I found the original idea in the Kansas City Star newspaper, but have 
rewritten the directions so children could understand (with adult
supervision) as I have taught a Christmas Cottage class several years to
cousins and homeschool children.
Basic Christmas Cottage Ingredients
Note: some ingredients will be enough for 2 houses. You can share
or trade extra ingredients such as the candy with others in the class if
you so desire.
Ingredients:
10 pop tarts for each house and yard (in any flavor and
frosted/unfrosted)
1 can white pre-made/canned frosting
candies such as candy canes, teddy bear grahams, sprinkles, M&M's, jelly
beans, gum drops, pretzels, cinnamon candies, peppermint candy, sugar ice
cream cones, colored vanilla wafers, string licorice, large marshmellows,
etc.
1 tube each of read and green piping gel
Materials:
1 tray to cottage on or a foil covered piece of cardboard (app. 15" x
15")
several small bowls to put candies into
1 small frosting spatula for each person making a cottage
1 table knife to cut pop tarts with
paper towels or wipes for the messies
camera & film to take photos of cottages before taking home
1 box to carry creation home in
Cottage Instructions
Step 1:
Put a dab of frosting on tray or cardboard to "glue" (anchor) your pop
tarts down.
Step 2:
Base = 4 pop tarts. Smooth frosting along 1 long side edge and one short
side edge of pop tart rectangle and gently press together flat onto your
tray in the center of it. This is your Christmas Cottage's garden yard.
Step 3:
Ends of House = 2 pop tarts. Cut off corners of one end of long side of
pop tarts to make gable of house. Don't cut too deep until you see how
roof of house fits together. Cut deeper if needed. Top of pop tart will
look like an A.
Step 4:
Sides of House = 2 pop tart rectangles laid sideways. Slather frosting on
all 4 side edges of pop tart and fit together the short bottom sides of
the "gabled A" pop tarts at the corner of the cottage, pressing gently
into each other & down onto the center of your base "yard". Hold into the
corner a bit until frosting dries and "glues" itself together. If you
need reinforcement at corners, a toothpick or pretzel stick will help.
(Note: sticky icing fingers may pull apart your house or decorations, so
wipe your hands periodically with a damp paper towel). Do the same with
the other pop tarts.
Step 5:
Roof = 2 pop tarts sideways. Put frosting on one long end and on
undersides of "roof" where sides of "cottage" will meet. Press roof
together with both hands on top of house. Fill in holes or gaps with
frosting, especially at the "A" ends. Be gentle as these houses will not
stand a lot of rough treatment.
Step 6:
Fun part = Decorating! Tip: pull down tip of spatula to make snowy
icicles on roof of house. Use the left over frosting to dab on candy to
fasten it to your house or "garden yard". Use the red and green piping
gel to outline your windows, doors, sidewalk, and Christmas lights around
the eaves of the roof. Make snowmen out of marshmellows & pretzels
sticks. Dab on gel for eyes & mouth. Make fences with pretzels or
gumdrops. Layer vanilla wafers for shingles on your roof & a large
gumdrop or marshmellow for a chimney.
Be creative, but most of all have fun!
Step 7:
Take a picture of your Christmas Cottage creation for your scrapbook and
clean up your area! Gently ease into your box to take home and enjoy! Our
Christmas Cottages usually last about 3 days before they get gobbled up!
But the best part of this is now you know how to make them and can create
another!
Merry Christmas and a Very Happy New Year!
~The Rush'd Lady
About the author
The Rush'd Lady is a wife, mother to one home schooled teen boy,
gardener, crafter, a sentimental romantic and she collects
clutter in her cottage home. She claims to be an ordinary American citizen,
but we think she's pretty special!
