Okay, so this isn't really food, but it sort of resembles it. Sort of.
I broke out my crafty-hat a few months ago and made a diaper cake for a friend's baby shower.
I'd never made one before, but I've seen lots of pictures and figured it couldn't be that hard. It wasn't! It was just a little time-consuming, but totally worth it because it was totally fun to make.
And the mommy-to-be loved it! Here's what it looked like finished:
front of "cake"
It was a hawaiian-themed baby shower, so I decorated the "cake" to look tropical. I found silk hibiscus flowers and palm leaf-shaped coasters to decorate. And since I knew in advance that the baby is going to be a boy, I found cute blue polka-dotted ribbon to surround each tier of the "cake."
back of "cake"
Here's how it began: I used all-natural unbleached Seventh Generation size 1 diapers. I rolled each one and secured them with rubberbands. I lost count of how many I used total, but I think it's somewhere in the neighborhood of 120.
numerous, numerous rolled-up diapers
For the core, I found a fun, colorful rainstick that I'm sure will become a useful toy (a distraction, perhaps) for the baby.
I used cable ties to secure all the diapers together. The use of sticky tape isn't an option for a diaper cake since the goal is for the parents to take this apart and be able to use the diapers (which will be much needed, I'm sure).
I also randomly place Burt's Bees baby products, small toys, bibs and socks throughout the "cake" to add visual interest (and of course for the parents to use for their baby).
all the tiers complete, before ribbon and flower application
The toy rainstick core was crucial in holding all the "cake" tiers together. I managed to travel with this "cake" and get it to its destination intact.
It was so fun to make and show off, and the expression of delight on the mother-to-be's face when she saw it made the work all the more rewarding for me.
I hope to get the chance to make more diaper "cakes" in the near future! Hear that, friends? Breed on!
P.S. Congrats to the new mother, who, by the way, delivered a healthy baby boy on August 5, 2010. Welcome to the world, baby Jackson!
Hey, even if it's not chocolate, this is a heck of a cake! :D
ReplyDelete~CI
Oh wow! That is an amazing diaper cake! I love the leaves.
ReplyDeleteMany people use a diaper cake gift as the centerpiece of the gift table, but why not use them as the centerpieces for all of the tables. Because they are so quick and easy to make, it is quite simple to create enough to use for each of the tables. Another bonus is that a cake centerpiece will cost less than some other options, such as flower or balloon arrangements. At the end of the shower, give all of the centerpieces to the guest of honor.
ReplyDeleteCould you please tell me, how much did you end up spending on a rain stick?
ReplyDeleteThere are so many price variations. I like the idea though.
The one I used was about $10-12 at the time, I think. You're right about the variations -- the all-plastic ones tend to be less expensive, but there are some really cool wood ones that, of course, cost more.
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