I was very happy to finish the gingerbread house! At that point, I was a bit behind schedule; by the time I started on the landscape, I was two weeks behind! It didn’t take long to complete the base, and once it was done… well, here, let me show you:
For the landscape base, I used a cardboard sheet. I traced the spot for the house to sit, and a path on which sleigh would travel. Notice the opening in the house footprint: the light cord will go through this opening and insert in an opening in the house’s base. Before I iced the board and the house base, I made the decision to reinforce both with a second layer of cardboard. With the weight of the candy decoration, handling the house had become a little precarious. The extra layer added stability, and I hoped for the same with the landscape base.
With the reinforcement in place, I added a coverage of “snow,” rather royal icing. The technique used to ice the sleigh was used to accomplish this. I piped a bead of icing around the perimeter of the base, the house footprint and the pathway.
Icing is pushed into nooks and crannies using a skewer
“Snow” icing dries. The bowl keeps the board from buckling
I then “flooded” the inside of the outlines with thinned icing. The same technique was used on the house’s base. Both were left to dry overnight.
Now I put the house inside its footprint on the landscape. See how it stands higher than the landscape with the added cardboard: Not pretty. I piped icing around the base to hide the corrugated skirting, smoothing it with a spatula.
Given time, I would’ve worked to make the piping smoother and blend the seams. I decided to move on: I’m already behind schedule.
Laying the “cobble stones” on the path was simply flooding sections of the pathway and placing Sprees candy in the icing. Chiclets were laid like paving stones for the house walkway using the same technique.
I have three trees, but want more “greenery.” Spearmint gum leaves are placed about the house and landscape as shrubbery.
Ain’t it pretty?! But you ain’t seen nothing yet! I placed Santa, the sleigh, the reindeer, the gingerbread kids…
DONE! Sorta. At this point – and you’ll see it in later pictures – I’ve yet to add the reins to the reindeer harnesses (added the day before).
SPOILER: When I did add the reins, stuff happened. That, and the scene with the windows lit, is in our next episode!
It’s beautiful Steve!