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.

Pumpkin Elegance

It's been a minute. Or a number of years. Life has kept me busy, for better or for worse and I haven't given any background insights on my diaper cakes in an extremely long time. No worries, I have pictures to let me know what comes next so here we go.

When the request came for the next custom diaper cake, it was once again, something new and different. I don't know how this kept happening, but it did and as always, I'm glad for the challenge. I love the opportunity to take someone's idea and create something beautiful with it. This go-round, the request was pastel pumpkin themed, but they wanted something elegant, rather than cutsie like so many diaper cakes have a tendency to be. They also wanted minimal, so that's what we went with.

This diaper cake was going to be something that incorporated floral decor rather than baby items. Several years prior, I had switched from creating a distinct front on the cakes and decorating all around. This time, I was going for an entirely new look with a cascade of decorations.

I given that this cake was created in October, I was able to find some Halloween and fall decor including light colored pumpkins and leaves. This was my first time working with floral decor so it was a bit of a task to pull the pieces apart and deciding which aspects I was going to use. Certainly, some of the colors were too dark so I had to pull out only the lighter colors.

This cake was a large one - 4 tiers. Since I wanted the decor to cascade, I needed to come up with a way to have ribbon around the cake without detracting from the decorations. When I build the cakes, I have some ribbon holding the middle of the tiers together. This ribbon is then covered by the larger decorative ribbon in normal diaper cakes, but for this one, I needed to still hide the structural ribbon while keeping the cake as clean as possible. I selected a slightly off-white floral ribbon to place around each tier. While visible, it sort of melts into the cake since it's dull, relatively speaking so when viewing the cake as a whole, it's barely noticed.

I then began adding the various leaves and pumpkins, tucking them into the tiers. I created two spirals that began at the top of the cake and angled downward to the bottom on opposite sides of the cake. This created a beautiful cascade with visual interest on all sides of the cake. For the topper, I used one of the larger artificial pumpkins I found.

This cake was so beautiful. It was the first time I created something with no additional baby items other than the diapers that made up the cake. It created an upscale elegant centerpiece for the baby shower while still being useful at it's core. 

What do you think? Do you prefer diaper cakes with more usable baby items or do you like the elegance and simplicity of this style?

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!

Totally Adorable, and I Ain't Lion...

Ok, so the post title needs a little work...

After the craziness that went into projects just previous to this one, I was thankful to have a break from the big challenges and make a more "traditional" cake, so to speak. My customer for this cake wanted a lion cake, but wanted it to be simple. The colors were light blue and light orange.

Creating this cake was really fun and though it wasn't as complex as some projects I've done, it wasn't a cakewalk either. See what I did there? Yeah, I really shouldn't try to be funny. Light orange sounds easy enough, but it's not as simple as one would think. There are limitations on the availability of color options when it comes to baby items. There is a little more leeway with decorations, but I've had to get creative in the past. I was very fortunate with this cake to have exactly what I needed - and I used up the last of some items like light orange washcloths which I haven't seen since. I was also able to find some light orange ribbon which helped out greatly. Add some socks and baby utensils that were not quite light orange, but orange nonetheless and I had everything for a completed cake.

For extra accents on this cake I added an adorable plush lion, which, I'll be honest, was maybe a little big for the cake, but it was way too cute to pass up. I really think that this size plush is the biggest that can work for a diaper cake this size. I also added some little lion head accents which were quite adorable.

This cake came together really nicely and my customer loved it. One of the great things about this cake is that the theme was created by one plush animal and decorations. All the other items were basic baby items in particular colors. This makes it a really good option if people are on a budget since a lot of design specific items tend to come with higher costs. The baby items included on the cake are no less usable, and don't conflict with a nursery theme if one has been selected by the mom. Despite this cake being a more clean and less complex cake, it has quickly become one of my favorite creations. I think it's just adorable.

More Owls!

I'm noticing that owls are becoming increasingly popular these days, so it's a good thing I had two owl cakes under my belt. I was contacted by a potential customer that was interested in an owl cake. She actually liked the first one I had done and wanted a cake like it.

When I first received the e-mail, I was really excited. I started thinking about the possibilities for this cake. Looking at the cake, the color scheme was developed by the ribbon and the owls. That meant it could technically be made in a variety of color combinations depending on the wishes of my customer. I had already made the washcloth owls in a variety of colors for the two owl cakes I had done previously. The color options for the washcloths (and yarn color options for the owl on top) are slightly more limited than the ribbon, but most color requests should be do-able. I made sure to let my customer know that she had the option of selecting other colors if she needed a different color scheme.

In this particular case, however, my customer wanted the same colors as the original cake, hot pink and lime green. I won't lie, I was a bit disappointed that I wasn't going to be able to try the same cake in a different color, but of course, I was more than happy to create the cake again. I also have to say, I'm quite proud that I had a difficult time telling the difference between the original and "copy" cakes based on the pictures alone. I'm certainly happy that my work is consistent enough that the cake can be what was requested.

Despite not making the cake in a different color combination, I took the idea and this became my fist item that I listed in my Esty shop. To gain access to more customers, I opened an Etsy shop in January, but it wasn't until March 2013 that I opened the shop with this cake as my first item. I offered color of choice for this cake and I'm excited to see how it does. I can't wait for the opportunity to create additional versions of this cake. To view this and other products currently listed in my Etsy shop, please check it out here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/BethsBabyBoutique00

Owls All Over (Part II)

When I was planning the baby shower for my friend, I really wanted everything to coordinate. Who doesn't, right? That's what pulls a party together. A cohesive look. If you are like me, you want everything to match. Most of the showers I attend, I come as an attendee. A few of them I'm part of the planning, but not many. Most of the time for orders I make diaper cakes to match a theme of a shower. I only hope that the cake coordinates since I don't often see pictures. I've made a few gift sets with diaper cakes that coordinate with other items, bouquets or whatever to go along with a theme, but again, I'm not usually part of any of the decorating. This time was different.

As previously mentioned, my friend loves owls, so I wanted to do an owl themed shower. I made sure that accents and ribbon that were on the diaper cake were seen in other places at the shower. I made decorations that pulled in the same colors and designs that were on the cake.

The individual mobile pieces

The first item I made was what I called a mobile. It was the best descriptor I could come up with. Basically, it was made up of decorated shapes with pictures and images that were hung by string. Accents on the cake had an owl image that matched the shower invitations. The same image was on some of the pieces of the mobile. I used scalloped edges which coordinated with the accents on the diaper cake as well. I also pulled in some other images of owls and onsies with text like "Look Whooo!" and "Little Hoot" on the mobile.

Finished mobile as it hung

Next, I made a banner with the baby's name. It was a standard pennant banner. The letters coordinated with the theme colors and I added extra accents to the ends that matched the mobile.

(Sadly, not my TV.)

The final item I made for the shower was cupcake toppers. These toppers were made in the same design as the accents on the diaper cake with the owl image and scalloped edged background. They were double sided so they looked cute from every angle.

Cupcake toppers in various
color combinations

Scalloped edge owl accent
on the diaper cake

In addition to the decorations I made, we added even more accents to coordinate with the overall theme. We had orange flowers displayed in multiple vases around the shower area. We wrapped some of the owl ribbon from the diaper cake around the vases. We also had orange, brown, and turquoise balloons displayed. And because I can't help but go over the top, I made an owl out of a pineapple and some other fruits and made owl chocolate molds.

It was exciting to see how so many decorations could pull the theme together and I loved being able to create so many items that could coordinate with the diaper cake so well. I'm considering offering some of the shower decorations as options for diaper cake customers. It would certainly help to make shower prep easier and really ensure the overall theme is tied together. I'd love feedback on this idea! Please let me know either in the comment section of on my Facebook page!

Owls All Over (Part I)

If you've read my recent posts, you saw that I made an adorable owl cake for a friend and customer with some super cute owls made of completely usable washcloths. You probably also noted that I mentioned I was using that cake as practice for a shower I was throwing for a close friend of mine who loves owls. This diaper cake was epic. I have to say that it's one of my favorites (but I also have to be honest that most of my cakes become favorites) and I think I really achieved something I've never seen before in the diaper cake world: a cloth diaper diaper cake that rivals traditional diaper cakes. This cake left nothing to be desired when it comes to diaper cakes. I'm certainly proud to have it in my gallery of works.

My friend had registered for prefold diapers (these are the ones most people think of when they hear about cloth diapering and they are more often than not used as burp cloths these days) so that is what I used to form the cake. With careful folding, the diapers were formed into spiraled tiers that have become my standard style for diaper cakes. After the cake was built, I commenced with decorating. I had chosen turquoise, orange, and brown for the shower colors. Using those colors and some owl print and striped ribbons, I decorated the cake. The cake was also adorned with the washcloth owls in coordinating colors. A few pairs of socks and a handmade crocheted plush owl were added as accents. One more detail added to the cake was several owl "badges" that coordinated with the shower invitation and other decorations for the shower. A few more decorative additions and the cake was finished.

This cake thrilled me to no end. It looked so far gone from the other cloth diaper diaper cakes I had made for practice, and in my opinion, blew them out of the water. At first glance, it's almost difficult to tell that this cake was made with cloth diapers instead of disposable. It certainly proves that just because a mom chooses to cloth diaper, she doesn't have to miss out on a diaper cake at her shower. My friend adored the cake, but I'll be honest, I didn't really have any doubts.


 Please check back for the follow-up post that will show you all the shower decorations and accents that coordinated with this cake! I'm hoping to make various decorations available on future orders so customers can have a truly cohesive shower.

Crochet for the Holidays

One of my customers of my boob beanies showed me a picture of an adorable newborn pirate hat that she had seen and wondered if I could make something like it. She wanted it for Halloween for her 7 week old. I told her that I probably could if I had a pattern. I didn't concretely say that I would do it - I didn't want to make a promise I couldn't keep. I went in search of a pattern, because really, who can resist and adorable baby dressed up as a pirate?

I collected a couple patterns, including the one from the picture she showed me. I went to work using the pattern from the picture and decided I'd use the other one as a back-up depending on how the first turned out. Sadly, I didn't have the materials I needed. I didn't have the right yarn or the right crochet hook. Being me, I just made-do with what I had and decided I'd see how it came out and fix any problems I encountered as I encountered them. And I did encounter them. The first hat I made was adorable. And tiny. Really tiny. It figures considering my crochet hook was too small. And my yarn too narrow. Fair enough, I decided I'd adjust the pattern and make it larger - which came with it's own set of challenges. This worked well and the hat came out adorable, and after fiddling with and altering the pattern for the Jolly Roger logo, I had a super cute hat. For a tiny baby. Like, newborn tiny. Maybe preemie. Or a doll. I thought it might fit since my boys were able to wear some newborn items until they were about 8 weeks old. Not the case here. Once again, I adjusted the pattern and enlarged it (again, with more challenges) and completed a super cute pirate hat that was much more suited for a 0-3 mo baby. I pushed it a bit close to Halloween, but my customer had it in time and all worked out well.

Inspired by the pirate hat, I decided to create an adorable pumpkin hat too. I had saved the pattern quite some time ago, like over a year. I decided I couldn't keep staring at it hoping for a reason to make it, so I just made it. Fortunately, I didn't have to alter the pattern much for this one and managed to get it right the first time. So super cute! This particular pattern lends itself to extending quite well, so adjusting for larger sizes is much easier than with the pirate hat.


I'm so excited about these adorable additions to my repertoire. I'm looking forward to more for future holidays. Now to find some winter patterns!

About to Pop!

And expectant mama contacted me about a diaper cake that she wanted me to make for her shower. Her shower had an "about to pop" theme. She was planning on using the colors hot pink, orange, and yellow and incorporating as many "pop" things as she could including lollipops and popcorn. The challenge was to make a coordinating diaper cake to go along with the theme and color scheme. As with all themes presented to me, this was a challenge that I wanted to meet.

For this cake given a slightly smaller budget and lack of available appropriate baby items, I chose to do a "naked" cake. I knew right away that I wanted to incorporate baby washcloths formed into lollipops as that would meld well with the theme. I used to washcloths in coordinating colors to go with the scheme and created a topper and added several as decoration on the sides of the tiers. They cake still seem to be missing something, and I really wanted to find a way to incorporate popcorn into the cake as this was something specific the mom had mentioned to add to her "about to pop" theme. After a lot of brainstorming I came up with an incredibly adorable idea that made the perfect accent to the cake. I developed miniature card stock popcorn containers that I attached along the middle tier of the cake. Yellow curling ribbon was then curled and places into the boxes to create the look of popcorn. Rather then finish off this cake with paper shred like I do many of my cakes I chose to use hot pink, orange, and yellow curling ribbon to decorate the tops of the tiers.

The final cake was truly a masterpiece. Once again, I found myself having a difficult time deciding if this or one of my other cakes was truly my favorite. The theme could not have been matched better. My customer loved the cake, and it created a perfect centerpiece for her baby shower decorations.

Ready for the Harvest!

I recently completed perhaps my most time consuming cake and I would do it again in a heartbeat because it was so much fun! This cake presented a particular challenge as it was to be diaper free. The cake was for a friend of mine. The mom group that I belong to was planning a shower for one of the moms in the group. We decided on a fall/harvest theme for the shower. I, of course, volunteered to provide the diaper cake which would also be my gift to the expectant mom.

Here is where the challenge came in: the mom is a cloth diapering mom but already had a HUGE diaper stash and didn't need any more. So, it was to be a diaper-free diaper cake. Or just a baby cake, I suppose. Not to worry. I decided that this was an easy enough hurdle to jump. Towel cakes are becoming increasingly popular for wedding gifts so, why not do the same with blankets? I usually use receiving blankets for my diaper cakes anyway and the mom had requested receiving blankets since she didn't have the ones from her last baby anymore. I was all set and ready to make a Blanket Cake! This was easier said than done.

6 blanket cake, first attempt

I collected 6 blankets in various boy patterns (since the mom was expecting a boy) and proceeded to start construction on the cake. I was all set to cover the cake completely in ribbon  to match the theme so the pattern of the blankets really didn't make much difference in regards to the final product. As I began to build the cake, I noticed one big glaring problem. The size. It turns out that since flannel isn't a particularly thick fabric, when relied on entirely to build a cake, it is quite lacking. I put the ribbon on the see how it would all work and the result was less than awe-inspiring. Tiny cake (even smaller than my mini 2-tier holiday cakes), the white crinkle paper looked completely out of place, and there were issues with the ribbon (but that was easily remedied). It was back to the drawing board.

3-tier, 10 blankets, final cake

I had intended a 3-tier cake, but as it was, that would never work. So, in the end, I picked up some bath toys that were in a cylindrical container. That container acted as my core for the cake and I started to build again. With the addition of four more coordinating blankets, the cake, though smaller in diameter to most of my other 3-tier cakes, was much more impressive. New ribbon encircled the cake, coordinating paper shred was added, artificial fall leaves were arranged around the cake board, and then it was on to the final touches.

First pumpkin attempt

The final touches were a whole new ball game. And I mean new. New project for me, new to my diaper cakes. Just new. I decided to maintain the theme, I'd crochet a collection of stuffed squashes and gourds to decorate the cake. After the shower, they could be used by the expectant mom's kids as play food. I'd never crocheted food before so it was entirely new territory for me. Luckily, I had crocheted before (my mom taught me, several times) so I knew how to do the stitches and read a pattern. Armed with my crochet hook, cotton thread, patterns (which were difficult enough to find - or make up as the case turned out to be fore some of them), and the phone to call my mom for help in case of difficulties, I was ready to go. The first project was a pumpkin for the topper. While the pumpkin turned out great, it was entirely too bright and too big for the cake, so I remade it with a smaller hook and different colored yarn. I then moved on to the other gourds and squashes. I followed patterns for some, and others I just made up based on how I knew I wanted them to look. They turned out great. I added them to the cake and wallah! I was done.

Gourd set (including 1st pumpkin)

The final cake was such a work of art. it became my new favorite cake and I was so proud of how it turned out. There were so many new techniques that went in to building this cake and I couldn't have been happier with it. The cake looked fantastic with the rest of the shower decorations and their fall/harvest theme. The best part is that the mom loved it.

Finished cake as presented to the mom

I now can add a few new products to my product line - non-diaper baby cakes and crocheted stuffed toys. We'll see how similar projects turn out, but so far, it's going well.

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!

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!

Introducing the Mini Bouquet

Maybe I have a thing with making items smaller, I don't know. I think it's an almost universal truth that women think little things are cute, so maybe that's it. In any case, I had a glass cup that I thought would be great to use for a vase for a baby bouquet on a small scale. So, the other day I decided to put it together and see how it looked.

I gathered half a dozen washcloths and rolled them into "roses". I used a burp cloth for a decorative element in the vase where I typically would have used tissue paper or a similar filling. I like the overall look, but I'm not sure if I would use a burp cloth in practice. If I do, I would probably still add tissue paper or another filling to make it look cleaner.

A cute little bouquet like this could be used as shower decorations where a larger vase would be cumbersome. At a large shower or party with multiple tables, mini bouquets would be great as a smaller centerpiece or several could line a longer refreshment table. I like the idea of small or miniature items being incorporated as shower decorations, especially if you have a larger area where decorations are needed in multiple locations. Another great benefit of these types of decorations is the fact that they are rather affordable if a large quantity is needed.

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.

Matching Colors

As it turns out, another friend of mine was due with a baby in June. We may not live that far from each other, but her hectic schedule as a pediatrician makes getting in touch difficult and getting together even harder. Now, when I was up in Dallas over Christmas, my sister made a mention that she was pregnant (they were best friends in grade school), but I didn't think much of it and figured I'd hear it from her directly. We did finally get a chance to talk and she let me know she was expecting. She was about twenty weeks along! We really should do better about getting together.

I wasn't sure what direction to take with her cake, so I checked the registry and asked about her color choices for the baby room. She had selected turquoise and lime green with hints of tangerine. I was a little nervous about my ability to match this color scheme and set out to see what I could find. The first and easiest thing to find was the a lime green receiving blanket. As luck would have it, there was a coordinating white blanket with turquoise, lime, and tangerine spirals on it. I found some matching wash cloths and other accents and I was good to go. The ribbon for wrapping the cake was much easier to find as the color variety is much wider than on baby items.

I hand rolled the diapers and began assembling the cake. The receiving blankets were wrapped around the bottom and middle tiers and two wash cloths covered the top tier. I used two different sized ribbons to tie around the tiers using the colors she chose to pull it all together. The topper, a duck that hangs from the carrier handle, was secured in place by the hook. I added teethers (again, in matching colors) as final embellishments attaching them with coordinating curling ribbon. This was a new technique that I was trying out and I think it worked quite well.

This finished cake, I feel was my best to date. I really like the look of the additional ribbon and I feel it gives it the aesthetic boost that my previous cakes were lacking. Another difference is this cake was made with size 2 diapers. For the most part, it doesn't really make a difference, although, given the fact that it took so long to actually present this gift (the baby was about 8 weeks by that point) it worked out quite well.