Gingerbread (300th Post!)

This year my workplace held its first annual gingerbread contest. Despite starting the night before it was due I think it turned out well! Ava and I had loads of fun putting this together.  The bulk of the candy was leftover Halloween candy, all the "meh" stuff most people just throw away.  I call it

Eversweet National Forest, nestled under Gingerbread Peak.  Everyone at the Christmas lunch threw in their votes.  I overheard a few onlookers saying "this one is super busy!"  Well, of course it is! It's called nature, it's supposed to be messy! Things don't grow all in neat rows, ya know?

UPDATE: The votes have been tallied, I am a winner!
Best Use of Color Category WINNER!

(Check out my Instagram account @spacemason  for more photos)

I drew upon a few sources for inspiration:

A World of Food: Amazing Foodscapes by Carl Warner

Creepmas Day 2: Homemade The Elf on the Shelf

Vintage(?) homemade Christmas Elf! The stuff of nightmares, yes, but I kind of like him/her/it. Just as The Other Mother Witch from Coraline used a doll to spy on children, Santa uses Elves on Shelves.

It's fun to stare deeply into its googly eyes while listening to Santa Clause is Coming to Town. Try it!

Ava's Halloween Table

Sometimes I forget that Halloween isn't just for grown-ups to feel like a kid again. It's also for kids for feel like kids now! So I whipped up this Halloween mood table for our cute little roaming house goblin. Check it out!

Centrally located at the end of the main hall, it's equipped with everything a little 22 month old girl could ever want for Halloween! 

On the top shelf (the only one Ava can't reach) we've displayed our toilet paper inner tube monster creations! Daddy used a paper towel roll and Mummy made the two on the ends. Ava made the one in between the Daddy Monster and Mommy Monster.

Halloween Hello Kitty, gift from family last year.

These 2 mini plushies are Arctic Circle Halloween kids meal toys from the 90s. There was also a Goblin and I other creature, but who knows where they are now. They also used to come with little hiding places. The cat came in a tree, the ghost came in a paper sack and I can't remember what the other 2 came in. If you ever see these second hand SNATCH THEM UP! They super rare and I would be interested in completing the collection again. I can't find any info online on these guys.

The infamous Beanie Baby Hambeargler is chillin' next to the haunted house. I passed on him once before, but I saw this one for a quarter, so I thought "what the heck"!

I'm glad Ava now has a little Halloween spook alley all her very own. Remember, Halloween is for kids!