Sheila has been decorating for 29 years and is owner of "Sheila's Cakery" for 24years. She is an international judge, demonstrator, and teacher, and has been a guest instructor at Yorktown School of Culinary Arts, Baltimore
International College, and Johns Hopkins. Sheila is a charter member of the White Rose Cake Decorators - past and current president and show co-director. Pennsylvania State Cake Show Director for 6 years. Sheila has been an ICES Demonstrator, Volunteer, Rep, Rep Alternate, 1991 Hershey Show Co-director, Convention Liaison, and 1996-7 ICES President. She has won over 100 awards, including several Best of Show, People's Choice, and Decorators' Choice honors. She appeared on TV, and had articles published in local, national, and international periodicals.

She is a caterer with 11 years experience, a member of the American Culinary Federation, and Susquehanna Valley Chefs' Association. In Culinary Salons, she has earned Silver and Bronze medals in hot and cold food competitions, as well as Most Original, and Most Artistic Honors, and Best Table Setting. She received the 1999 SVCA Culinarian of the Year Award.

Sheila is an Honored Member in the "Who's Who of Executives and Professionals". She is President of the Culinary Advisory Council at the York Vocational-Technical School.

In her spare time she delivers "Meals on Wheels", volunteers time to "Make-a-Wish", MS Jail Bail, and Scouting Programs.She attends Canadochly United Church of Christ, where she is an ordained Deacon and Elder, and is serving her third term as Consistory President.

1 cup shortening
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup unsulphured malasses

Cream well.

Mix dry ingredients.

1 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
4 1/2 cups flour

Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture. Blend until crumbly dough forms.  Dampen counter top, place sheet of aluminum foil on top. Roll dough to 1/4 inch thick. Cut patterns with pizza cutter or knife. Remove scraps. Slide foil onto cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Recut patterns immediately after removing from oven. Avoid humid conditions.

1/4 cup meringue powder
1/2 cup warm water
4 cups powdered sugar

Whip meringue powder and water until frothy. Gradually add sugar, beat until stiff peaks form, and gloss disappears. Keep covered with a damp cloth, so crust does not form, while decorating. Store in air tight glass container.

1 egg white, room temperature, less than three days old if possible (it will be stronger).
10 oz. powdered sugar (approximately)
1/2 tsp. lemon juice

Place the egg white in a glass bowl, add the sugar a tablespoon at a time, beating well, by hand, after each addition. When icng is consistency of thin syrup, add the lemon juice, and beat for two minutes. Continue adding sugar, a spoonful at a time. When the icing is firm enough to hold a peak on the back of the spoon, enough sugar has been added.This usually takes 20 minutes of hand beating. Shortcuts will cause a bad batch of icing. Never use an electric mixer. Put icing in a new knee high nylon, and squeeze through, to remove tiny lumps. I use a parchment bag to avoid grease residue. Best when used immediately.

Front View	Side View	Back View

1. I received a travel brochure with a picture of this building. It was impossible to do our usual step #1, which is visit the property, take pictures and measurements, and make notes of important details. I found a book with blue prints for every building at Colonial Williamsburg, in the library. From those dimensions a floor plan was drawn to scale. Patterns were cut using double thick cardboard (this should measure 1/4 inch, the same thickness as the dough, or pieces will not fit), Patterns were assembled with tape to be sure all pieces were exact size. It took ten hours to complete this step.

2. Using my gingerbread recipe and instructions, almost 40 pieces were baked. Always bake a spare sheet from the left over dough, in case of breakage. To keep the gingerbread from absorbing moisture over night, I put the pieces in the oven with the door open. The heat from the pilot light keeps the cookies crisp.
 

3. The run sugar sections for the tower, dormers, windows, etc. are made from this royal icing recipe, which is thinned with water, so it will flow.  When outlining patterns, stay in side the lines, as these pieces have a tendency to get too big.

4. My husband, Gordon, used an electric router to miter the corners of the walls and chimneys. All edges were smoothed with an exacto knife and sand paper.

5. Details were added to the windows with food color pens.The tower and dormers were glued together with royal icing and left to dry over night.

6. The base is cut from fiber board, a matching foil is glued to the board with contact cement. Feet are attached to the bottom, for ease of carrying.  At this point a transformer with wheat lights is installed if the house is going to be illuminated. The mansion did not have rice paper windows, so lights were not used. This picture was from a different project, but it clearly show the light system and wall structure. The walls are attached to the board with white royal icing, because most houses are set in a snow scene. I mix a bag of royal icing the color of the gingerbread for gluing all the corners, so the seams are not so obvious. All inside supports and seams are reinforced with another line of icing. Straight cans of soup and spice jars make excellent props so house does not shift while drying overnight. The next day the main roofs are glued in place, and left to dry.

7. Lines are drawn every two inchs on the roof so the rows of shingles are straight.  I use tube #104 (little end up) and pipe a row across the bottom edge of the roof. Then Gordon marks each shingle with a corsage pin. Cleaning the pin on a paper towel after each stroke. Continue this process until the roof is covered. Add windows,dormers, tower and chimneys.

8. Gate, railings and weather vane were made from strong royal icing. The house was decorated with Christmas wreaths, garlands, candles, etc. Trees and shrubs were made on ice cream cones, marshmallows, and gum drops, using tips 14, 74 and 352. Icing was spread on the board for snow, and the trees were set in place.  The wall was erected and decorated. A template was made for the hole in the chimneys. This was held in place and airbrushed black. The weather vane goes on last. The entire project (except for the holes in the chimneys) is dusted with powdered sugar. This is done by shaking a new knee high nylon filled with sugar above the house. For the finishing touch, clear edible glitter is sprinkled on the snow. Seventy-five hours later we had a gingerbread house ready for competition.

9. This was entered in the Peddlers' Village Gingerbread Competition, Lahaska, PA, where it received $500.00 for Best Historical Replica. It appeared in "Americana Magazine".