Follow for more talkers

Mom transforms old playhouse into gingerbread house for less than $70

Avatar photo

Published

on
Stevie Gadsby, her husband Benjamin and their kids, Kye, 9 , and Rayne, 4. (Stevie Gadsby via SWNS)

By Fiona Jackson via SWNS

A savvy DIY mom has revealed how she transformed her kids' old playhouse into an incredible gingerbread house for $67 (£50).

Stevie Gadsby, 30, teamed up with her husband Benjamin, 32, to give the neglected toy a festive makeover and turn it into a home decoration.

"I love it, it screams Christmas!," said dental nurse Stevie.

"It’s different, you don’t see it everywhere. I’ve had parents ask me if they can take pictures outside of it with their children which I love."

Son Kye, nine, received the $670 (£500) playhouse for his fourth birthday from his grandparents but lost interest in it a few years ago.

"Rather than throw it away, we made it into something we can use each Christmas," Stevie said.

When thinking about how she was going to decorate the family home in Lakenheath, Suffolk, England this year, Stevie had a stroke of inspiration.

The gingerbread house. (Stevie Gadsby via SWNS
« of 2 »

"I decorate the outside of my house with candy canes," she said.

"Last year I made a candy-themed Christmas Garland for outside the door and thought it would be nice to have a gingerbread house with it."

She first spray-painted the plastic white, then fished out balls from their ball pit and cut them in half to look like gumdrops.

After gluing those to the roof, she created a snowy effect by spraying on expanding foam.

Kye, nine, and Rayne, four, in the house. (Stevie Gadsby via SWNS)

She then drilled a 'Santa's letters' mailbox to the front, and glued on some sweet decorations and Christmas lights from holidays past to complete the makeover.

The whole transformation took Stevie about a week and only $67 (£50) in supplies, and has impressed her friends on Facebook.

Kye and Rayne, four, are now banned from playing inside, but the 4x4 foot grotto has got them all in the Christmas spirit.

"The day I finished it, picked my little boy up from school and he loved it," Stevie said.

"It’s fun to be creative and make memories with family, especially around Christmas.

"The new decoration has definitely added to the Christmas spirit it’s made a lot of people smile and that’s what it’s all about."

Stories and infographics by ‘Talker Research’ are available to download & ready to use. Stories and videos by ‘Talker News’ are managed by SWNS. To license content for editorial or commercial use and to see the full scope of SWNS content, please email [email protected] or submit an inquiry via our contact form.

Top Talkers