A Whimsical Winter Wreath Made With Paper Gingerbread Houses

Dress up your door with our colorful pastel wreath featuring peppermint candy and a paper gingerbread village.

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Image Credit: Kirsten Nunez

When it comes to Christmas crafts, there are few things more classic (and cozy!) than gingerbread houses and wreaths, so why not combine the two and add some unconventional colors to the mix? For this charming wreath tutorial, we adorned a pastel pink wreath with faux peppermints and mini gingerbread houses made of paper. The result is a candy-inspired Christmas DIY that looks good enough to eat.

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To get started, make the wreath's adorable mini gingerbread houses from scratch with our ehow-exclusive gingerbread house printable. Simply print out the template, cut it and trace it onto card stock. Once folded and glued together, the paper will transform into a super-cute gingerbread house that will fit in the palm of your hand.

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Plus, as with most paper wreath projects, you can easily customize each house with white gel pens, rickrack or even more paper. The possibilities are delightfully endless, not to mention festive and fun.

Ready to get crafty in the name of Christmas? Keep reading for our step-by-step tutorial and learn how to make a pretty pink DIY Christmas wreath with candy elements.

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Video: A Whimsical Winter Wreath Made With Paper Gingerbread Houses

Paper Gingerbread Houses

Things You'll Need

  • Mini gingerbread house printable template

  • Brown card stock

  • Pastel paper scraps

  • Red and white card stock

  • White rickrack trim

  • Scissors

  • Glue tape, hot glue gun or glue stick

  • White gel pen

  • White chalk pencil (optional)

Image Credit: Kirsten Nunez

1. Print and cut template

Image Credit: Kirsten Nunez

Print the mini gingerbread house template. Cut out both pieces.

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Tip

When printed at 100% scale, the template will create a gingerbread house that’s about 3 1/2 in. tall and 2 1/4 in. wide. You’re welcome to reduce the scale to create smaller gingerbread houses.

2. Prepare card stock

Image Credit: Kirsten Nunez

Place the template on brown card stock. Trace around the template with a white gel pen or a light-colored pencil. You can also use a white chalk pencil. Cut out the shape from the card stock.

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Image Credit: Kirsten Nunez

Fold down the tabs and press down to create a hard crease. Fold the main portion of the house horizontally, overlapping the squares; this will separate the four sides of the house. Fold up the bottom flap, which will form the bottom of the house.

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Fold the separate rectangle piece in half for the roof.

3. Assemble gingerbread houses

Image Credit: Kirsten Nunez

First, join the sides: glue the side tab to the opposite end of the house. Make sure the tab is glued along the inside of the house's body.

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Image Credit: Kirsten Nunez

Glue the bottom flap to the four tabs on the bottom.

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Image Credit: Kirsten Nunez

Glue the roof to the top four tabs. Repeat until you've created the desired number of houses.

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4. Add decorations

Image Credit: Kirsten Nunez

It's time to decorate your mini houses! We used pastel scrapbook paper and red-and-white "candy cane" card stock to create the front doors, white rickrack trim for snowy details and a white gel pen to doodle on the house. Don't be afraid to get creative!

Tip

All paper craft materials are fair game, including stick-on rhinestones, stickers, old book pages and felt or foam shapes. If you have a Cricut or another cutting machine, feel free to use it. This is also a great opportunity to use leftover materials from other craft projects!

Pompom Garland

Things You'll Need

  • Red and white pompoms

  • Embroidery thread

  • Sewing needle

  • Scissors

Image Credit: Kirsten Nunez

1. Thread pompoms

Image Credit: Kirsten Nunez

Cut a long strand of embroidery thread and tie a knot at one end, leaving a few inches of extra thread between the end and the knot; you'll use this to tie the garland onto the wreath form.

Insert the other end of the thread through the needle and then pierce the needle through a pompom.

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2. Make garland

Image Credit: Kirsten Nunez

Slide the pompom down to the knot. Continue adding red and white pompoms, alternating colors. Continue until the garland reaches the desired length.

Tie a knot at the end. Again, leave extra thread so you can tie it onto the wreath.

Wreath Assembly

Things You'll Need

  • Pastel pink wreath

  • Paper gingerbread houses

  • Red and white pompom garland

  • Faux candy canes and peppermint candies

  • Scrap plastic or plastic wrap

  • Clear tape

  • Scissors

  • Hot glue gun

  • Wreath hanger

Image Credit: Kirsten Nunez

Tip

Faux candy canes and peppermint candies are available on Amazon. They might also be sold at your local craft store.

1. Wrap candies

Image Credit: Kirsten Nunez

To give the wreath even more dimension, wrap a few round peppermint candies in plastic, making sure to twist the ends.

Add a strip of clear tape to secure the plastic seam on the backside of the candy. Wrap the twisted ends with thin pieces of clear tape.

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Image Credit: Kirsten Nunez

Repeat with a few more peppermint candies.

2. Add garland to wreath

Image Credit: Kirsten Nunez

Tie the pompom garland to the back of the wreath. Cut away any excess thread if necessary.

Tip

This wreath idea can be customized based on your home decor and Christmas decorations. For example, for a more traditional look, use a standard green or grapevine wreath. You could even cover a foam wreath form in wide ribbon or fabric for a totally different vibe.

3. Add candies and houses

Image Credit: Kirsten Nunez

Hot glue the candies and paper gingerbread houses to the wreath and then hang it on a door using a wreath hanger. Merry Christmas!

For more festive food-inspired crafts, make our DIY felt food ornaments for your Christmas tree.

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