An Artist Turned a $9 Goodwill Dollhouse into a Giant Gingerbread Castle
The gingerbread man is moving up. TikToker Lawyer P. Douglas II gave the traditional gingerbread house a major upgrade by transforming a $8.99 dollhouse from Goodwill into a gingerbread castle, and he showed off the whole thing in a TikTok.
Douglas II started the DIY project in response to seeing all the dollhouses getting dark makeovers for the spooky season. “With everyone painting these black during Halloween, I wanted to do something different,” he wrote.
In his TikTok post, Douglas details his process. First, he buys the dollhouse from Goodwill, then proceeds to spray paint it brown, unintentionally making the structure look like chocolate instead of gingerbread. He also applies a coat of silver paint on parts of the house, such as the window frames, that will be buried under a layer of faux icing.
Douglas’ method to make the faux icing is surprisingly simple. “[I used] baking soda and craft paint. Just enough to pipe,” he said. “Too much baking soda will make it brittle.”
He then uses the icing to draw small details such as the brickwork, window frames, door ornaments, and roof tiles. To make the illusion of snow more convincing, Douglas drizzles the castle with a layer of faux snow spray. And to really make his artwork pop, he glues on various fake candies from Hobby Lobby, along with tiny Christmas trees and wreaths.
The result is a budget-friendly gingerbread palace that’s sure to be a hit with Douglas’ guests over the holidays.
His followers, of course, loved it. “The Disney Imagineers who make the yearly resorts’ gingerbread houses: you’re hired,” reads a comment.
“Wowwww!!!! Incredible work!!!!!!! That had to take forever!!!!,” someone added, to which Douglas replied: “Thank you. Without drying times I’d say about 12 hours.”
So for those who don’t know how to bake but are handy with a can of spray paint and a tub of glue, now you know how to put up a stunning gingerbread display this Christmas season.
You can see more of Douglas’ art projects by heading over to his TikTok account here.