To get to the product website, click on the number below.

1. Big Green Egg – smoker/cooker

2. The Art of Shaving Gift Card

3. Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones – $299

4. J.Crew I-Phone Case – $38

5. Book Safe with titles for the man who loves Horse racing, Fishing, Golf – $195

6. Pottery Barn – Monogrammed Saddle Leather Valet – $79

Congratulations Jennifer Reynolds for winning the 1st annual Gingerbread House contest! You will be receiving your Sonos wireless music player complements of Acadian Custom Installations. There was actually a tie from the judges scores between Jennifer and Heather, but Jennifer had the most facebook “likes”.

“Here’s my “Cozy Christmas Cottage”….Craftsman Style of course!
I went traditional all the way. The large roof shingles kick off this festive villa (Nilla Waffers) and the traditional board and batten siding rings in Christmas cheer with its green color (chewing gum and sour punch straws). Red and Green candies topped off this tasty treat, marshmallows and royal icing set the snow scene and edible glitter added the glam factor.

Shiplap Beach Cottage by Heather Harkovich

“This is my ‘shiplap beach cottage’ gingerbread house- right on the ocean, just where I would live in Fantasy Land! I focused on creating a white, wood exterior (gum pieces), slate shingles (black licorice) and blue accents (no red and green) to tie into the ocean theme. Our ocean is blue tinted frosting, the sand is sugar in the raw and the grass, green tinted coconut.”

Gingerbread Cottage by Becky Freeman

Brick Cottage by Traci Zeller

“A cozy painted brick cottage tucked back into the woods. The dark shingled roof is especially charming after a fresh dusting of snow. Dark brown trim draws attention to the window casings, while a red front door welcomes all who pass by. A “Merry Christmas” doormat and “Reindeer Parking” right up front invite Santa and all guests inside to warm up by the fire! Don’t worry – these homeowners won’t run out of wood; a nice stack is right outside. Oh, and Santa can check the address to make sure he is at the right house!”

More is More house by Henry Zeller

“Henry (twin son of Traci Zeller and Michael Zeller) is lobbying for a “5 years and under” age category with his gingerbread cottage. Henry’s design philosophy can be summed up as “More Is More.” Despite the fact that his cottage failed inspection due to numerous Gingerbread Code violations (the extra candy on one side threatens the structural integrity of the roof), Henry is confident that his unique “maximalistic” aesthetic will ensure that he stands out in a crowded marketplace. Henry was overheard remarking that, “if Frank Lloyd Wright can be famous for making roofs that leak, so can I.”

Gingerbread Cottage by Kyle Reynolds

Melting Santa House by me & Cade

Thank you to everyone who took the time to create these beautiful masterpieces, to Acadian Custom Installations for donating the prize and a special thanks to Tobi Fairley & Jamie Herzlinger for judging the houses – I know it was a difficult choice and everyone did a fantastic job!

Happy New Year!!!

I have selected two amazing judges to help vote on their favorite gingerbread houses! Meet Tobi & Jamie…

Tobi Fairley Interiors

Tobi Fairley is an award-winning interior designer based out of Little Rock, Arkansas, with projects spanning the southern region and the nation from Charleston to Los Angeles.  Her designs have been featured in Traditional Home, Better Homes and Gardens, grace the cover of House Beautiful and At Home Arkansas. Tobi recently debuted her fabric and lighting collections at Tobi Fairley Home, and was selected by Traditional Home Magazine as one of the Top 20 Young Designers in America for 2009. Tobi Fairley has a signature look that is fresh and simple combining colorful, large-scale prints with classic furniture styles for a beautiful and functional result.

In 2010 Tobi introduced her online design service, InBox Interiors, and launched her popular design camps, both catering to the DIY market.  Designers and Design Enthusiasts alike have attended camps from across the nation with rave reviews. Tobi is currently working on product designs for several companies and she is a popular speaker at industry events across the nation sharing both her business and blog successes.

Jamie Herzlinger Interiors

Jamie Herzlinger is an interior designer and lifestyle maker with offices in New York and Scottsdale. Before the two decades of celebrated interior design, Jamie Herzlinger was conceived in luxury fashion, with four generations in the garment industry, and her own label. This year, Herzlinger participated in Kips Bay Show House in New York and worked with NBC’s Open House. Jamie Herzlinger Interiors was also named Top Twenty Interior Design Firm in the country by Traditional Home Magazine. Herzlinger brings her fashion design notoriety to all of her projects throughout the United States and along with it, comes her exquisite haute couture attention to details. Jamie Herzlinger Interiors takes pride in its ability to imbue every project with elements of history, philosophy, music and romance.

She recently launched JAMIE LOVES, a monthly e-magazine full of everything that Jamie is loving, and  JAMIE by Jamie Herzlinger – an online boutique that gives consumers access to cutting edge home design, high end fashion and hard-to-find upscale items. This service allows clients to work with an expert along with trade-only merchandise and a à la Carte menu.

Everyone is invited and I think the more people we can get to participate, the more fun it will be.

Prize: The Gingerbread House contest is being sponsored by Acadian Custom Installations, a high-end audio video company that does everything from home theaters to automation.  I do have a little bit of an “in” — my husband owns the company — but hey, that means someone is going to get a great prize!  The winner will receive a Sonos Player. It retails for $299. Basically, it’s a speaker that wirelessly streams music from just about anything.  Your iTunes library, local radio stations, Pandora, Rhapsody — you name it.  How cool is that?  No more being tethered to your computer … instead you’ve got your tunes wherever you want them. Make sure to visit his website and facebook page!

Recap: Upload a photo of your gingerbread house to my Facebook page Click here. If, for some reason, you aren’t on Facebook, you can email me (stacynaquin@cox.net) the photo and I’ll upload it. The deadline is Sunday, December 25th by midnight.  Yep, Christmas.  Once you upload your photo, ask all of your friends to “like” your photo!   The more people who “like” your house, the better.   The winner will be chosen based on the creativity and attractiveness of the design, the number of “likes”, and the judges score. The winner will be announced on January 1st — New Year’s Day — so she can keep the celebration going!

Thank you Tobi, Jamie & Bryan for so graciously participating!!!

I’ve had a little lull this holiday season and must say I’ve been quite a slacker in getting decorations up, so what better than a little Gingerbread House making to put you in the mood! I’ve decided to include YOU in my venture & add a little contest for excitement. Everyone is invited and I think the more people we can get to participate, the more fun it will be.

Here’s the best part — the Gingerbread House contest is being sponsored by Acadian Custom Installations, a high-end audio video company that does everything from home theaters to automation.  I do have a little bit of an “in” — my husband owns the company — but hey, that means someone is going to get a great prize!  The winner will receive a Sonos Player which retails for $299. Basically, it’s a speaker that wirelessly streams music from just about anything.  Your iTunes library, local radio stations, Pandora, Rhapsody — you name it.  How cool is that?  No more being tethered to your computer … instead you’ve got your tunes wherever you want them.

The deadline is Sunday, December 25th by midnight.  Yep, Christmas.  The winner will be chosen based on the creativity, attractiveness of the design and the number of “likes” and will be announced on January 1st — New Year’s Day

And who will be judging the contest?   Woohoo!  Maybe this is the best part.   I’ve lined up amazing judges to weigh in on what you’ve created.  I can’t give the full scoop on them just yet … but let’s just say you’ll be impressed.  I won’t make you wait long — tune in for the next few days to find out where to upload your Designer Gingerbread House! (P.S. You can get starter kits at Target, Walgreens, Walmart etc.)

Just in case you need some inspiration, here are a few more of my favorite gingerbread houses from around the web.

I can’t wait to see what you come up with.   What’s your inspiration?

Source of Images 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8

Check out our new return address labels from Vista Print! (obviously the return address would go below your family name) So, you pick how many members of the family, their skin tone, hair color, eye color and you can even add hair-do’s, mustaches (yuck!)…facial hair, sunglasses, pets, and you can customize the colors of your pets too!

I’m such a sucker for those “add on” products at the store with the tempting bins at the register, so when I got to the last screen for check out, they asked: “Would you like gift tags with your order for $8.99 more?” Why, yes!! Thank you for asking!

So here are my little mini gift tags that came with “free” little envelopes. (I like the word “mini” as you can see. Mini is not really my poodle’s name, it’s just what she ended up with because she is 3 pounds full grown.

If you would like return labels like these, click here. Also, you can do Santa hats for Christmas labels and gift tags. Do you like them?

Mindy Weiss is a proclaimed celebrity event planner and has appeared on The Nate Berkus Show several times. Although she can style very lavish parties, she came up with a creative tablescape on a budget. Mindy bought paper streamers and did a basketweave pattern for the main focal point of the table and mixed faux with real flowers. Wouldn’t this be a great idea for a child’s birthday party!?

I have to say, I was on a little basket weave kick for a while, which inspired me to come up with this gift wrap. I used the same idea, but with ribbon & found stick on letters (of course the baby’s outfit was grey & yellow).

Have I admitted my gift wrapping obsession yet? Just wait until Christmas!