Gingerbread House

This year I wanted to highlight the softer side of gingerbread and decorate in all shades of white, biscuit and tan.

It turned out pretty, don't you think?

I used oyster crackers as the siding (love it!) and the window shutters are vanilla wafer cookies. I wanted a simple pine nut walkway (to replicate stones) and made a snow-covered thatched roof by using Frosted Mini-Wheats.

A dried orange-rind star in the eaves is the perfect natural holiday touch.

Get yourself one of those pre-made gingerbread kits (make sure that it includes pre-baked walls and pre-mixed icing. This kit even had "tabbed" walls to secure into the gingerbread base for more stability - fabulous!)

Construction and decorating takes less than an hour and you'll be left with a mini-masterpiece.