Buncha Mini (Diaper) Cakes - Craft Fair Prep from How Long Ago?

Since I'm catching up on my older diaper cake creations, here's a collection...

Several years ago, okay, it was like, 8 years at this point, I was getting prepared for the annual craft fair that I participate in. I was having some issues because I didn't have a lot of inventory but at the same time, I had noticed that my larger cakes just never sold well. I'm not sure if it was a matter of people wanting something more specific or they just weren't able to get something at that price point. So, I came up with an alternate plan.

I decided I wanted to create some diaper cakes with as much impact as the full size cakes, but make them half the size. I already had some 1-tier cakes, but I wanted to make some 2 and 3-tier cakes as well as making some diaper buggies since those sell regularly at the fair.

So, first up is the 2-tier cakes. I created 3 diaper cakes.

The first diaper cake was a cute little boy puppy cake. I used an adorable plush dog I had and matched it up with some puppy blankets. Along with some blue and brown ribbon and baby items, I put together this cake that had 20 diapers which is half of the normal amount for a 2-tier cake. I finished it with some dog die cuts that coordinated with the other decorations.

The second diaper cake I created was a 2-tier lion cake. This cake was a girl cake using pink, light brow, and cream to go along with a little lion plushie I had. Since the puppy cake was a covered cake, I decided to make this one a "naked" cake where the diapers were exposed. I added some pink and cream colored ribbon to the tiers. I included some pink baby items on each of the tiers. Lastly, I added some lion die cuts as inspired by a lion cake I had made previously by request.

I was most excited about the third diaper cake which was a gender neutral cake. This diaper cake was giraffe themed - I love giraffes. I had a super cute giraffe plush and some giraffe print ribbon which pull this orange and brown cake together. I didn't add die cuts to this cake because the printed ribbon created a bit of a busy look and I didn't want it looking chaotic. I absolutely loved it. It was one of my favorite diaper cakes I created for this craft fair.

I already had on full-sized 3-tier cake in stock that was a brown and blue boy cake so I didn't feel the need to create a mini 3-tier cake as well. I just made a mini gender neutral and a mini girl cake to round out my offerings.

For my first 3-tier cake I decided to create a neutral cake. Per my decision to make half-sized cakes, this diaper cake had 30 diapers. I created a "naked" cake with a relatively common theme of ducks. I had some super cute wash cloths with ducks on them and a cute plushie for the topper. The orange and yellow colors kept it neutral. I did add some die cut ducks to this cake as well.

My second 3-tier diaper cake was another favorite for that year. I created a hot pink and zebra stripe cake. With a cute zebra plushie and some zebra print ribbon, I created another "naked" cake with the diapers exposed. I was especially proud of one of the decoration pieces which was a stacked bow placed on an alligator clip. It looked like it was just a bow for the diaper cake, but it was a real bow for a baby's hair. I added some more hot pink and white baby items as well as some die cuts. I'm not sure why the zebra print seemed less busy than the giraffe print, but it was so the die cuts looked just fine.

Along with the diaper cakes I also made three buggies to round out what I already had in stock. I made a pink girl buggy, a green neutral buggy, and a brown and blue boy buggie. They were the basic buggies that I make regularly which include 15 diapers to make the basic structure, along with a blanket and some other baby items.

For my prep for that show I also make a few other items, hair bows and baby beanies and I was ready to go.

School Spirit!

In an attempt to show examples of diaper cakes that were school or team spirit based, I grabbed several items I had for my own kiddos and put together several example cakes and gifts to demonstrate what something of that nature would look like and let my potential customers know it was possible to make a diaper cake that showed loyalty to their favorite school or team. Thus was created my "Fan Series." These example cakes were created more than two years ago - I remember because I was in the middle of working on them when my labor started with my second son. Needless to say, I ended up finishing the project after the baby was born. In any case, that was the last time I created a diaper cake for a specific team, until a couple months ago when I was approached to make an LSU Tigers cake. Now, this hurt me a little since I'm an Aggie, but I had to be a good sport and I was excited about creating another team cake to add to my collection.

The LSU cake was a 2-tier "naked" cake. I found some awesome options for ribbon and finally settled on a purple ribbon with tiger and LSU logos on it. The rest of the cake was adorned with purple and gold items. I'm glad I found a supplier of dark purple washcloths because darker colors are not typical among baby items. To top the diaper cake, I found an adorable plush tiger. I also added several paw print die-cut accents in purple and gold to finish out the cake.

Now, you may notice that one of the differences between this cake and my other Fan Series cakes to date is that the decorations and color scheme created the theme rather than the baby items themselves. One big thing to remember when it comes to baby items (or other items in general) is that licensed or specialty items typically come with added costs. For those on a tighter budget or those that prefer to keep the theme more subtle, incorporating items in the chosen colors and a few theme specific decorative accents can present the theme just as effectively. It really leads to a decent amount of flexibility so a gift can be created for a whole range of budgets and personal preferences.

My customer really liked the cake which is awesome. I'm so happy to have had the opportunity to make a team spirit cake and I look forward to helping more expectant parents celebrate their teams and share their spirit with their new additions - especially if they are Aggies.
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Dinos!

The Noah's Ark "diaper cake" led to another order since my friend's co-workers were so impressed by that one. This time, I had the opportunity to create a cake using some blankets that I'd been waiting to use with some adorable dinosaurs on them. I couldn't wait to put it together and add all the details and decorations!

This cake was truly fun and I love the vibrant colors. The order was for a 2-tier covered cake so I began as usual with the stacked tiers and, for this cake, the dinosaur blankets. I added wash cloths, socks, spoons, and other baby goodies to the cake to provide some usable baby items (along with the diapers and blankets).

My favorite part of this diaper cake was the dinosaur die-cut accents. I was fortunate enough to have designs that matched pretty closely to the dinosaurs on the blankets, so I made them in colors to match. It was so exciting to be able to add this kind of detail to the diaper cake. The topper for the cake was also a die-cut dinosaur, but a much larger one. For this I actually placed two of them back to back so there was a finished look from all sides of the cake. Die-cut toppers are a great option as they won't add as much to the final cost of the cake as a plush toy will. This means they are really advantageous for those with a limited budget and they still help to give the cake a finished, polished look.

My customer loved the cake which as I've said before is one of my main goals. I really love how this cake turned out!

Little Man

It seems that "Little Man" is becoming quite the popular theme. I've made two cakes within the past 4 months with that theme and I'm in talks for a possible third. My first Little Man request came in December. The colors selected were green and blue and my customer wanted to incorporate mustaches, bodysuits, and bow ties.

I had difficulty finding appropriate baby items for the cake that would match the theme that were also at a reasonable price, so I relied heavily on decorations to set the stage, so to speak. I made the 2-tier cake as requested and covered the tiers in blankets to match the colors selected. I added baby items to match the colors as well. For the topper, I wanted to do a mustache on a stick. For that, I created a plush crocheted mustache and attached it to the top of the cake on a tall dowel. Mustache, bow tie, and bodysuit printed accents were added, also in coordinating colors.

The cake was adorable and achieved the look I was going for. It went over great with my customer. This cake is a great example about how any theme is possible. I like to pull from the blankets I use, the baby items, and/or the decorations to create the theme I'm going for. Sometimes, baby items are available, sometimes, they are not, but that doesn't mean that you are restricted from getting what you want.

Craft Fair 2012 Prep (Part 2)

As November and the annual craft fair drew closer, I still had a lot of work to do. I had most of the larger cakes I wanted to have available for the show, but I still needed a 2-tier boy cake and some buggies to replace ones I had sold. I also wanted to try some single tier cakes.

The two tier boy cake was one I was really excited about. I had some adorable sporty blankets in stock and I was thrilled to be able to use them. I used the colors red and blue as accents and created a super cute 2-tier cake complete with little baseball shoes on top. I also found some bath squirters that were shaped like sports balls and couldn't pass them up. Add some sporty accents and ribbons and I had a truly adorable cake for anyone's "Little Sport."

My next project was buggies. I had a gender neutral buggy on hand, but was in need of a blue one and a pink one. These are great little gifts and very popular because they contain a lot of baby items in a small package. I used some single blankets I had for these and used solid wash cloths to pair with patterned blankets. I have slightly changed the way that I make the structure of the buggies so they are easier for the expectant mama to use, but the changes are only internal and the exterior of the gift looks just as adorable as always.

After the buggies were done, I was happy to find that I still had some time to create some 1-tier cakes for the craft fair. For these, I was able to use some extra diapers that I had trouble putting in other cakes (because I don't typically mix brands - but will if requested). I made three 1-tier cakes, boy, girl, and gender neutral. These cakes were single layer with 10-15 diapers, a blanket, and several baby items added to them. They were each topped with paper shred for a complete simple gift. They really rounded out my offerings for the craft fair.

With the cakes finished (and finishing a rush order I had in the middle of this - keep an eye out for that blog), I had just enough time to put together a cake for donation. The craft fair always sponsored a raffle where they asked vendors to donate an item to the raffle. For this cake, I made up a 2-tier gender neutral mini cake that was green and yellow and contained many baby items. It was a great gift on it's own and a mini version of what you'd expect on larger cakes that I make.

I was finally done with all my items for the craft fair. It took a lot of time and creative scheduling to make it all in the time I had allotted. I hope for the 2013 show, I'm better prepared and don't quite have the time crunch. I'm happy with how these cakes came out and I'm happy for the opportunity to create more cakes to show what I can do.

Craft Fair 2012 Prep (Part 1)

October 2012 was a busy month for me with orders, personal gifts, and preparation for the upcoming craft fair that I do every year. Since most of my gifts are custom orders, I tend to not make a bunch ahead of time, so right before the craft fair, I'm typically rushing to get some cakes made up so I have something to offer at the sale.

The biggest project was replacing some inventory. I like to make sure to have a girl, boy, and gender neutral cake in 3-tier and 2-tier so that potential customers can see the variations and have options to choose from. I also like to have one each of baby buggies as well. In late September/early October, my main focus was on the diaper cakes. Since I had other cakes I was making at the time, I decided I'd also take advantage of photo opportunities before all the cakes were wrapped.

The updated duck cake

The original duck cake

My first project was to update a cake that I decided needed improvement. The cake was a gender neutral duck cake I had made for last year's show. I absolutely love the duck theme, but I felt that something was missing - namely a duck topper. At the time I made it, I didn't have an appropriate topper so I made-do with a hat that I had. I'd been toying with the idea of unwrapping the cake and adding a plush duck for a while and when I came across some super cute ducks at a store, I grabbed the opportunity. And the duck. I "fixed" the cake, adding the duck, moving around some of the baby items, and securing the ribbon that apparently had come loose.

Girl geometric cake

The second project was to create a 2-tier girl cake. For this cake, I chose some geometric blankets that I had and built the cake. For this cake, there wasn't an overall theme other than just being a girl cake which makes it extremely versatile. I added several baby items to decorate the tiers including a handmade pink bow hair clip. For this cake, I didn't add a topper, but decorated with paper shred. I don't necessarily think all cakes need a topper, but I think using a baby hat was a poor choice on my part for the previous cake. This one looked great "as is."

After working on those cakes, I placed them with some of the other cakes I had been working on recently that had not been wrapped. I don't often have multiple unwrapped cakes available, so this was a great opportunity for a photo session since cakes tend to photograph better without the wrapping. I took several shots and while I'm not sure where I'm going to use them (with the exception of here), but I have them for future purposes.

Introducing Towel Cakes!

One item that I seen starting to pop up is towel cakes. For quite some time now I've been interested in making them but haven't really had the opportunity to try it. My favorite gift to give it wedding is towels and this is most commonly where you see towel cakes given, but I don't seem to have too many friends planning their nuptials these days. There are, however, other opportunities and recently I found one where I could try my hand at it. A friend of mine just recently found out that she was pregnant, so, I decided I would make her a little spa gift to help to pamper herself and find ways to try to relax and feel better in early stages of pregnancy. Thus, I developed my very first towel cake.

I started out trying to nonchalantly probe her with questions regarding her bathroom. I wanted to make sure that the towels I chose would at least coordinate with her current color palette. After succeeding in my task, I began to gather items that I felt would be good to help an expectant mama relax and pamper herself. A jar of coconut oil became the main structure for the the cake. Coconut oil is commonly used as a skin moisturizer (among other things) and used by some as an alternate to cocoa butter to help with stretch marks. This was the personal choice for my friend so that's what I decided to use for the cake. I then began forming the rest of the cake with various sized towels and wash cloths that coordinated with her bathroom. The other touches added to the cake were some LED flame-less tea lights, some morning sickness herbal tea, and a bath pouf.

The cake turned out adorable. It was basic with a very clean look to it. I would love the opportunity to make some more cakes similar to this one as it was such a joy to make. It also was a fantastic surprise to my friend who was really feeling the negative effects of the early stages of pregnancy. Similar cakes could contain any number of other spa products that an expectant mama may like. The options for personalization of this type of cake are endless just as they are with diaper cakes. I can't wait for my next towel cake opportunity!

Luck o' the Irish

This year, I made my second St. Patrick's Day cake. Similar to most of my holiday cakes, this one was a mini cake made for display only.

This year's St. Patty's day cake started as many of the others do containing 24 diapers and stacked in to two tiers. A green receiving blanket and one burp cloth/pre-fold diaper covered the tiers. Green washcloths were added as well. I then added a few touches to bring in the holiday spirit. On the front of the cake, I added a handmade crocheted four-leaf clover hair clip. The cake also features shamrock ribbon on each of the tiers.

I love that this cake, while obviously a holiday cake, includes items that are not specifically holiday related. It is a perfect demonstration of how simply decorating the cake can represent a theme even if the individual items on the cake do not. with the exception of the hair clip, this cake is entirely gender neutral and the baby items includes are appropriate for use all year long.

Repeating designs

Many diaper cake makers are adept at creating a design that can be repeated or they stock up on supplies and are able to make several cakes of a single design. Up until recently, that wasn't something I had ever done. Since most of my cakes are made individually and items are often purchased specifically for each cake, repeating designs is dependent on available items at a later date. In most cases, there really isn't an issue. Making custom cakes has served me well and it means that expectant moms are sure to receive a unique gift.

But what if a customer wants a design I've made before? Or what if a design is popular and a customer wants something similar, if not necessarily the same thing? I never gave it much thought until I was contacted by a woman who really liked my cupcake cake, but wanted it in different colors.

The original chocolate and
pink cupcake diaper cake

When I first received the request, I was a bit worried. The colors selected for the original cake corresponded with the colors in the cupcake blanket which was the base of my design. Chocolate and pink seemed to go with the blankets naturally, so those are the colors I selected for the cake. This new request was for pink and lavender. After a bit of brainstorming, I discovered a way to repeat a similar design while meeting the request for the alternate colors.

Lavender was incorporated
into decorations on the cake

While the colors for the cupcake blanket were fixed, I did have options where I accented the cake with decorations. The basic design of the cake was easy enough to repeat adding the cupcakes on the large tier and a cupcake for the topper, all made with usable baby items, of course. By using socks for the smaller cupcakes, I was able to incorporate lavender and pink. The large cupcake topper also had lavender from washcloths. By adding lavender and pink ribbon to decorate the tiers, I was able to unify the overall look of the cake. I also had a new method for applying the pom pom "cherries" to this cake without having to worry about glue or pins, a challenge I had with the original cake.

The end product came out great and my customer loved it. The door is certainly open for possibly repeating or adapting designs in the future. I certainly am more open to it now that I've done it once. Certainly, not all can be adapted, but some can and it's exciting to see the possibilities!

What To Do For a Cloth Diapering Mama...

This was a recent issue for me. I had an upcoming baby shower for not one, but two cloth diapering mamas. Both mamas had a pretty decent stash of diapers, and though one did ask for a bit more supplementation for smaller sizes, I didn't have enough time to order, so I was left wondering what to do for gifts. I referred back to my previous baby cake that I made for a cloth diapering mama with a plentiful stash and tried to think of ideas. I developed a new concept for these mamas that I'm happy worked out and became a new "product" for my boutique.

Since I tend to be a bit crafty with sewing and crocheting, I decided to create for each of the moms coordinating sets of baby items. For one of the moms, she had a nursery scheme picked out so I was able to coordinate with the colors she had chosen.

The first item I created was a blanket. The blankets were essentially a simplified rag quilt (since these are spring babies that don't need a lot of weight to their blankets, especially here in Texas). I used flannel and super cuddly fabric to ensure they were soft and baby friendly. I used some of the coordinating flannel and created burp cloths, which I've done before and have had as an option in my boutique. I also created matched taggy blocks, but with a twist. Where previous blocks have been a uniform size, the new blocks I made were three different sizes. I also didn't add the "rattle" or crinkle effect to these blocks to make sure they remained machine washable. These items combined created my new product, nursery sets. Future sets may include more than one burp cloth, perhaps two or three that coordinate, or perhaps other baby items. The exciting part about this is that they can be stand alone gifts or the items can be incorporated into a diaper cake or as was the case with these moms, diaper free baby cakes.

For the baby cakes, I started with the three blocks and stacked them. Since they were different sizes, they created the different sized tiers for the cakes. The blanket and burp cloth became the clean outer shape for the cake layers. The smallest block acted as a cake topper. To further accent the cake, I added a few more personal touches. I crocheted hats that coordinated with the colors in the cakes and for the older toddler daughters that each of the moms have, I made matching rose hair clips to create a "big sister" gift. As a final touch, I added matched washcloths which were the only items included on the cakes that were not handmade (well, except for the ribbon).

The final result was two adorable baby cakes, full of baby items, but including no disposable diapers. They made fantastic gifts that not only looked amazing, but included custom items that couldn't easily be found commercially. Both moms seemed to thoroughly enjoy their gifts, which is what really matters in the end.

Christmas Tree!

This year I had a lot of ideas for my Christmas cake. I actually was contemplating making a couple different cakes but I got a little bit too busy in the pre-Christmas rush and didn't get around to it. I do, however, like the cake that I made and I think it's incredibly creative.

It started out much like many of my other holiday cakes. I built it out of a few premade spiral tiers that I keep on hand. This small cake had two tiers at its core. I chose a green receiving blanket to wrap around the cake to give the look of an evergreen tree. I then added a few decorations - some beaded garland, if you will, and some ornaments on the tree in the form of baby items. It was then topped with a yellow washcloth star and accompanied by several washcloth gifts.

As much as I like the overall look of this cake replicating it might not be very easy. To start, somebody would actually want a cake of this size. Any larger, and my only option would be to have multiple tiers individually decorated with green blankets and then the full cake decorated to look like a tree. In addition arranging the blanket as it was was relatively difficult. Another complication was adding the "ornaments" as these were simply supported by the garland and not attached more securely to the structure. A similar cake could, of course, still be done; however, it would be much more labor-intensive than this display cake was. Merry Christmas to all! Keep checking back for more updates on new projects.

Very Old-fashioned

My sister recently presented me with a challenge for a diaper cake. She needed a cake that would fit an unusual theme. The theme for the shower was "very old-fashioned" since the expectant mom was going to call her new daughter "Pearl Rose." My sister asked if there was anything I could do with that. Fortunately there was.

As soon she told me the theme, the ideas started flying. This particular theme, while new to me, was not nearly as difficult as one might think. When I think of things that are very old-fashioned, I think of pearls and lace especially when we're talking girls. I wanted to use a few blankets that I had that where a very soft pink with a tiny leaf/floral pattern on them. I would accent the cake with lace ribbon and strings of pearls. Even the middle name of the baby, "Rose," could be incorporated into the cake. I decided to top the cake with a bouquet of washcloth roses. The bottom layer of the cake was adorned with sporadic washcloth roses. The roses were surrounded in green washcloths which covered the layers of the cake and acted as leaves/foliage for the flowers.

The finished cake was beautiful. It was rather elegant for a cake that incorporates baby items on it and is not merely decorative. Unfortunately the addition of more baby items would have taken away from the overall effect, so it didn't contain as many as I would normally add. Overall, I was very pleased with how this cake turned out. My sister was pleased with the final product. I hope that the mom who received it got as much joy out of it as I did making it.

Prepping for the Craft Fair

After finishing up my harvest diaper cake (and another order which will be written about after the shower in a couple of weeks), I needed to get to work preparing for the annual craft fair I do with my mom. This year would be my second year bringing my baby gifts to the show. I actually had some inventory left from last year, but I had sold a buggy at the show last year. I also sold one of my gender neutral cakes sometime in the middle of the year that I had in inventory from the show. I dismantled two cakes I had made for last years show to use some of the baby items for another cake. All those items needed to be replaced so that I would have enough at the craft fair.

The first cake I worked on was 2-tier girl cake. I was super excited about this cake. Ever since I saw the blankets I used for it, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. This cake, the "Cupcake Cake" features a cupcake printed receiving blanket, plus another coordinating blanket. The lower tier is lined with washcloth cupcakes. The topper for the cake is a large cupcake made with a onsie and a washcloth. All the cupcakes are topped with red pom pom cherries for effect.

The second cake I made for the show was a 3-tier girl cake, a butterfly cake. For this cake, I used two butterfly print receiving blankets and a coordinating green blanket with dots. To embellish this cake, I added washcloth butterflies and flowers. I also added pink flower shaped teethers to decorate. This cake incorporates a kind of washcloth flower I had never done before and I love the final look. While not in the pictures, I did at antennas to the butterflies before wrapping the cake for sale.

The third new item I made for the craft fair was a 2-tier gender neutral cake. This cake featured a duck patterned blanket, plus another coordinating blanket around the tiers. Added to this cake was a matched duck hat and mitten set. I also added a washcloth, some baby bath samples, and water filled teethers.

The final new item I made for the craft fair was a buggy. This buggy needed to be a boy buggy. I selected a car print receiving blanket for the main buggy basket. I added coordinating washcloths for the buggy hood and the "blanket" inside the buggy.


Along with these new creations and the other baby items I had in inventory, I was ready for the show. I had high hopes of improving on last year's sales. There has been a definite progression of my work over the past year and I was proud of many of the new cakes I had to offer. In my next blog post, I'll give an update on the show including pics, so make sure to check back!

Halloween Cake!

Starting last December I began making holiday cakes. They are mostly for display and to show what is possible. No matter the theme of your shower, a cake can almost assuredly be made to match. Of course, if you are going to be welcoming a baby the same month as a major holiday, that can always be the theme of a shower. Or a cake like this can be a holiday gift for a baby that is celebrating his or her first one. In any case, I couldn't skip Halloween as it is one of my favorite holidays, so here it is, my Halloween display cake.

In true form, similar to several of my other holiday cakes, this mini cake was a 2-tiered cake. I cheated a little when I built it, because I didn't actually use baby items to cover the tiers. I simply used cotton flannel fabric. Since this cake was for display purposes only, I didn't go through the trouble of making actual burp cloths, but in the event that someone wanted to order a similar cake, that is most likely what I'd do. Holiday apparel seems readily available, however, other baby items like burp cloths and blankets are not seen as frequently with holiday themes. Luckily, they can be made if the occasion calls (and you happen to be crafty enough, which, fortunately, I am). I kept it very simple with this one with the accents. I used some adorable candy corn ribbon for the tiers. I also added some white wash cloths, a pair of orange baby spoons, and finished it off with matching Jack-o-lantern hat and socks. I added some tissue paper to decorate and separate the tiers, but I'm not sure I would employ this method frequently since that would be the only part of the cake I'm a bit unsure about.

I really like how this cake turned out and I'm excited about future possibilities with this theme. I was tempted to make a couple different Halloween cakes, but I restrained myself. I look forward to more cakes where I can test my creativity. The seasonal ones are especially fun. I already have my next one ready to go! Keep checking back to see what I've come up with!

New and Improved Cloth Diaper Diaper Cake

I've once again ventured into the world of the rarely seen cloth diaper diaper cake. Not many people have explored this "green" option, but since I cloth diaper myself and know many other moms that cloth diaper as well, I see the need for this option. This time, I wanted to use flat fold diapers which proved to be easier than other types I have used in the past for cakes.

A flat fold diaper, or more colloquially known as a "flat" ("flats" for plural) is a diaper that is basically a large piece of absorbent fabric. They can be made with various materials and are folded for use (using one of many configurations) and secured with pins or other commercially available items for holding it in place. Because of their ease of care, they are very popular among cloth diapering moms, but for those that are unfamiliar with cloth diapering, they may be a cause for uncertainty or fear. They do however, come together quite nicely for a diaper cake.

I opted to create a boy diaper cake this time. Once again, this cake was purely for experimentation purposes. I selected 12 flat diapers (which I actually use a burp cloths) and got to work. This cake was built very similarly to how a towel cake might be built (another project I'd like to try my hand at some time). I created two tiers for this cake and was actually surprised at how small the cake was. It was about the same dimensions as my 2-tier mini cakes that I make which typically contain about 24 diapers and it fit on an 8" round cake board. I decorated the cake for pictures including spoons and socks and adding crinkle paper and ribbon.

The main idea for this cake was to see how it would come together using flats. It worked great and I'm glad to have made one so I have it under my belt should one ever be requested. I would much rather commit to doing something I've already done and make sure my customer is confident in my ability and on my part, I can create something that I'm proud to put my name on and sell.

The Next "Big" Holiday Cake

Since I set the precedent of making holiday themed cakes, I couldn't very well ignore Independence Day, so I set out to make another of my mini display cakes. This one proved a little more difficult since I use things I have around to create these cakes. They are, after all, intended to inspire ideas and show off the wide variety of things that can be done with diaper cakes.

This holiday cake actually started out with the topper - an American flag pinwheel my father-in-law had gotten for my oldest son. With that inspiration, I set out to make the cake. I had a Red, White, and Blue baby bodysuit in a larger size (18 mo) that actually fit quite well around the top tier of the mini cake. I used two prefold diapers/burp cloths for the bottom tier and added a blue washcloth for a splash of color. Coordinating ribbons decorated the tiers and with a bit of crinkle paper, the cake was complete.

This cake certainly doesn't have the quantity of baby items that I typically add, but I'll be honest, the cake didn't quite get the same attention that I've given some other display cakes since I felt in a bit of a rush for the holiday. I like that the bodysuit fit well around that top tier and it gives me yet another option for future cakes. The only drawback with this is that the bodysuit was a larger size and most diaper cakes focus on very young babies. That's not to say that it's not an option and two smaller bodysuits could certainly be used instead. The "fan" I created with the washcloth is also a new idea and I like the effect, but I may change up a bit how I do it to give it a cleaner look if I incorporate a washcloth in this manner in a future cake.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy Independence Day! I'll be sure to keep up with the cakes. The holiday ones provide a challenging springboard for my creativity!

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.

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.