Lots of new ideas...

This week I have been inspired. Most likely, it's because I recently joined a diaper cakes forum where various diaper cake makers get on and discuss ideas and concepts, talk about pricing methods, and share other general information. It's great to see what all is out there and discuss with others in the business, but at the same time, I'm starting to feel a bit of pressure to step up my game and try new things, especially since many of my ideas and items aren't as unique or uncommon as I may have previously thought. So, with inspiration from that group and other forms of inspiration, I've developed a few new items that I'd like to add to my product line. Some will need more tweaking than others, but that's ok.

My first new item is a piece of cake, no really, a piece of cake. A slice of cake! Inspired by some towel cake favors I saw, I decided to adapt the idea to diaper gifts. Like the cupcakes, these could be presented in a single serving bakery cake/pie container. The main shape is created by diapers. A burp cloth is wrapped around the "slice" and a wash cloth gives a nice clean top. I added an additional wash cloth for an icing effect. I'd like to tweak this a bit more by maybe adding some wash cloth flowers or other small baby items on top of the slice. I also thought that aside from single servings, I could make several and piece them together for an entire cake which would make a cute decoration for a shower. I think I need to experiment with this a little bit more before I add it to the product line, but it's a definite option and I think it's cute and have never seen it with diapers before, so that makes it even more unique.

My second new item is one I've seen in several places. It's similar to the wash cloth "candy" I've made before, but it's lollipops. The lollipops are rolled very much like the disk candy. I experimented with a few different sticks for the lollipops. The standard candy stick gives a great effect, but because of the way it's put together, it is less stable and the stick can slide out easily. The second lollipop stick option is a baby spoon. This works wonderfully since the varying contour of the spoon helps the whole thing to be more stable. Not only that, it provides an additional baby item to the gift. Similar lollipops are used as favors at baby showers, but I'm not sure how that works if those attending the shower go home with them, what would they do with baby items if they don't have a baby? As decorations around the shower they'd be super cute and then could be sent home with the expectant mom. They also could be incorporated into a diaper cake or basket quite easily to make an adorable candy theme. I can very easily start marketing these with a little more practice making sure I give a really clean look to these, but I'm comfortable adding them to the product line shortly as soon as I work out pricing for them (and gather a few more materials).

My third new idea is more wash cloth "art." I've seen many places where people have made little creatures and critters out of wash cloths so I decided to try my hand at it with a collection of sea creatures. I put together an octopus (inspired by a pic a friend posted on Facebook of a pet octopus he wanted), a turtle (which really I just wanted to see how it would come out), and some fish (which I've seen before but wanted to see if I could make my own). The critters all turned out really cute and I was pleased with the final outcome. Similar to the lollipops though, the application of items like these is slightly questionable. They too could be used as shower decorations that are then given to the expectant mom or they could be incorporated into an "under the sea" themed cake. The latter, I feel may be more popular. I would like to see if I can come up with additional sea creatures to add to the collection because I think it is super fun and different.

I'm constantly trying to think of new things to do for baby gifts and shower decorations. Some work, some don't, but I keep trying and I'm always open to suggestions. =)

Go Team!

Some time ago, I decided I wanted to make an Aggie diaper cake - mostly prompted by the fact that I attended Texas A&M University. My oldest received a gift basket full of Aggie items for babies as a gift when he was born and I was excited that there were such baby items and we could start the brain-washing early. Of course, the receipt of such items also got me thinking that they could be incorporated into a diaper cake. My sister-in-law had actually received such a diaper cake when she had one of her girls and after she passed that cake along to me (she didn't use it and had it sitting in her garage for several years), I had even more inspiration to make a cake of my own.

After thinking about it, I decided that my prejudice for Aggie items really could be extended and diaper cakes could be made for any number of teams or schools. Finding appropriate baby items may take a bit of extra time and cost, but once acquired, a diaper cake to support almost any group is possible. My boys had a number of items supporting various teams, so I decided to experiment a bit and use their items to build several sample cakes for demonstration purposes so people could get an idea of what is possible. I made four different items for what I refer to as my "Fan Series."

The first items I made were Cowboys gifts. I put together a two tier diaper cake and a baby basket. The diaper cake was composed of diapers in a spiral style. The tiers were wrapped in custom made decorative burp cloths which were a hand made gift from a friend of mine. The topper for the cake was a fabric toy cube that I made for my little one. White socks and wash cloths were added to finish the cake. The baby basket included many of the same items as the cake. The structure was formed from the custom made decorative burp cloths. The inside of the basket was lined with diapers arranged in a spiral fashion. A Cowboys toy football and wash cloth "flowers" were added to the basket to finish the gift. 

Next, I created a Cubs diaper cake from items that were given to me in a gift package. The collection included a number of items that worked quite well in a diaper cake. This cake was a 3-tier diaper cake built in a spiral style. A Cubs blanket was wrapped around th bottom tier. The middle tier held pre-fold diapers/burp cloths, and the top tier was covered with a Cubs hat. A Cubs onsie, bib, and pair of booties finished the cake. I added crinkle paper to this one for a completed look. It also came in handy to cover the part of the top tier that the hat did not cover completely.

The last (at least for now) item to be included in the Fan Series collection was my long awaited Aggie diaper cake. For this, I used items that were included in the Aggie baby gift basket we received for our oldest child. This cake was a two tier, off-centered cake. I chose this configuration because, for this cake, I included the plush bear that came in the basket. By creating an off-centered cake, the bear could be seated on the lower tier and attached to the upper tier. Unlike most other cakes, this one had a large lower tier and a small upper tier rather than a slowly graduated difference between tiers. The tiers were wrapped in pre-fold diapers/burp cloths. The lower tier held an Aggie onsie. The upper tier held a "Gig 'Em Aggies" beanie hat. A pair of Texas A&M socks topped the cake. As mentioned, the plush bear was seated on the lower tier and situated to hug the top tier. Two Aggie pacifiers and crinkle paper finished the cake.

I'm happy with the way these cakes turned out. They add some more choices for people who are interested in ordering a cake. Options like these were always available, but when people get an opportunity to see it in action, so to speak, it makes the possibility more real and adds an option they may not have known was available. As I mentioned before, these cakes were all sample cakes. The fan items used were all personal items so, those that gave them to us as gifts can rest assured that I'm not building these cakes with the intention of selling them. They were built for pictures to help people see what is possible and get more exposure to the style and look of diaper cakes that I make. The cakes were then broken down and the baby items placed back in their drawers. I look forward to seeing what I can create in the event that a fan cake is ordered in the future.

Celebrating Moms

Most often at baby showers, the gifts given focus on the baby and rightly so. Typically, babies need a lot of things that most expectant parents don't have when they don't have children. Showers help the parents not only celebrate the new arrival with food and friends, but also provide an outlet to gather baby items that help to defray the costs of a new baby. Unfortunately, the needs of the baby aren't the only ones that are new to the changing family. The mom also requires a few things to help her out in her new status. A breastfeeding mom has many needs such as nursing tops and other breastfeeding support items. Aside from that, all moms could use the opportunity to relax and pamper themselves as labor and new motherhood, even when they have other children, is busy and stressful. Without taking care of herself, a mom can't possibly take care of her children. Inspired by these ideas and Mother's Day coming up this Sunday, I decided to create a diaper cake that not only provides a few baby items, but also focuses on the mom to help pamper and care for herself as she cares for her baby.

This cake, created to add to the collection of holiday gifts, like the others was built as a display cake to represent ideas that could be incorporated in a custom made cake. This two tier cake was started with a boutique style spiral cake. A large receiving blanket and prefold diapers/burp cloths were used to decorate the layers. The lower tier features a bib that declares love for mom. All of the additional items on the cake focus on the expectant mom herself. Various herbal tea samples for healing, wellness, and milk production are included. Also included are samples of nipple cream and stretch mark cream. The cake is topped with lanolin, a must-have for nursing moms. The cake is finished off with decorative crinkle paper and tied with decorative bows and curling ribbon.

A mom focused cake is rather versatile and can be put together whether the expected baby is a boy or girl or if the gender is unknown. While the basic structure of this type of diaper cake is going to provide baby focused items, the added accents and decorative aspects of the cake can focus entirely on the mom. I love the idea of pampering the mom as she so often gets overlooked with the upcoming arrival of a baby and she needs to be cared for just as much as the newborn. For your next diaper cake order, consider a mom pampering cake. Even if Mother's Day isn't right around the corner, it's a fantastic gesture and is sure to be appreciated by the new mom.

New Gift Concept for Easter or Whenever

With Easter only a week away, I was again inspired to create a holiday baby gift. Ok, technically, I made it several weeks ago, but now, you get the inside scoop on my latest creation. Over the past couple of months I've created unique holiday inspired mini diaper cakes that brought to diaper cakes new ideas for themes. This month, I turned to the next major holiday: Easter. While I originally intended to create an Easter inspired diaper cake, I decided to go in a different direction. After all, an Easter basket is much more iconic.

You may be familiar with one basket I made in the past for a friend who was expecting a baby girl. The basket was intended as a centerpiece for her shower and given that the new baby was to be given the name Rose, I felt it was especially appropriate to create a Baby Bouquet for her. This was no ordinary bouquet, however, and I developed a diaper basket to hold the bouquet. (Check out the inside scoop here) The basket was created with ribbon woven into hand-rolled diapers and gave an awesome effect.

So, incorporating this idea to a certain extent and adding in Easter as a theme, I created a new option for baby gifts: the Easter Basket. This basket, similar to the first one I made, was formed of completely usable baby items - no actually basket was included. This basket was started as a spiral diaper cake with diapers creating the base of the basket. A burp cloth was used to wrap and decorate the outside of the basket and a handle was formed with a coordinating burp cloth making the basket cohesive. The basket was then filled with crinkle paper (rather than plastic grass). A stuffed bunny and wash cloth roses were then included to fill the basket with usable baby items and complete the effect.

Of course, the most exciting thing about this gift is that it's not limited to an Easter theme. This basket can be filled with a baby bouquet as it is here, or it can be filled with Baby Candy (baby items rolled and wrapped to resemble candy) or other baby items. The size is also variable, although larger size baskets may require structural adjustments. I'm excited about this newest addition to my product line, although, because of the versatility pricing may be a bit difficult to figure. The most exciting part of this project is that while many of the gifts that I make are available in similar forms from other boutiques and diaper cake producers, I have never seen a basket similar to this one, making it an incredibly unique option for a gift.

Versatility of Baby Buggies

Recently, a friend contacted me seeking a baby gift for a friend of hers. She wanted a buggy and while she started out saying anything was fine, after some discussion about specifics, we turned to looking at the expectant mom's registry. This really is my preferred method for developing baby gifts. I do have some ready-made inventory in stock which is great for last minute gifts, give-aways, auctions, moms who are unsure what they need or want, etc.; however, I feel customized gifts are more personal and take into account items that the mom wants (assuming she knows, of course). I never was particular about coordinating blankets with my little one's nursery, but many people are and by using registry items as a guideline, even if specific items can't be incorporated in the gift, a diaper cake, buggy, bouquet, or other gift can be made to coordinate and is sure to be a gift the expectant mom enjoys. Of course, ideally, registry items would be able to be used. This, luckily was the case for my friend's friend, though it did take me out of the box a bit and I incorporated registry items in new ways.

As I mentioned, my friend requested a buggy which are a very popular item since they are less commonly seen and tend to be more compact (and lower in cost) than a diaper cake but carry a lot of the same impact. I began "construction" with hand rolled diapers. The registry contained burp cloths which I felt could be incorporated beautifully where I traditionally use a blanket around the main structure of the buggy. A baby duck printed hat was used for the "blanket" in the buggy and matching baby mittens decorated the front. The hat and the mittens were both on the registry.

Aside from the use of the burp cloths and hat which were fun alternatives to my regular "components" I like that this gender neutral buggy stood out from the commonly seen green in gender neutral items. Yellow is, of course, also commonly used, but the beaks on the ducks printed on the hat and mittens really called for the use of orange on the buggy hood which really makes this buggy stand out. The printed hat allowed for the use of solid colors around the buggy and pulled it together quite well.

I also updated the packaging for the buggy in a small way. Buggies are presented to the mom-to-be (unless otherwise requested) on a cake board and shrink-wrapped. The wrapping is tied with curling ribbon and a tag is attached to let the recipient know what items are included in the gift. For this buggy, I included crinkle paper on the base to give it a more professional look. The effect turned out just as I had hoped and gave a great final presentation.  My friend seemed pleased with the buggy and I hope the expectant mom also enjoyed this adorable presentation of items she selected as well as a few extras.

Celebrating the holidays...

In thinking about new ideas for diaper cakes, I reflected on the display cake I had created for Christmas. One of the things I thought about is that diaper cakes often fall into the same patterns of being all dedicated to gender themes. Occasionally, they are decorated in the theme of the nursery or the shower. I wanted to step out of the box for a bit, so I created a few more of the mini cakes for the holidays. After all, babies are born at all times of the year and showers can alway incorporate non-baby themes like holidays. The bonus? Most holidays insight a plethora of baby novelties, especially in the form of bibs, socks, and clothing making the addition of holiday specific baby items easy. If nothing else, basic holiday colors and decorations can be used for the diaper cake.

Right now, Easter is the next upcoming holiday, but I wanted to create a couple of display cakes to demonstrate the options that are possible. Perhaps I'll keep up with future holidays, assuming I don't forget. Two of the holidays that have passed since the Christmas cake that I made are Valentine's Day and St. Patrick's Day. I thought these would make good themes for cakes. Similar to the Christmas cake, I used materials I already had, so they are more focused on the colors of the holidays than baby items declaring "Baby's First" but those can always be incorporated into cakes that are made for gifts.

The Valentine's cake I made first. It included hand rolled diapers to create two mini tiers. A white burp cloth and red wash cloth were added to the tiers. White sock roses added to the overall theme. A pink pacifier and pink heart shaped teether added decorations which primarily makes this cake a girl cake, however, other less gender specific items can be used in a similar cake for a boy. The cake was then topped with a Valentine's stuffed dog. One new addition was the inclusion of paper shreds. I've seen this on many diaper cakes and wanted to add it to see how the effect worked. Initially, I thought it would be messy, but it turned out to be and easier addition than I thought and as long as it's used moderately, the mess is limited.

I then built the St. Patrick's Day cake. Again for this cake, since I used items I already had, it too lacked the "Baby's First" charm, but I was still able to incorporate items that tied it to the holiday theme. Again, the mini tiers were built with the hand rolled diapers. Wash cloths and a burp cloth were used to cover the tiers. White socks, green teethers, and a green pacifier provided extra decoration. To add a little St. Patrick's day flair, leprechaun hat decals were added to the ribbon on the bottom tier and a Shamrock cut-out was added as a topper. Again, for this cake I added the paper shreds.

These cakes were made solely as examples of the options available and were taken apart soon after the pictures were taken. They were essentially practice cakes for me. I also tried something new for the pictures. Starting with the spiral cake I made not too long ago, I continued the same idea with these cakes to create a solid background that would give a more professional look in the photographs.

These cakes provided not only some great pictures for anyone looking for a new idea for a diaper cake, but also gave me some great insight for new concepts and decoration options I can incorporate in the future. It's just one more step into growing and improving. I'm looking forward to future cakes as well, and if I stay on top of things, I'll be presenting an Easter themed cake soon as well.

Choosing a diaper cake...

I recently read a list of recommendations on ehow.com written up by another maker of diaper cakes listing how to choose the right diaper cake. Most of her suggestions, of course, lead a consumer to purchase diaper cakes from her which makes perfect sense, but she does have some really good recommendations if you don't know what you are looking at.

First, she recommends examining the style of cake - rolled or spiral cake. She lists the pros of spiral cakes that I described in my last blog post about ease for the new mom. Increased stability of the rolled diaper cakes is not discussed, but since she doesn't make that variety, she may be unaware of this benefit. This benefit of the spiral cakes, however, may be one of the main reasons they are growing in popularity.

Second, the author recommends checking out the brand of diapers. She recommends diaper cakes made with quality brand name diapers. I have to say, I agree whole-heartedly. When giving a gift, most people wouldn't want to give a store brand pack of diapers so it makes sense to select a diaper cake with brand name diapers. I typically will use Luvs which are very popular, however, since diaper cakes can be customized and personalized, I can and have made cakes with other brands if the expectant mom has chosen or prefers another brand. Typically, I'll check out the registry to see if she has a preference and make the cake with that type, otherwise, I'll use Luvs which is still a quality brand.

The third recommendation is to consider the size of the diaper in the cake. The author prefers size 1 diapers for the cakes and in my experience, this is typically what you find. Size 1 is a great size for most babies and almost all babies will be able to use them. Newborn diapers, like newborn clothes, aren't always needed and may go unused by a new mom if the baby is on the larger side. Larger size diapers are also typically usable, but I will most likely reserve these for gifts given after the baby is born or for sip 'n' see parties. Again, since the cakes can be customized, if the shower or baby welcome party (sip 'n' see) is held for an older baby rather than a newborn, larger diapers are preferred.

Fourth on the list of recommendations is to examine the number of diapers on the cake. This can vary widely from cake to cake and while it should be considered, in my opinion, it should be not be the major deciding factor of the diaper cake. More importantly, the number of diapers compared to the overall cost/value of the diaper cake should be considered. In general, while diapers build the structure of the cake, they may not make up to main cost of the cake. Make sure you know what you are paying for. If one cake has say, 50 diapers on it, but you also get several blankets or baby items, it may be more worth it than a diaper cake at the same price that has more diapers but no additional usable baby items. 20 diapers may equal the cost of a single blanket.

The final recommendation on this site mentioned the use of additional baby items. The author does not use baby items on her cakes and lists the reasoning that the gift giver may not know if the baby items will be used by the mom or if the items are of good quality - they may not get used and therefore become a waste of money. She makes a very good point for purchasers to be aware of. I personally like the value of the additional baby items and if the price is comparable, it is a better value than a cake with just diapers and decorations. Also, since diaper cakes are so customizable, items can be selected directly from the registry so the new mom is sure to get items that she picked out for her new baby. If I have a cake that is not specific to the person, I try to use items that are of good quality and BPA free. To me, it goes back to the diaper brand issue - most gift givers do not want to give store brand or generic gifts.

One recommendation I would add to her list would be to consider the overall value. Some diaper cakes take more time to put together - rolled cakes take much more time and care than spiral cakes. Ribbon, appliques, flowers, cake boards, wrappings, and other decorations can add cost to the cake so be aware that you aren't paying just for the diapers. Brand name, licensed, or hand made baby items incorporated into the cake will also add to the overall cost, so consider the value. If your cake is made up of 50 diapers and a few strips of ribbon, it probably isn't worth $60, but don't think it's reasonable to pay only $10 for it, that may just cover the cost for the diapers themselves and not the decorations, not to mention additional time and care of the person who made it.

Happy hunting! =)