2010 Wrap-up!

Happy New Year! I can't believe the new year has arrived so quickly. I think the best way to ring in the new year is to wrap up some projects from 2010. First up: my annual gingerbread house. I used this gingerbread recipe from Martha Stewart. I've used Martha's gingerbread recipes in years past and this one seemed to be a bit different. The pieces were very light brown and still had some flexibility to them even after they were baked and cooled. This didn't work well with my elaborate plans to built a house on stilts...the gingerbread was too flexible and the pretzel sticks didn't want to stay put. So I scrapped that idea and continued with my house plans (minus the stilts). Here's how it came out:

My mid-century masterpiece! It had a slanted roof and a red licorice-covered chimney. I used jujubes for the lights on the roof line and strips of gum for the siding. There is a walkway made of sugar babies and mini candy bar landscape boulders. Shredded coconut completes the snowy scene. Overall this house was much larger than last years model, but was just as fun to make!

I have also been meaning to share this adorable faux sugar cookie ornament project that I learned about on one of my favorite blogs, Creature Comforts. The moment I saw these I knew I had to make them for myself. 

 

I used pastel pink, green and blue paints and finished them off with glitter and multi-colored, metallic dragees.  I wrote names on the little ones and used them as gift tags! They came out great and were so much fun to make, so I definitely recommend trying them yourself.

Cheers to a new year of projects!