Taking a new design for a spin

In my constant search to improve my products, I've decided to try a new style of diaper cake. The "spiral" cake, often referred to as the "boutique style" diaper cake is quickly becoming the norm for diaper cakes. There are many ways to build them up, but the idea is that the diapers have a spiraled appearance which provides a number of benefits as a baby gift, the most obvious of which is an attractive appearance.

I decided to try my hand at this style cake and see how it worked out. For the most part, I'd consider it a success. Because I was simply trying to see how it would come together, I didn't decorate the cake, I simply assembled and stacked the tiers to get the basic idea. While I was at it, I decided to experiment with my photography to see if I could give a more professional appearance to my pictures.

So, here is a picture of the bare cake. I identified a few pros and cons when comparing this style of cake to the traditional rolled cakes I've made in the past. Obvious benefits of this cake include the overall look. While most the cakes I make are covered with blankets or similar baby items and the tiers aren't seen, this option is the likely choice for cakes that are made without the blankets if the customer chooses. Another wonderful benefit is the time it takes to build the cake. Because the diapers aren't individually rolled, building the layers is a bit less time consuming. The biggest positive difference between this cake and my traditional ones is the ease for the expectant mom. Because the diapers aren't rolled and individually secured, disassembling the cake is much quicker for the recipient. Both styles allow for complete function of all the diapers, so that is one benefit that both cakes have. There are also some negative aspects of this style cake. The overall cake appears smaller than others that I have made with the same number of diapers. This, of course refers mainly to the diameter of the tiers, but that may very well be related to the absence of decorations which slightly widen the cake. Rolled diapers create support for various baby items added to the cake. They can be attached to the tops of the layers or tucked into the diapers with little difficulty. Other baby items, if they are small bottles or similar in structure to the rolled diapers can be traded for diapers on the outside of the layers as well. These decoration choices are not possible with this style cake and other means would need to be employed. Another con I observed was the overall stability of the cake. The individual diapers do not have the firm structure that they possess when they are rolled. The layers are also less dense than when the diapers are rolled. This adds complications when it comes to assembling the tiers in a secure structure, as well as lessening confidence that the tiers can support the added decorations. Another concern is how well the cake will travel with the decreased stability.

While the cons seem a bit daunting, I'm leaning towards switching to building this style of cakes more frequently in the future. The popularity of this style diaper cake seems to be increasing and the overall look is more professional. The stability of the structure seems to be the largest hurdle to overcome, but hopefully in time and with additional practice, I can improve on that. Only time will tell. Please continue to check back for more updates and developments of our products!

Getting smaller

While most people are looking for increased growth, I took a moment to shrink down. Although, in shrinking, I'm growing. What does that mean? I've developed a smaller version of one of my most popular items - the Baby Buggy - and in doing so, I've created an additional option to compliment my other products.

In the early stages, on of my sisters-in-law asked me, "Why would you want to make a smaller one? Isn't the buggy small enough?" The answer? There is a place for it. The standard sized baby buggy is a great alternative if you don't want a gift as large as a diaper cake. Like the diaper cake, it can be used as a centerpiece for tables at showers and welcome baby events, weather you have just a gift table, hors d'oeuvre table, or tables for guests to sit and eat. As demonstrated in the past, the buggy is also the ideal size for a topper on a sheet cake. Of course using the buggy as a modest gift on it's own is always an option as well, because though smaller than a cake, it still provides plenty of baby items for the mom to be.

So, considering the versatility provided by the standard buggy, what uses are there for the Mini Baby Buggy? Plenty! Many of them coincide with the uses of the standard size but add dimension. In decorating for a shower or baby welcoming celebration (also known as a sip 'n' see), using multiple mini buggies around the gathering area(s) will add a little flair (and become useful instead of waste like a lot of decorations). These are especially useful if space is limited and requires smaller decorations. Standard and mini buggies can be made to coordinate or match a theme and be used in various places depending on the space available. For example, a standard buggy placed as centerpieces on tables for eating and mini buggies placed on the end back corners of your food table can make adorable, cohesive, and useful decorations for your event. Mini Baby Buggies can also be used as cake toppers for standard sized cakes (especially 2-tier cakes which have a slightly wider top tier than larger cakes). Two mini buggies can be used together as toppers for a sheet cake which is especially adorable if the mom is expecting twins! Of course, don't feel limited by my suggestions, these mini buggies can be used in any other creative way you choose!

Now that we've discussed their versatility, what goes into a Mini Baby Buggy? Well, like the other diaper gifts I have, the mini buggies start out with hand rolled diapers that form the main structure. With the prototype, I used two wash cloths for the base of the carriage, however, alternately, a burp rag can be used and will likely be used more frequently in this application. Wash cloths are then used for the other buggy components. Finally, the buggy is decorated with ribbon. Additional baby items may be added such as pacifiers or other small baby items, however the selection of these extra decorations is limited due to the size of the buggy.

How does the Mini Baby Buggy compare in size to the standard Baby Buggy? It is smaller, of course, but not too small that it doesn't provide a good variety of baby items for the new mom. As you can see in the picture, it is slightly bigger than half the size of a standard sized buggy.

I haven't worked out all the details of packaging and presentation for these Mini Baby Buggies yet. The standard size is presented in much the same way as the diaper cake. It is placed on a cake board, wrapped in shrink wrap, then tied with decorative ribbon. The presentation for the Mini Baby Buggy may be the same in cases where the buggy will be presented as a stand alone gift, and of course, when used as a cake topper as it will be wrapped on the cake. When used as decorations for a shower or party, the buggy may be wrapped or not depending on the preferences of the person who ordered them.

As you can see, they are still slightly in the development process, however, I feel confident in filling orders at this time. I am excited to add this item to my product line and ready to incorporate it with other gifts I make.

New sweets and treats!

I'm always looking for new ideas, trying to develop new products, and brainstorming how to execute them. After some recent inspiration, I decided to try out a new item: Baby Cupcakes.

Similar to the diaper cake concept, Baby Cupcakes use common baby items that are formed to resemble cupcakes. The effect is further supported by the display. Just as diaper cakes are stacked to resemble a tiered cake (at least in most cases), cupcakes are placed in cupcake wrappers and for a finished effect, placed in bakery boxes. I've worked on two ideas thus far for display purposes. The first, a twin-pack with two cupcakes placed in a treat box and the second, a four-pack - for which I was able to obtain a windowed box that really amps up the display. These particular cupcakes incorporate baby wash cloths. I'm currently working on developing different types of cupcakes that utilize other baby items. I am also conceptualizing improved presentation ideas to give these cupcakes a really put together and professional look.

The future is looking bright, I have a few other cupcake concepts as well as ideas for other "treats" that I hope to present soon. I also have some additional ideas for diaper cakes and other gifts, some of which involve the mini cakes that I introduced last month. With any luck, I'll have new pictures and blog posts coming up in the near future!

Tis the Season...

Since Christmas is nearly upon us, I wanted to step outside of the traditional blue and pink box and explore other theme options. Now, one problem I have run into is that there seems to be a lack of Christmas-themed (or other holidays for that matter) baby blankets. These provide a key component in what makes my diaper cakes stand apart from many others. Blankets, towels, sheets, or similar baby items create the design and main decoration for my diaper cakes and often form the foundation of a theme.

I decided to create a sample cake using some items I had to create a concept for future holiday themed diaper cakes. I was lucky enough to have a Christmas receiving blanket which provided the foundation for the cake. Another thing I wanted to experiment with was the size. I wanted to see how a smaller cake would look and see if it held the same appeal as the larger cakes. This could provide a spring-board for mini diaper cakes to fill the gap of customers that desired a less cumbersome cake or needed multiple cakes but needed to keep within a tighter budget.

Like with all of my diaper cakes, I started with hand-rolled diapers. The tiers were smaller in circumference, but I felt that the cake still needed at least two of them to give the same look as a larger cake. I used the Christmas receiving blanket on the lower tier and a red wash cloth for the upper tier (although, truth be told, it didn't quite fit and a future cake would benefit from two wash cloths). Holiday specific baby items are fairly easy to come by, but the variety is limited compared to what is typically found. I chose to use items that can be found year-round (with the exception of the topper) since I had them in stock - after all, this cake was for display and experimentation. White socks and a green pacifier provided decoration. A snowman topper was added as the final touch along with appropriate colored ribbons.

Over all, I'm happy with the way it turned out. The topper is a bit large, but still within an acceptable range for this size cake. I also like that despite that fact that this cake is much smaller, it still holds a lot of the same appeal that a larger cake would have. Major differences between this 2-tier cake and a standard one are fewer diapers (at least 10 less) and blankets or towels used (as this cake only allows for one larger item). The size mandates either a burp cloth or wash cloths for the top tier, which are, of course, wonderfully usable baby items. Smaller baby items like toys, teethers, etc. can just as easily adorn the sides of these cakes just as they would on the larger cakes, though size of the individual accents would need to be a factor so as not to overpower the whole cake. I believe this trial of mine was a success and in the future, I may continue to produce these mini cakes along with the larger ones and other gifts I make. And, of course, I'll continue to try out new gifts on a continuing basis.

Buggy Order!

It seems the more the baby buggies are seen, the more popular they are becoming. Diaper cakes are still popular as gifts and centerpieces, but I think that the novelty is starting to wear off. It is hard to attend a shower without seeing one somewhere. So, while their popularity is wonderful, it certainly encourages new ideas and gifts. My buggies got a lot of oohs and ahhs at the craft fair I had participated in and a buggy sale was the only one I made that weekend. They are less common and since they are a little smaller, they fill a niche that was previously void - small, affordable, adorable, and clever.

I recently received an e-mail from a friend wishing for a small cake or gift to act as a centerpiece at a shower. She opted for a buggy. I was limited for time on this particular gift, so it made matching the mom-to-be's character nursery theme a little difficult (most of the character items had to be ordered online). Instead, we decided it would be best to create a basic boy buggy.

I approached this project with the idea that I'd use a basic non-themed design so as not to conflict with the chosen theme. I avoided items with pictures like cars and sports items and selected a simple striped design for the main portion of the buggy. I hand rolled the diapers to form the structure and added the details. To this buggy, I added a teether as well. I printed up character sticker labels which matched the nursery theme to apply to the decorative ribbon around the buggy. This gave it a personal touch for the expectant mom and allowed the additional detail without ordering specially made baby items (since I didn't have the time before the date of the shower) or ruining any of the items included in the buggy.

Overall, I think my friend was pleased. She mentioned that the buggy was for a centerpiece so I asked if she wanted it shrink wrapped. She said to go ahead and wrap it and they could undo it if they felt it would look better as a centerpiece. She picked it up a few days before the shower. I sure hope the expectant mom liked it. I'm happy to get those extra little challenges to see what I can come up with!

My First Craft Fair!

I seriously thought I had typed this up already, but apparently, I was wrong. About 3 weeks ago, I participated in my first craft fair with my baby items. I had done this craft fair in the past with my jewelry and dream catchers, but this was the first public event for my baby boutique.

My mom and I had worked this craft fair together for the past 3 years. She had worked it for years before that, but I joined her more recently. I like this one because there is a minimal fee for booth rental and then a portion of your sales goes to help the youth group (the craft fair takes place at a church/private school). If you don't sell much, you aren't out any more than the small investment to rent your space.

We like to set up in booths that run between aisles. This gives us extra space to display our wares, one table on either side of the booth area. One of my tables was dedicated to my diaper cakes and baby gifts.

The weeks preceding the fair, I drove up to the Dallas area where my mom lives and the fair took place. I didn't travel with many diaper cakes but worked on the projects there and ended up with three each of 3-tier cakes, 2-tier cakes, and baby buggies. For each type of baby gift I had a girl, a boy, and a gender neutral gift. I arrived with only the 2-tier gender neutral cake and the girl buggy which was my first inventory item.

I'll give a short description of the items I created for the sale.

Baby Buggies:

The baby buggies are made with hand rolled diapers to make up the shape. A receiving blanket, wash cloths, and burp cloth are added for the outer shape and pattern. Ribbon finishes off the buggies. I have made buggies with extra baby items on them, but all the ones I created for this craft fair were the basic buggy design.

2-tier Diaper Cakes:

I arrived in the Dallas area with a gender neutral 2-tier diaper cake. This cake was a bath themed cake that included hooded bath towels, wash cloths and baby bath items. To add to that, I built two additional 2-tier cakes: one boy cake and one girl cake. The girl cake  was a mint green, pink, and lavender cake that had receiving blankets, wash cloths, teethers, and a rattle included to decorate the hand rolled diaper structure. The boy cake meant entering new territory for me since it was the first time I had incorporated a bottle into one of my diaper cakes. The boy cake included receiving blankets, wash cloths, and pacifiers plus the bottle to decorate the hand rolled diaper base.

3-tier Diaper Cakes: 

I had to start from scratch on my three 3-tier cakes since I didn't even have one to start my display for the fair. The girl cake included the most diapers since the blankets used were larger than standard receiving blankets. Hand-rolled diapers formed the tiers for the cake which were then decorated with the blankets. Teethers, socks, and wash cloths were added and a carrier toy topped the cake off. The boy cake looked to be the largest because the diapers I used for it were size 3. I will typically use size 1 diapers in my cakes, but occasionally there will be a reason to use larger ones and that is what I had in stock. The boy cake, again incorporated hand-rolled diapers that were stacked for the tiers. I had a great set of navy blue blankets for this cake and I love the way they look on the final product. I added socks, wash cloths, baby powder, and a carrier toy to finish the cake. My 3-tier gender neutral cake was the standard green and yellow. Hand-rolled diapers created the structure which was then wrapped in coordinating gender neutral receiving blankets. I added teethers, wash cloths, baby bath products and a carrier toy to finish this cake.

 I was happy with the inventory I created for the craft fair and I only hoped it would be enough. I also brought along with me, my product catalog which demonstrates the other baby gifts I can make and a description of the items typically included in each one. My original plan was to bring shrink wrap with me and package the diaper cakes as they sold. I felt, and still do, that once they are wrapped, it is harder to see the detail on each cake, but that the wrapping is really necessary for the finished look. Since electricity was a potential problem (as in, we may not have any), I went ahead and started wrapping as many as I could. Unfortunately, I had a shortage of the shrink wrap, so only a few of the cakes were done. In the end, I decided it worked out better that way so customers could see the detail on the cakes without the wrapping and how the finished product looked. Each of the cakes was also accompanied by a card that listed the items included so recipients would have that information as well as my information which was printed on the back.

At the fair I felt I had a pretty nice set up. My display took of plenty of space without being too cluttered. I had a lot of positive response for my diaper cakes and multiple people asking for my card. Unfortunately, I didn't have any business card with me, but I figured it was just as well since I wasn't local to the area. Many of those interested loved my work, but said they didn't know anyone who was expecting currently, so I missed potential sales in that respect. I do wish that I had done a little bit better, but most of the vendors had low sales over the weekend. The most popular cake seemed to be the 3-tier gender neutral cake. I sold the boy buggy to a young woman whose boss is expecting a baby. I did enjoy my time there and I definitely hope to return in the future with my diaper cakes. In the mean time, I have a decent inventory in stock ready and available for sale. I also hope to find some local show and craft fairs that I may be able to participate in where I can get my name out, and this time, I have business cards ready to go!

In search of diaper cream

My latest order came from a friend who has an expectant cousin. Unable to attend the shower, my friend asked me to make a diaper cake to deliver to the mom-to-be a couple of weeks before her due date as a final, "Surprise! Here are some last minute supplies!"

We experienced a bit of a disconnect when it came to what would be incorporated in the cake, however. The expectant mom wanted some Butt Paste and my friend thought it would be a great idea to include several of the large tubs that are now available. In the structure of a typical diaper cake, there is no place for a tub of diaper cream, let alone several. However, determined to create a gift that my friend would be proud to present, I decided I could use the large tubs on the inside of the cake so they didn't create extra bulk on the cake. There were a few issues with this solution, however. One problem would be the fact that the diaper cream wouldn't be seen. I like for the items in the cake to be seen so you know "what you are paying for" so to speak. Another complication is that with tubs in the center, it would sacrifice the structural support that is typically hidden within the cake. That problem I decided I'd figure out when the time came to build the cake. Yet another problem was the fact that with tubs of diaper cream in the middle of the cake, fewer diapers could be used for the overall structure.

As it turned out, my problems were solved when I went shopping to collect items for the cake. I discovered that the tubs of diaper cream cost a significant amount. Just 2 tubs would use up most of the funds I could put into the materials of the cake and still provide it at a reasonable price for my friend. I opted to pick up smaller tubes of the diaper cream and hope that it would be ok. They did however help inspire part of my color scheme for the cake, giving me a nice yellow to match with the blue that would be used as the cake was for a boy. The cake happened upon a safari theme because of the receiving blankets I used and the carrier toy I selected to match.

The cake was built with hand rolled size 1 diapers (in the brand registered for by the mom-to-be). Receiving blankets created the finished "fondant" look of each of the two layers. Wash cloths, diaper cream, and pacifiers decorated the sides of the cake secured with curling ribbon. The topper for the cake was a coordinating lion carrier toy. I've been doing a lot of double ribbon bows for the main tie around the layers, but I opted for a single decorative ribbon to prevent this cake from being to busy. The wash cloths were a bit of a last minute addition, but I think it balances out the cake.

After completion of the cake, I sent a picture to my friend that ordered it. She liked it and was understanding about the diaper cream issue I had. I delivered the cake a few weeks before the mom's due date and she was, of course, surprised to receive it. I only hope she liked it!