This post is all about how to make long-lasting Ceramic Gingerbread Houses that you can make and save for many years, are inexpensive and SUPER cute.

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Published January 19, 2024
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Cost

What does it cost to make these DIY Ceramic Gingerbread Houses? The cost entirely depends on whether or not you source the houses from a thrift store or buy them brand new.

Buying a Ceramic Gingerbread House on Etsy, for example, can set you back anywhere between $20-$60 depending on the size and complexity of decorations.

For more information about Ceramic Gingerbread Houses on Etsy, click HERE to be redirected to listings. You can get lost on that website searching for gingerbread houses, they are SO cute!

• $1.99
• $1.99
• $1.99
• $2.99
• $0.99
• $2.99
• $0.99
• Spray paint $6.67
• Decorative Paint Pen $5.98

The total cost to make 7 DIY Ceramic Gingerbread Houses was $26.58. Each house came to a price of $3.79.

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Materials Needed

• Ceramic Houses
• White Puffy Paint
• Decorative Paint Pen

Before you can begin your project, you must get the right tools and equipment.

Finding the right spray paint color, that is flat of course, helps to make your Gingerbread Houses come to life. Too light and they look silly and too dark, and they will look like chocolate.

Make sure your paint is good on ceramics as well.

For the white accents, there are a few different products to use. One is a Decorative Paint Pen. The other is White Puffy Paint. Use both or just one at a time in WHITE to make the decorative details on the DIY Gingerbread Houses.

To make a traditional gingerbread house, use white paint for any decorative touches as it gives the look of piped icing. You can also add clear or white glitter to the paint as it dries for a sparkling touch.

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Steps to make your own Ceramic Gingerbread Houses

The first step in making your own Ceramic Gingerbread Houses is to source your houses for the Gingerbread project. There are many ways to source your gingerbread houses. You can thrift them or buy them brand new. There are a few stores that sell small white houses around Thanksgiving and Christmastime. Target was one, in their Dollar Section, that you could find them for $5 or less.

Personally, thrifting is my favorite way to go. It may take a few trips and a few stores until you can find all of your desired homes. Each of these homes was $2.99 or less with the cheapest one $0.99.

Each house was unique as well. Some are tall and skinny while some are shorter and wider. I also found a sleigh that will be adorable with stacked candies or candy canes. One of my favorites was a little nativity scene, with Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus and a little sheep, all nestled under the roof.

Some of the houses that were sourced for this project had holes, so when done, twinkle lights can be inserted for a lighted effect.

Clean your ceramic houses

Now that you have your ceramic houses, in any design, color or shape, bring them home and clean them off with a damp rag. Get off any dirt or debris and wipe them clean.

This is by far, one of the most important steps, as you will need to have a clean ceramic surface for your paint to adhere properly. If you do leave dirt on the surface, you could inevitably cause the paint to fail and chip in parts. For this adorable project, you want a clean surface to help the paint stick to keep these DIY Ceramic Gingerbread Houses lasting for years to come.

Once you have cleaned the houses, let them dry overnight before painting them.

Spray Paint the ceramic houses

Now the ceramic houses are clean and dry, it is time to spray paint them brown.

Make sure you follow the directions on spray paint! Do not use it in any way other than manufactures directions.

Before spray painting your DIY Ceramic Gingerbread Houses, place them on a cardboard or paper surface, one that is disposable and you can throw away when done, but is also strong enough to do a few layers of paint.

Additionally, to the base, have a backing board to place behind the houses to catch any paint overspray. Make sure to spray the paint OUTSIDE or in an incredibly well-ventilated area, as the fumes are strong.

Cardboard boxes are perfect for this project as you can have them on an elevated surface to spray paint the houses easier, additionally, you can then rotate the boxes to paint each side.

Spray lightly over the ceramic houses, in short passes, covering all the surfaces of the ceramic houses. Do light layers over the surfaces and edges and corners on each house. If you spray too long in one spot, you could cause drips and the paint will look bad as it dries.

Once done with one coat, rest your Gingerbread Houses for at least 24 hours before doing a second coat. 24 hours allows for the paint to fully dry and not to be tacky. Again, light passes with the spray paint is key at this point, to avoid drips. You can always get a better coverage with your second coat or third if needed.

Once the first coat is fully dry, set up your spray area with the cardboard again, and spray the second light coat on the Ceramic Houses. They will start to look like Gingerbread houses by this point!

If you need a third coat, set up your spray station and spray in light layers until the surfaces are covered with the paint.

Time to decorate with white “icing”

Once your Gingerbread Houses have completely dried, it is then time to decorate with your puffy paint or paint pen. Using WHITE for this helps to give the look of using icing for a real gingerbread house.

While using the Paint Pen, I found it was hard to get a consistent look and ended up switching to White Puffy Paint after just one roof. The Puffy Paint was SO incredibly easy to use and decorate with.

Practice on a paper or piece of scrap cardboard before beginning on your houses to get the feel of the Puffy Paint.

Use images you can find on Pinterest for inspiration for your Gingerbread House designs. Switch up the decorations on each or make each the same if you prefer. It is totally up to you! These are your houses, and you can make them as plain or fancy as you wish. You can also repaint them brown and redecorate them yearly if you want!

Once all of your DIY Ceramic Gingerbread Houses are painted, decorated and dry, set them out on display! These are nestled on our fireplace mantle around lighted garland. They look amazing on a table setting, fireplaces and more.

This post was all about how to make long-lasting DIY Ceramic Gingerbread Houses that you can make and save for many years.
~Monica

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