I was up yesterday at 4 am 'installing' my gelatin sheet windows. I then decorated them with white icing to look like window shades. I got up this morning to find the sheets unattached from the house and curling and the icing all crumbling.
Has anyone figured out how to use these sheets and make them stay? I'm considering DUCT TAPE!!!! heheheee
Thanks...
Joannie
Hi Joannie,
Sheet gelatin is one of those items that sound like a great idea as a concept but in practice can be a little disappointing and quite challenging to work with. Unfortunately Sheet Gelatin is notoriously difficult to work with for exactly the reason you described, it tends to 'curl' out of place in much the same way that parchment paper tends to move and curl up on the corners of a baking sheet when its not secured. That said, I have used sheet gelatin successfully in the past by securing it with a fairly stiff Royal Icing that is secured in place by sandwiching the sheet gelatin in-between little blocks of baked gingerbread. The gingerbread 'blocks' hold the sheet gelatin in place quite well. Of course the 'gingerbread block' method is only an option if you have a sufficient boarder behind the window in which to hide the gingerbread blocks...but if you do, this is a great way to secure it. (If you don't have clearance to hide the gingerbread, you might be able to work it into your window design by making it a visible boarder...just a thought.)
If you don't have the needed clearance to use the 'gingerbread block' method, then you can try to secure the sheet gelatin with Royal Icing and simply weight it in place while it dries. A suitable weight might be a spice jar or small bottle. Once it had fully dried in place (usually 2-3 hours depending on how hydrated your Royal Icing is) you can remove the weight.
I hope the above will help you. You just need be careful not to damage any decorations you may have placed on the 'public' side of the gingerbread while you attach the sheet gelatin windows. As I noted, sheet gelatin is challenging to work with but if you can get it to work does present a very realistic looking window. These days I tend to use hard candy for the windows on my creations (especially Isomalt, which looks deceptively like glass when its made properly). Although Hard Candy is a little more work upfront, I find it much easier to work with and more durable in the long run.
Hope this helps,
-Adam
Great solutions Adam! Thanks for the recommendations!
Loreta
Thanks Adam!!
I really like the block idea! Since posting this I decided to go the hard candy route. We found these really awesome clear peppermint candies. They really ended up looking pretty good. Now I need to begin to try and make it look pretty. LOL
I will save my leftover gel sheets and re-try it again next time when I choose something smaller. I don't know what the heck I was thinking when I choose Ivy House. This is WAY out of my league.
Thanks again!!!
Joannie
Hi Joannie,
I don't think you will be sorry you went the hard candy route... Although Sheet Gelatin looks great in certain applications it can be a royal pain to work with and as I've noted, I believe hard candy can look every bit as realistic.
By the way: I am also making the Ivy House this year! It's an awesome pattern; I agree it's a bit challenging but it's also been a lot of fun to do. [Thank you Loreta!
] I will share some photos when its completed and would love to see your version of it as well.
Best,
-Adam
I look forward to seeing the IVY house from both of you!
Loreta
Adam and Joannie, Ivy House was my family's home for 23 years and Loretta made up the plans for it. I've only made the complete house once and it was spectacular!!!
I used hard candy for the windows and I lit the inside with those little light strings and set it up so I could turn the sets on and off at the back of the board. I also lit a tree I think.
I can't wait to see what you make. That house is about 130 years old now and I feel privileged to have lived in it for a piece of it's history. My husband and I were just laughing about trimming the ivy and what a pain it was, but how beautiful it looked.
I had this same issue the one time I used gelatin sheets. It looks so easy, but I could never get it to stick! I was excited about using it on curved windows in a tower, but it flopped so badly that I ended up making opaque windows with frosting. I was SO disappointed. I have seen some beautiful examples, but have no idea how they did it!
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