DIY Gingerbread Houses on a Budget
These houses are so fun to make and turn out so cute! No, my pottery barn dupe doesn’t look exactly like the original, but that’s ok because I was able to make them for a fraction of the cost: I made four houses for the price of one from PB! Theirs are about fifty bucks each and I made a set of four for forty five dollars. (Sadly one got broken so you see three here.) And while they don’t look quite as professional, it’s pretty fun to display something you made yourself.
Easier than you Think
When I decided to give this project a try I worried it would turn into a complete disaster, mainly because I. Can’t. Draw. But I tried a couple different methods for decorating the houses and figured out the easiest way to do it – and they turned out cute! They look great set up with some bottle brush trees and they have lights inside to give them a Christmas village feel. I’m including lots of tips and tricks to make this project easy for you to replicate, as well as a video and step by step photos.
Supplies
You only need four things to make your own ceramic gingerbread houses!
- Ceramic Houses: I used this set of four light up Christmas houses from Target. I like how they turned out, but the surface dow have some texture, which made decorating them a little bit harder. This set of five houses from Amazon has a smoother surface and I think it would work great and be easier to decorate – just be aware the houses are a little bit smaller than the ones you see in this post. You don’t actually have to use ceramic houses – metal or plastic houses should work as well – I’ve even seen some people use the small plastic doll houses from the dollar store. You could also check thrift stores for ceramic Christmas houses.
- Spray Paint: I used Rustoleum Warm Caramel Spray Paint (it only costs six bucks if you buy it in store at Walmart). I think it’s the perfect color for a gingerbread house, and since it’s paint and primer in one it has great coverage.
- White Oil Based Sharpie Paint Pen: Find it on Amazon here. I’ve seen some people paint their designs with white acrylic paint, but using a paint pen is so much easier!
- Puffy Paint: I tried both the Tulip brand and Puffy brand; both worked great.
Ceramic Gingerbread House Video
Watch this video to see exactly how I made my DIY ceramic gingerbread houses. After the video you’ll find written instructions with additional details plus tips and tricks. And at the end of the post there is a printable instruction card. Here’s the video:
Paint the Houses
The first step is to paint the houses. Set them on a covered surface outside or in the garage or other well ventilated area. I found that the Rustoleum spray paint covered beautifully! I gave each house one light coat then light it dry until no longer tacky, about 15 minutes. Then I gave each house a second coat. After the second coat I let them dry for about four hours to make sure the paint had time to set completely. I think the color is perfect for gingerbread and the satin finish gives just a little shine.
Practice
If you are artistic and comfortable with drawing, you can just grab your white paint pen and start decorating the front of each gingerbread house. But if, like me, you aren’t a great artist, it’s very helpful to practice first! Just trace the outside of a house on paper and then sketch in the windows and doors. Then you can use pencil to sketch in a few different designs. If you hate them, just erase them and try again. Keep going until you have a general plan of how you want your first gingerbread house to look.
Once you have a plan sketched out, you will want to practice with the paint pen. Shake it very well before using. Then tap the tip of the pen down on paper a couple of times to get the paint flowing. Using the white paint pen, trace some of the designs on your practice paper just to get an idea of how the paint pen feels. The white paint may not show up well on your paper, but don’t worry, it shows up great on the painted ceramic houses.
Decorate With Paint Pen
Once you feel comfortable with the paint pen, it’s time for the fun part: start decorating the first house! I found it easiest to begin by gently outlining the doors and windows. Then I started adding very simple designs using short strokes with the pen. I used dots, hearts, swirls, Xs, etc.
If you are working with houses that are textured, like the ones I used from Target, the texture makes it a harder to draw long lines that look good, so stick with short lines. Ceramic houses with flat sides, like this set from Amazon, would be a little easier to decorate. You can decorate just the front of the houses, or the sides as well.
Working with a Paint Pen
Remember that you are applying paint with a pen here, so the paint will stay wet for a few minutes. Be careful as you draw not to smear what you have already done.
If the pen seems to be going dry and not enough paint is coming through, grab a piece of scrap paper and tap the tip down on it. That will let more paint through. Draw on the paper until the paint is coming smoothly. DO NOT push down hard when you are drawing on your houses or you may accidentally get a flood of paint coming out of the pen.
Decorate with Puffy Paint
Once you are finished decorating with the paint pen, you can move on to using puffy paint on the rooftops. Puffy paint is easy to work with – just squeeze it out in whatever design you like. Practice a bit first on paper to get a feel for it. I made a scalloped design on some of the roofs (like you see below) and diagonal lines to make diamonds on other roofs. Both turned out cute! Again, be careful not to smear the puffy paint as you work.
What if I Mess Up??
These are gingerbread houses so it’s totally fine if the designs don’t look perfect and they have some quirks. A real gingerbread house is handmade, after all. However, if you truly hate how to paint pen designs turn out, you can let it dry and then just spray over it with spray paint. I did this with one of my houses! It took two coats of spray paint, but it completely covered the first try and I was able to redo the decorations. Do this before adding the roof decorations.
If you mess up on the roof using puffy paint you won’t be able to paint over and try again because it is textured. But what you can do is add more puffy paint and then (while it’s still wet) flatten it across the entire roof. Dust it with white glitter if you have some, and you’ll end up with a snowy roof instead of a textured one. Problem solved.
Display your DIY Gingerbread Village
These houses look great on a mantel or coffee table! The houses I used light up, but if your houses don’t, you can add battery operated tea lights or fairy lights inside each one. These turned out so well I’m thinking of getting more and making an entire village – it’s a fun way to add a personal touch to my decor for the Christmas season.
DIY Ceramic Gingerbread Houses
Supplies
- Ceramic Houses
- Rustoleum Warm Caramel Spray Paint
- White Oil Based Sharpie Paint Pen
- White Puffy Paint
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Instructions
- Begin by spray painting the houses brown. Apply two coats of spray paint, letting the houses dry at least 15 minutes in between coats. Then wait four hours for the paint to completely set before continuing.
- Trace one of the houses on some paper, and use pencil to sketch in some designs. Having a plan is very helpful once you start on the actual house.
- Shake the paint pen very well, then tap it down on the paper a few times to get the paint flowing. Practice using the paint pen on your paper first.
- Then move on to adding designs to the front of your house. Begin by outlining the windows and doors, then start adding small, simple designs.
- Continue filling in the space until you are happy with how it looks. Be careful not to smear what you've already done. Decorate the sides as well if desired.
- Next, use puffy paint to add designs to the roof. Scallops or diagonal lines (to make diamond shapes) are popular.
- Add extra puffy paint around the chimney and bottom edges/corners of the roof, then use a toothpick to pull it down to make it look like snow.
- Allow the puffy paint to dry overnight before handling the houses.
Lisa Smith says
Are the houses white on the inside? Did you worry about getting paint on the inside through the windows?
Autumn says
They are white on the inside, and a little bit of paint did get inside, but the windows are small enough that you can’t really see inside unless you pick one up and look closely. So I didn’t worry about it!