How to Decorate a Gingerbread House

I like to add ribbon, using royal icing as glue, to the raw edge of the cake plate I use as a base for my gingerbread houses. As you can tell from picture #3, I changed the ribbon to red-and-white gingham because I thought it covered more of the edge and looked better.

Then I pull down icicles from the eaves on all four sides of the gingerbread house.

I lay down a thick bead of royal icing along the roof seam and place a candy cane at one end, and a candy chimney made from four pieces of chocolate at the other. Use cotton or quilt batting for smoke.