Okay, there is one craft that I have a handle on... some may call them gingerbread houses, but I call them graham cracker shacks. This is my third year making them and I'll show you how.
Melt sugar on low.
The melted sugar is your "glue" for putting the graham crackers together. Don't worry about the lumps - just work around them. If the sugar gets too thin, turn the heat off. When the sugar gets to thick, turn the heat back on.
"Glue" 3 sets of 2 graham cracker halves together for each shack. I lean them against something to get the 90 degree angle... this doesn't always work, and thus, shack versus house.
Add the 3rd set for the roof. To "glue", I just dip the crackers in the melted sugar. WARNING: The sugar is very hot, so do not let children do this part of the process.
This year I made 20. Enough for Blossom #4's second grade class to decorate, plus the school's first grade class as well. I always have extras because it never fails that one of the kids will push too hard and crack their shack, or one gets bumped off the table.
I cover foam meat trays with aluminum foil to hold the shack.
Here's the frosting (mortar) recipe for decorating:
4 teaspoons meringue powder
4 tablespoons water
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Add water if too thick.
I made 4 times this much for 20 shacks.
Remember this for next year and have fun!
Karin