I made a gingerbread church this year with Melissa's and Hilary's assistance. One more and I'm done for a while.
My main inspiration was the Virgin of the Guadalupe Shrine, my favorite church building in Dallas, located in the Arts District of downtown.
My first thought was to replicate this church as much as possible. Instead, I made a few design changes.
On all four sides of the tower, I recreated my favorite towers: the Campanile di San Marco in Venice, the London Bridge tower, and the UT Tower, circa 2006 (stained to show the "#1" lit).
This structure is much bigger than last year's project. It features seven independent buildings, measures approximately 3.5' x 2' x 7', and has stained glass windows.
I started designing this project in my head last January; I started putting it to paper in October. I started baking the first batch of gingerbread two weekends ago.
Unfortunately, my original design did not turn out as planned. I wanted the tower to be 9 inches tall. Those crumbled and I had to start over again.
As usual, my lack of foresight has created some problems: mainly, where to store it. You'll also understand Melissa's final plea - "Next year, Neil, can you be a little less ambitious?"
Not likely.
My main inspiration was the Virgin of the Guadalupe Shrine, my favorite church building in Dallas, located in the Arts District of downtown.
My first thought was to replicate this church as much as possible. Instead, I made a few design changes.
On all four sides of the tower, I recreated my favorite towers: the Campanile di San Marco in Venice, the London Bridge tower, and the UT Tower, circa 2006 (stained to show the "#1" lit).
This structure is much bigger than last year's project. It features seven independent buildings, measures approximately 3.5' x 2' x 7', and has stained glass windows.
I started designing this project in my head last January; I started putting it to paper in October. I started baking the first batch of gingerbread two weekends ago.
Unfortunately, my original design did not turn out as planned. I wanted the tower to be 9 inches tall. Those crumbled and I had to start over again.
As usual, my lack of foresight has created some problems: mainly, where to store it. You'll also understand Melissa's final plea - "Next year, Neil, can you be a little less ambitious?"
Not likely.
