Come Home Soon, Girls…

…your mother needs you!

My aim was something like this

I had started with the highest of intentions – I’d got some sweets [midget gems and chocolate buttons] and made up a bowl of icing. I chickened out and purchased an IKEA Gingerbread House Kit.

Bob made me some hot Christmas Ginger [with nutmeg, and a stick of cinnamon to stir with] and I set out everything on my lovely new Kitchen Tablecloth [1m of festive red oilcloth from The Range]

And that is when it all started to go wrong.

I managed to break a corner off one of the side walls as I unpacked the set – then the front wall completely shattered!

I tried to repair it by cutting a sheet of baking parchment of the same size, and gluing the jigsaw-ed pieces onto it with icing

Then I attempted to erect the building – but the walls would not stay upright. The roof panels kept sliding down, and the chimney would not fit the angle of the roof at all. Then the front wall splintered into about twenty pieces.

I put a plastic Ferrero Rocher box inside for support and tried again. Then I dismantled the chimney and used the pieces to rebuild the front wall. And it crumbled again.

“I think you should stop now” said Bob, gently.

“What, not decorate it?”

“No – perhaps a picture for the blog, though”

So here it is – especially for the encouragement of my friend Alyson, who is labouring under the mistaken belief that whatever craft I attempt, I manage to do perfectly!

I have managed to build a Gingerbread Favela.

If only Liz and Steph were here…they can do this sort of thing much better than I can!