Gingerbread Village Ideas – Creative House Decorating Inspiration For Adults

I LOVE Christmas village displays so when I came across these GINGERBREAD village ideas, I was ALL IN. The decorating is such an inspiration to make some houses and a barn and a beach house, etc and create my OWN gingerbread village.

Thankfully, I also learned some tips, tricks and shortcuts for making the houses that REALLY helped ME.

This is not a Christmas craft for kids, ok? This IS gingerbread house decorating for ADULTS. Some of the ideas are pretty easy, but many of the DIY decorating styles and displays are super creative and intricate.

Now that you know that, let me show you some really cute and CREATIVE gingerbread village ideas:

 Gingerbread Town KitFound Here Gingerbread Mini Village KitFound Here

 

1. Create a gingerbread barn and use shredded wheat for hay.



2. Create a classic gingerbread house, complete with a thatched roof, candy-covered windows, and a gingerbread family out front.
3. Make a village square, with a gingerbread town hall, a bakery, a candy store, and a gingerbread church.
4. Make a beach house for your gingerbread village like one of these ideas (LOVE the gingerbread tiki bar!):



5. Recreate a winter wonderland, with a gingerbread ski lodge, ice skating rink, and a sledding hill.
6. Make a gingerbread house that looks like YOUR house.
7. Build a North Pole scene, with a gingerbread Santa’s workshop, a reindeer stable, and a gingerbread version of the famous North Pole sign.

Here are a few tips for making your own village of gingerbread houses:

• Use a variety of candies and icing to add color and texture to your gingerbread creations.

For example, look at the gingerbread house below – look at all the unique candies and food items used to decorate it:



See the pink arrow? The roof is decorated with Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal pieces – genius!

• Don’t be afraid to get creative with your designs – nothing is off limits.
• If you’re short on time, try the Graham Cracker Trick below.
• Or, use a really creative shortcut and use POP-TARTS!



 Gingerbread Pop-TartsFound Here Create A House kitFound Here

 

• Make sure to let your gingerbread village pieces dry completely before moving or decorating them, to prevent them from falling apart.

Do You HAVE To Use Gingerbread?

No, you do not have to use gingerbread to make the houses in your gingerbread village. Instead, use graham crackers.

Here’s a quick tutorial video that shows you how to make gingerbread houses out of graham crackers step by step:

 OREO Cookie House KitFound Here Gingerbread Man Waffle MakerFound Here

 

Tips & Tricks

• For an average size gingerbread house you will need 7 graham crackers.
• To cut the angles for the roof on your gingerbread house, use a serrated knife and slowly “saw” back and forth to cut a 45 degree angle on the graham cracker.
• The graham crackers are “glued” together with ‘Royal Icing’ alternative which contains powdered sugar and water mixed to a thick paste.
• Put your icing in a Ziploc baggie and cut the tip off a corner to make a pastry / piping bag.
• After you “glue” pieces of the house together, hold it for at least 30 seconds for it to take before trying to attach additional pieces.
• Let the house part dry for at least 10 minutes before attaching the roof.

There are SO many creative things made from gingerbread here – or try one of these kits below:

 Gingerbread Town KitFound Here Gingerbread Mini Village KitFound Here

 

More Clever Christmas Ideas: