A deliciously scented Gingerbread Puffy Paint is the perfect Christmas craft-meets-sensory activity. Use it to make puffy gingerbread men or gingerbread houses that smell just like the real thing!

Hands down, one of my favorite ways to celebrate the holidays with my daughter is to make lots and lots of themed crafts.

But with cold weather and it getting dark so early, I try to come up with crafts and activities that use what we already have on hand so we don’t have to bundle up and head to the store.

Homemade puffy paint has been a favorite of mine for awhile – with just two main ingredients, you can make a textured paint that instantly transforms any paper craft into a 3D sensory experience.

To make this paint more festive, we decided to go with a gingerbread theme – complete with that amazing gingerbread scent! I loved not just the realistic scent that this paint gave to our crafts, but also the pretty flecks of spice you can see in the paint when you look closely.

I provided templates for both a gingerbread man and a gingerbread house below – but you can use cardboard or just freehand your paintings if you prefer.

Check out our quick video to see how easy it is to make your own 3-ingredient puffy paint – and then don’t forget to scroll down to grab your free printable recipe card:

Materials to Make Gingerbread Puffy Paint

• 1/2 cup glue
• 1/2 cup shaving cream
• 1 Tablespoon brown paint
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• Gingerbread man template  OR  Gingerbread house template printed on cardstock
• Paintbrushes
• Buttons
• Additional craft scraps for decoration

Tip: you can adjust the quantities as you desire – more shaving cream results in a puffier, airier paint that might crumble slightly when touched after drying. More glue will be less puffy and shinier.

How to Make Gingerbread Puffy Paint

Combine the glue and shaving cream to your desired texture, and then add the paint and spices. Adjust as needed.

Paint the gingerbread house, gingerbread men or whatever you’re painting with generous strokes of the puffy paint. Don’t skimp on the paint to ensure you get that awesome texture.

Before the paint dries, add any additional details – like buttons, scrap ribbons, etc.

We used glue, shaving cream and a touch of vanilla to make the white puffy paint details on the gingerbread house.

Let dry for a few hours – since you want to paint the mixture on thick, it can take a while to dry.

Pin this Homemade Gingerbread Puffy Paint recipe:

Grab your free printable instructions for our homemade gingerbread puffy paint recipe:

This homemade puffy paint would be perfect for homemade cards or a pretty gingerbread garland.

For more fun Christmas craft ideas, check out our Kid-Made Candy Cane Headband or our Jingle Bell Hand Kite.