the sisters have had to get creative to ensure their gingerbread houses don't fall apart, especially given the size of their designs. Icing alone isn’t enough to hold everything together ...

Sliced almond shingles form the roof tiles. A bricklike chimney is made from gingerbread ... of royal icing along edges and embellishments to further define your house front designs.

Piping with icing can make your gingerbread house look extra polished. Use different piping tips to add intricate designs to windows, doorways, and the edges of the roof. A simple scallop design ...

Once dried, Tylose glue is clear and thin, leaving only your designs and ... slabs of your gingerbread roof, you can use Tylose glue to place tiny decorations onto your house, instead.

This is one of those ideas ... Houses with mom when we were little. She would bake a sheet of gingerbread, then pull out stencils she had made from file folders to carefully cut the walls and roof ...