anyone is interested in seeing all of the gingerbread creations that were entered, this is the link to the photographers website:

http://wrightcreative.zenfolio.com/gingerbread

To have so much creativity in one room is overwhelming! I cannot wait until next gingerbread season! Happy Gingerbreading to Everyone!

Here is my house for this year- I modeled it after my sister's new home

http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-photo_1881678.html

Wow Bijoudelanuit, that's gorgeous!!! I wish I lived in a house like that!

Thanks It was a lot of fun to do I'm looking forward to gifting it to my sister for Christmas

I didn't get any notifications that this thread had run more than once during the season! : ( Rats!

MadamRaz, I SAW your dolls posted after the win and just absolutely ogled them! What incredible talent! How did you shape them? I thought your daughter's entry was precious as well.

As for me, I got very little done in the way of gingerbread this year... I did accomplish my gift cottages for the kiddos in my life. That alone took me longer than planned. My other project was a sleigh I started from a vintage pattern cut from an old magazine. The pattern translated beautifullly; however I just never got around to finishing it.

When I have leftover dough, I freeze it and try for a Spring House. I guess that will be what I have to aim for this year.

LOVED hearing from all of you! Happy Baking!

Actually Win, it was I, GeorgiaGingerbread, that created the dolls! Ha Ha! Thank you to everyone for the kind comments. The dolls were shaped using hemisphere cake pans. It was a fun project and a huge learning experience for me! My daughter and I both have our concepts nailed down for next year and we are both so excited for next gingerbread season. I actually just picked up my dolls from the Grove Park Inn, and I am extremely happy to have them back home!