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!

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!

Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!

Here I go again, recreating things I've done. While most my previous recreations are adapting things to a smaller size, I now have up-sized. Biggie sized. Super sized. And we are done with the fast food references... This time, it's the cupcakes that get the attention.

At the beginning of this year, I decided to add baby cupcakes to my product line introducing a cute little way to present washcloths and other baby items. To get the right effect, the baby gift needs to be presented in a cupcake wrapper. The first ones I did were great and with a little tweaking, I figured out how I wanted them to look. The regular sized wrappers presented a bit of a problem though. Their size limited what baby items could be used. For a bigger or bulkier item, a larger cake wrapper would be needed.

Introducing, the Large Cupcake. With the assistance of a larger cupcake wrapper, I was able to create a cupcake with a baby bodysuit and a coordinating washcloth. With a few more embellishments like a "cherry" on top and final wrapping, this can be a modest gift or several could be placed around a shower location as sweet little decorations later to be sent home with the expectant mom.

I was very pleased with this addition to my product line and would have stopped there if I hadn't seen the stack of coffee filters in the pantry. Coffee filters look strangely like giant cupcake wrappers, so I had to keep going and create the Jumbo Cupcake! With this cupcake, I could incorporate even more baby items and larger items for yet another gift. This first one I created included four washcloths and two terry burp cloths. This too will need some mild tweaking in the form of a "cherry" on top and the final packaging. Again, these could be given as a modest gift or several could be placed around a shower as decorations.

I am very excited about these two new items and have since updated the product catalog that I keep (a binder with individual pages for each type of gift with a description, pricing, and pictures to give examples of each item). Now, since I started all this, I need to see if a mini-cupcake is in my future. I'm not too sure since those wrappers are awfully tiny, but you never know!

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!