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Easiest Gingerbread House Party Ever

December 10, 2016 by Barbara Rucci 8 Comments

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Easiest way to host a gingerbread house party (two really good tricks)!

We make these gingerbread houses every year. Sometimes we make them late in the season (like after-Christmas-late), and sometimes I am so organized I even make an invitation! If you are feeling efficient and organized these days, then scroll down to the bottom for a fun and free printable invitation I made for you.

Oh, and also scroll down for my two crazy-good tricks for making a gingerbread house making party super easy…

Easiest way to host a gingerbread house party (two really good tricks)!

Easiest way to host a gingerbread house party (two really good tricks)!

Easiest way to host a gingerbread house party (two really good tricks)!

This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for your support.

Supplies needed:

~ Gingerbread houses (I always get mine from Trader Joe’s)

~ Glue gun

~ Whipped white frosting (store bought like this one)

~ Plastic knives

~ An assortment of candy + containers to display the candy

Here are my two tricks for making this party really easy (if you haven’t guessed already):

  1. Use a hot glue gun to put the houses together before the kids arrive
  2. Pre-frost the roof with white frosting (skip making it yourself, the store bought kind is better because it doesn’t dry up fast)

And here is an extra little tip:

~ Save the box top from the gingerbread house kit to take the houses home!

Easiest way to host a gingerbread house party (two really good tricks)!

Easiest way to host a gingerbread house party (two really good tricks)!

Easiest way to host a gingerbread house party (two really good tricks)!

Easiest way to host a gingerbread house party (two really good tricks)!

Easiest way to host a gingerbread house party (two really good tricks)!

Easiest way to host a gingerbread house party (two really good tricks)!

(I love this shot of Charlotte sneaking a taste!)

One more bonus for you…

The invitation below if from my daughter Grace’s birthday party four years ago. I decided to make a printable version for you!

Here is the PDF. I put two on a page. If you print them on a heavier card stock, you can cut around them and leave a little white border. Or, if your printer doesn’t accept heavier paper, just print on regular paper then cut and glue onto heavier card stock. Punch a hole at the top and add a string. Now the recipient can hang it on their tree!

Printable FREE Gingerbread House Party Invitation

Printable FREE Gingerbread House Party Invitation

You still have time to pull this off. It’s a great GREAT party idea for this time of year, and moms will love you because it’s one less thing they have to do with their kids!

Good luck, and tag me on Instagram with any photos!

xo, Bar

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PS: To foster creativity in your home, add these Beginner Art Supplies, and Favorite Craft Supplies to your art shelves.

PSS: Follow me on Instagram to see what I’m up to at the moment, and Facebook for tons more creative and artsy ideas.

 

Filed Under: Open-ended Crafts for Kids, Art for Toddlers, Teen Crafts, Birthday Parties Tagged With: gingerbread house, printable invitation

Previous Post: « Patchwork Houses with Cardboard and Collage
Next Post: The Best of Art Bar 2016 »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Marn

    November 24, 2018 at 11:20 am

    Memories of making these with you and the girls years ago!

    Reply
    • Barbara Rucci

      November 29, 2018 at 3:29 pm

      Sometimes it seems so far away… like a different life, doesn’t it? XOXO

      Reply
  2. Kelly

    December 15, 2019 at 10:37 am

    My daughter begged me to host this at our house for her 8th birthday and I was reluctant. I found your blog and decided to go for it. Preassembling with hot glue gun is key! Also, get more candy than you think, we used most everything and the lifesavers and colorful licorice were very popular. I purchased baking aprons that they colored/decorated prior to house decorating. We had 10 attendees and I capped the party at 2 hours including cake. We used a tarp over the dining room table and did not have any small sprinkles candy. Thank you thank you! Everyone had a wonderful time.

    Reply
    • Barbara Rucci

      December 16, 2019 at 10:55 am

      thanks for leaving a comment, Kelly, I’m SO HAPPY that your gingerbread party was a hit!! xo Bar

      Reply
  3. Rachel

    November 8, 2021 at 4:39 am

    Unfortunately, I am unable to download the invitations. I would love a copy of these please!

    Reply
    • Barbara Rucci

      December 8, 2021 at 9:23 am

      hi Rachel, I think I have fixed the problem. Please try again! ~ Bar

      Reply
  4. Pam

    November 15, 2021 at 4:15 pm

    I am unable to access the PDF. 🙁

    Reply
    • Barbara Rucci

      December 8, 2021 at 9:22 am

      hi Pam, I’m so sorry. I think I fixed it. Google did a big security thing and I had to go in and reset each printable. I’m sure it’s too late for you now, but maybe next year! ~ Bar

      Reply

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I have been thinking lately about so many big idea I have been thinking lately about so many big ideas. They seem to be stuck, though, in the cogs of my brain. I need to articulate and connect these ideas together, but I can’t find the right words, or medium. It feels like trudging through thick mud, and then making the choice to set up camp in the muddy place. Maybe this is always what motherhood + living a creative life will be. And I am ok with that, too. Life is mucky, and even though I crave clarity, I am also acutely aware that this is why I also crave art. Music, books, museums, film, gardens… these are the mediums humans turn to when they need to find connection and, if we are lucky, clarity. But I feel more protective of my human-centered ideas these days and less willing to share them in spaces like this where they are open source. I don’t even know what is real sometimes. And how am I contributing to this landscape of creative and intellectual robbery. I think I am headed in a different direction but I don’t know what that is yet. Meanwhile, I am camping in the mud and looking for beauty where I am. 

Some moments new and old, lately…

1. Painting at my easel, age 4 when we lived in England before moving to the US. 
2. I tried making a video of motherhood on mother’s day inspired by this song 🌙 but never finished. 
3. Planting dahlias 🌸
4. Year 2 of my veggie garden. It is not going well. 
5. We diagnosed our garden problem as not enough sun so cut down a tree to give the sun a little path but then the sun moved. Also failing at science 😳
6. When you see your habits in your children ❤️ 
7. My mom’s caretaker gave me a cake and now I am a whole year younger 🙏🏼
8. Thank you James for the treats, mom dreams of traveling to visit your bakery but this was the next best thing 🥐
9. Finding 50 bucks in jeans from 20 years ago 👏🏼 Always check the pockets!
10. The newly graduated makeup artist with her kit off to a job 💋 
11. When the birthday kid isn’t home it’s too sad. must make art. 
12. When I am so dumb and share it on the internet 🙃
13. My heart, my clarity ❤️
14. Another round of silkscreening! Things are happening. 
15. MUA by Ava, and hanging out with the help 😍
16. Reminder.
Happy Earth Day! Can we agree that every day is Happy Earth Day! 

Can we agree that every day is Earth Day? The older I get, the more I change my habits to be kinder to this beautiful planet. Lately, seeing the photos from Artemis II of Earth from space has really moved me to make even more planet-friendly choices. Here are some things we do at home, and of course, we could always be better, but I also think small changes are more doable and sustainable, and if millions of us did just one of these things, it would make a difference.

Ok, here goes! My hope is that someone reads one of these actions and thinks, I can do this! We cannot reverse the melting ice caps, but we can stop further global warming… humans can do this if we work together. It starts small and is community-driven, so share this with friends!

1. Eating less meat, eating more veggies (this is also called eating low on the food chain). A vegetarian or vegan diet is a low-carbon diet. Did you know switching to 2/3 vegan reduces your carbon footprint by 60%? 
2. Grow our own veggies. Save on emissions and packaging, and find joy in gardening.
3. Less food waste. Eat leftovers, clear the fridge.
4. Buy less. Buy local.
5. Repurpose, fix, mend, thrift.
6. Make homemade gifts.
7. Drive less, fly less. (This one is harder, but being conscious of it is really important.)
8. Moderate, steady thermostat settings can save so much energy. Try 67/68 F in the winter and 72/73 in the summer and don’t touch it.
9. No pesticides on our lawn. It may not be pretty, but we have never had a beautiful lawn, and I’m fine with that. We also live on a river so the thought of polluting that water so I can have a perfect lawn is crazy.
10. Using non-toxic cleaning products or making our own from vinegar.
11. This year, we will do “no-mow May” to promote biodiversity, help the soil, and reduce emissions.
12. Vote for candidates who take climate change seriously!

Add some things you are doing in the comments. This is a judgment-free zone, so no preaching! But for real, we all can do a little bit better. 

The blog post about these signs is on artbarblog.com, link in bio!
New blog post! It’s about time I share my favorite New blog post! It’s about time I share my favorite materials that I bring to the library. Read the post for links and tips for how to pair these materials to foster deep engagement. Children have always needed time in childhood to use their hands to make things and play, but now more than ever, the skills they develop through these experiences are imperative for their future well-being and success. I’ve been reading everywhere about children’s “lost skills” in this new ed tech world where screens have replaced so much hands-on learning in the classroom, even as young as preschool 😞 Communication skills, flexible thinking, regulating emotions, building empathy for others, innovating, even core strength and pencil grips are a struggle. Offering time and materials for making things and playing with ideas should not be a challenge; it should be as essential as filling bodies with fresh air and food. Play is how children learn! Anyway, I hope this post will inspire you to collect some things for making and maybe even join our Materials Matter course over on @the.creativityproject so that you, too, can become an expert at cultivating creative thinking through art making!
It’s almost impossible to concentrate or sleep or It’s almost impossible to concentrate or sleep or work or enjoy anything these days. I know joy is resistance, art is resistance, kindness and empathy are resistance, and I try and practice all of these things every day, and also boycotting and shopping local and volunteering and making calls and checking on my neighbors and bartering and keeping our big tree lit for the community. And still, it doesn’t feel like nearly enough. I know we probably all feel this way. And maybe the collective small things really do add up to bigger movements, I don’t know. It’s Sunday and my mom is in the hospital again and I miss my one at college and I had such a bad dream last night. My headspace is not in cheerleader mode which is my usual default. And yet… going through my camera roll to find photos of things I made did actually help today. And I have made a plan for future things to make. When I wake up in the middle of the night, the way I get myself back to sleep is by envisioning this one big installation idea I’ve had for years, it takes place in a forest and involves textiles. So maybe 2026 is the year for me to bring this to life, or begin the process. I think about this quote, and it helps, too: When you make art, you rebel against a world that fears vulnerability. Ok, I’m better. Thank you for listening 🤪❤️

Ps: It weighs on me that Meta should be part of the boycotts. If anyone has any ideas for building community and sharing somehow somewhere else let’s discuss.
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