PLANNING:

A good plan for any project is the most essential step.

I began, searching for inspiration, Google Images, and Pinterest are my go-to places, and sure enough, I found this simple but not too plain style model. So, with iPad App, Procreate, I sketched out the plan and figure out all the pieces that I need.

BASIC DESIGNING:

Draw out and design the part with Silhouette Studio. According to the original sketch, I will need:

Front Wall 1x, Back Wall 1x, Side Wall 2x

Front Roof 1x, Back Roof 1x, Small Roof for Gable 2x

Bottom Plate 1x, regular gingerbread house does not need a bottom plate, because usually it is built on a piece of wood or a cookie sheet. So I need to add a Bottom Plate for this design.

Mid Plate 1x, after I put it together on the first trial, I realized that an extra plate in the middle connecting all 4 walls together, will add to the stability of the building. So I add a Mid Plate which was not accounted for in my original sketch

CONNECTING:

I choose the Finger Joint for this design.

I add the tabs on the edges of each piece and make sure the tabs on the adjacent pieces will offset, so they will fit together seamlessly. Also, make sure the size of the tabs is determined by the thickness of your material.

On the four walls, it is pretty straightforward. To fit the roof to the wall, took me a few tries, and finally, everything fit and the pieces are ready for the next step.

ADDING WINDOWS, DOOR, AND DETAILS...

Now it is time to add some cut-outs to make the window, add a door, and any decorating features.

In my design, I add some simple French windows, and clear or colored acetate sheets can be pasted inside of the window to act as glass.

And instead of the original doorway, I change to a simple arch entryway.

Then I add some decorative patterns to add more characters to the house.

I also found these wonder swirl patterns, so I incorporate them to create a decorative layer for the roof.

** All these can be changed easily for a whole new look **

PROCESS:

So now, the design is ready to load to xTool Creative Space and your choice of machine to process.

I choose to engrave then score for all the decorative elements, then cut out the window, and then cut out the outer edge.

for the arch doorway, you can cut a few extra pieces, later on, glue them together to add more dimension to the door.

Engraving setting: 30/80/1, then the scoring setting for outlining the pattern: 20/40/1

For cutting, I actually use scoring 70/10/1

• For the swirl pattern on the roof, I use the box from Chex cereal, and with the settings, I used for the cardboard (70/10/1), they work just fine.

ASSEMBLY:

1. Glue your choice of acetate sheet to the inside of the windows
2. Glue the LED light ring in place, and attach the LED light feature.
3. Glue all the door pieces together, set them to the side to dry
4. Connecting all walls to the Mid Plate first, then connect the whole thing to the Bottom Plate
5. After the four walls are standing solid, then gently attach the large roof in place
6. Add the gable roof
7. Glue the door in the center front wall

And your Laser Cut Gingerbread House is now ready for the holiday celebration.

Merry Christmas and Happy Lasering......

AFTER THOUGHT:

1. After I built my first one, I realized that I forgot the cut-out for my LED light fixture, so I went back to make two cut-outs on the bottom plate, and I create a ring to go around the LED light to give a better hold of the fixture.
2. Prepare a larger board to hold the house, and there is also room for some landscaping elements, such as a Christmas tree, some shrubs, maybe your pets....whatever your heart desired

Here is a bonus for your all.

This is the real Gingerbread House my daughter and I built.

So, same as the laser version, we drew out the plan, build a cardboard model, create the templates for all the components, then made the gingerbread dough, cut out the pieces with the cardboard templates, bake the gingerbread till really hard, assemble it, and

decorate it with an assortment of colorful candies, then with a glass of eggnog and enjoy the fruit of our hard work.

• If you are interested in making it, DM me for the recipe*