Gingerbread House Plans

Each year, around Christmas time, the kids in my family all get together and decorate gingerbread houses.  Mom cuts out brown foam core board and glues it together on wooden disks covered in aluminum foil.  We all bring candy to decorate with which always ends up with a huge assortment of building supplies.  The day of, Mom makes Royal icing that is just stiff enough to hold the candy in place.  We all have a blast. 

Last year, instead of finding a Saturday during December that we are all free, we decided to make them on Thanksgiving and fore go the nap after tearing into the bird.  So while all the guys are napping the gals and kids venture into the basement for gingerbread shop class! 

Generally, I like to plan what my house is going to look like or a theme that I would like to stick to.  This year I want to go a little more down to earth and natural.  I want to make a sort of "house in the woods" which won't be that easy to do considering I don't have any edible moss or tree branches.  Did I mention our decorated houses must be edible... the decorations anyway.  So we have simple guidelines to follow which means I will be carousing the candy aisle this week and pulling out the brown cereal.  My main items to work with this year will be Golden Grahams for the roof, sticks of gum for walk ways, and chow mien noodles of which I have no clue how I am going to use yet. 

So here are inspiring houses that I found.  Notice that not many of them are actual candy houses.  But still inspiring.  I am going to have to find lots of green candy and take a lot of patience with me!  Pictures will follow.