DIY Gingerbread House Box

The good news is there are no rights and wrongs—only creativity! Think of a typical gingerbread house and how you would decorate it. You would probably be limited to a few standard designs because of how messy frosting and edible glitters and gels can be. Take all the things you've always wanted to try and do just that. Try it! You have way more control with paint and a brush or a paint pen than you would with frosting. 

First, gather these items:

Kraft gift boxes. I used these but I also like these and these. 

White paint or a white paint pen.

Puff paint. We love the OOLY brand pearlescent paint set. 

Craft Supplies. We love the pre-boxed craft kits by Kids Made Modern and used bits of this set and that set. We have several of their kits and pick and choose from everything to get the look we are aiming for.

Gingerbread cookies! Whether you bake them yourself or buy them from your favorite bakery, your favorite people will feel the love. 

Ruler, stencils, or any object that you can use to create the lines and curves you want for your house design.

Glue

Tissue paper or wax paper for the cookies

A few pointers to keep in mind:

Most kraft boxes come flat. Leave them that way while creating your design! 

Work from the top of your kraft box to the bottom. This will give you more room to work with your hands as things dry. You are more likely to smudge your designs if your hand is swiping over them while working from bottom to top.

If you are right-handed, work left to right. If you are left-handed, work right to left for the same reason I gave above. It's all about giving your designs time to dry! 

Get creative with your embellishments! Draw in your square (or circle!) windows and doors and then add more: more window panes, more border designs, add flowers or snowmen, etc. 

Once you pop your kraft box upright, make sure to paint in the corners. Think of it as if you were actually building a gingerbread house; you would use frosting to hold the walls together and you would be able to see the frosting lines at every corner. Recreate that visual with paint or fuzzy sticks.

After stuffing your boxes with cookies and closing them up, tie with a ribbon for a little extra zhooshing. 

Enjoy!