How to make a diaper cake

After having our own baby showers for little Owen, I realized how coveted diaper gifts were for parents-to-be.  Diaper gifts were going to be especially important for our friends Barb and Dave, since they're having TWINS (any day now!).  Instead of giving them a box of diapers, I decided to make a diaper cake!

Diaper cakes are incredibly easy to make and really cute.  They look great on your food table and are an easy way to add height to the table and tie in your theme!  If you can roll diapers and use rubber bands, you can make a diaper cake.  I have confidence in you!

You'll need:

60-75 diapers (mostly white)
Rubber bands (~100)
Paper towel roll
Ribbon
Straight pins (6)
Cake Stand
A section of a plastic tablecloth (or fabric) approx 3-4 foot square (depending on how large your cake stand is
Assorted decorations

First, roll up your diapers.  Roll them so any graphics across the front stay on the inside (you want a white outside) from bottom to top.  They should be snug, but not super tight.  Wrap each with a rubber band around the middle to keep in place.  You don't want the rubber band so tight it indents the diaper, so loosen if you need.

Once you've rolled 60 or so diapers, it's time to start assembling the bottom tier of your cake.  Start by surrounding the bottom of the paper towel roll with your rolled diapers.  Once you've formed the first layer, put another rubber band around the group to secure.

Then surround that layer with another, and secure the group with another rubber band.  Continue with a third layer to finish the bottom tier.  (Tip:  As you get to the second and third layer of rolled diapers, it gets easier to put the rubber band on first and slide the rolled diapers in as you go.)

Once the bottom tier has three layers of diapers, you can start on the second tier.  Construct in the same way, only this time just do two layers of diapers.  Then move on to the top tier and do one layer of diapers.

Isn't it nice that a paper towel roll is the same height of three rolled newborn diapers stacked on top of each other?  Works out perfectly!

I stuck rolled up diapers inside the paper towel roll at the end too, so the top wouldn't be empty - you don't want to see a hollow tube at the top of your cute cake!

Next up - the ribbon!  You'll want to select a ribbon that is about 1/3 the height of the diapers you're using.  You'll be wrapping it around the middle of each tier, covering the rubber bands.

Secure the ribbon in the back with pins.  One pin in the top corner where it starts, and a pin in the top and bottom corners where it ends to hold in place.  If you have pins with tops the same color as your ribbon, awesome!  If not, just make sure they end up in the back.

Then I made a simple bow to put on top of the cake and secured it with another pin through the back.

Next I covered my cake stand.  The glass cake stand is nice for some things, but didn't fit the "feel" of my diaper cake, so I decided to cover it.  I used the end of the tablecloth I didn't need (you'll need a 3-4 foot square depending on the size of your base) so it would tie in nicely with the rest of the table.

Lay the cake stand upside down in the center of your fabric.
Gather the ends around the entire stand.
Tie a ribbon around the top of the pedestal, close to the plate.  You could also use a rubber band.
Cut away the excess fabric, but leave enough so it will hang to cover the entire pedestal.

Now put it all together!

I wanted to keep the other decorations on my diaper cake simple, so I went with a monkey, giraffe and passie.  "Monkey" and "giraffe" are the nicknames given to each of the baby girls we were celebrating that day.

Turned out pretty nicely!

All the parents-to-be have to do is unroll the diapers as they need them!  Talk about a functional decoration.

Have you made a diaper cake before?

Check out other baby shower posts:

Baby shower activity - make a wish tree!
Marshmallow Baby Rattle Shower Favors
Chocolate covered pretzel giraffes
Baby shower overview - complete with a "cravings corner"

Baby Shower Activity: Make a "Wish Tree"

I'm not into most baby shower games.  What pregnant lady wants her friends to guess how big her waist is (Lord help the person who goes way over...) or taste candy bars in diapers?  I'd much rather do something that will last forever!

I was tossing around a few ideas for shower activities - it was between three things:

- writing messages on diapers to make the new parents smile during those late-night changes
- decorating onesies
- a wish tree

I decided to go for the wish tree because it's seriously one of the sweetest things ever.  We made one for my friend Laci at her baby shower last year and everyone loved it.  These two special little girls needed one too.  Here's how it works!

Everyone writes down wishes or things they are excited for the girls to experience as they grow up on a leaf.  They can range from kisses from their puppy, their first school dance, to cuddles with mommy...anything goes!  This is nice because people can do it at their own pace while you're eating or chatting, and do as many (or few) as they'd like.  Later, everyone reads their wishes for the mom-to-be and puts them on the tree to be hung in the nursery.

You can either reach out to family members and other good friends who aren't able to attend before the shower to include their wishes, or leave some space on the tree for others to add to later.  We decided to do a mixture - Barb's sisters and nieces sent in some wishes ahead of time that we were able to share at the shower, and her husband and other friends will fill out their own later!

To make this, you'll need:

A large frame
White paper
Tape
Acrylic paint (1 color for the background, 1 color for the tree)
Assorted paint samples (from Lowe's or Home Depot)

First, you'll need to cut out the leaves.  Barb sent a picture of their nursery a few weeks ago, so thankfully I knew what colors to pick out when standing in front of the paint sample section.  You could do all one color, different shades of a color, or a mix like I did.

(Funny story...I was really uncomfortable getting all the paint samples at Lowes.  I know they're free, but I felt like I was stealing!  3 people asked me if needed help and I told them I was just browsing...as I discretely stuffed paint samples into my purse.  I even held them up and pretended to compare them.  I'm a dork.)

Then, plan out your tree.  There will need to be enough branches to hold lots of leaves, but few enough so there's room for the leaves to live.  Take the back of the frame out of the glass and tape white paper together so it covers the entire surface.  Sketch out your tree with a marker on the paper.

Owen photo-bomb'd the picture!

Lay our your leaves to make sure there's enough room for them to live without feeling "scrunched" so you know if you need to adjust the limbs.

Now it's time to start painting!

Pick out your background color and apply 2 coats on the board of the frame.  Once it's completely dry, cut around the tree you drew on the paper and place on the board.  Cut away piece by piece, drawing what you see under that place (this helps keep the proportions you just double checked with leaves!).

Then fill out your outline and let dry!

Here's a look at the (almost) finished product (they still have to add more leaves from additional family and friends) in their nursery!  Looks pretty great, doesn't it?

What are some of your favorite baby shower activities?

Shower Favors: Marshmallow Baby Rattles

Earlier, I told you about the chocolate dipped pretzel giraffes I made for my friend Barb's baby shower.  Since I was already dipping things in chocolate, I decided to make some favors too.  If you're doing favors at a baby shower, it should either be really awesome or edible.  Don't waste your money on a trinket no one will want to keep.

These white chocolate marshmallow baby rattles are easy to make and super cute!  All you need is...

Short lolly pop sticks
Large marshmallows
Small marshmallows
White chocolate
Sprinkles (I used pink and clear ones mixed together)
Wax paper
Ribbon
Clear bags & Ties (optional)


First, pour some sprinkles into a shallow bowl or plate.  After you melt the chocolate, dip the tip of the lolly pop stick in the chocolate and stick it halfway into the large marshmallow.

Coat the outside of the marshmallow in white chocolate (all sides), wipe off the excess, and roll it in the sprinkles to coat.  Once it's completely coated, gently lay the pop on your wax paper and let sit until hard.

Once hardened, do the same on the other end with a small marshmallow.  Dip the tip in chocolate, add marshmallow, coat with chocolate, roll in sprinkles, and set.

Once they're completely firm, tie a bow around the stick toward the large marshmallow.  If you're using as party favors, you'll need to bag them individually!

Super cute and SUPER sweet!  You could also skip the sugar and sprinkles and use colored chocolates - the possibilities are endless.  Just have fun with it!

What was your favorite baby shower favor?

Chocolate Covered Pretzel Giraffes

Last weekend, I threw a baby shower for my friend Barb who is having twin girls (read more about it here)!  Barb and her husband, Dave, are two of the nicest and most hilarious people we know, so we were excited to help celebrate their little ones with their Boston friends!

In true pregnant lady fashion, these babies have nick-names already.  "Baby A" and "Baby B", how the doctors refer to the babies, wasn't cutting it, so they opted with giraffe and monkey (characteristics mirrored by the girls' actions already).  I decided to make some chocolate covered pretzels look like giraffes, and mini cupcakes with monkeys on them to reflect these names.  I found a pin with lots of chocolate covered pretzels decorated like animals while browsing one day, and knew these needed to be at the shower.

To make them, you'll need:

Log pretzels
Yellow candy coat morsels (or yellow melting chocolate)
Fondant (or brown and yellow colored candies)
Brown and yellow icing dye (if you're using fondant)
Paintbrushs
Water
Food-safe markers (brown and black) - optional

First, dip your pretzels and lay them on wax paper to dry.

I found the candy coating dots coated thinly, so I did two coats on the pretzels.  The more the better...mmmmmmm.

Next for the faces!

You'll need one large yellow circle, two small yellow circles, and one brown circle to begin the face.  Lightly pinch one section of each small yellow circle to form the ears (see below).  Wet a paintbrush and put a dab of water where the brown circle and two ears should go.  This will help the fondant stick to each other.

Now for the details - the eyes, horns and markings!

Roll two small brown pieces for the horns and two white balls for the eyes.  Use the food-safe markers to finish the eyes, nose markings, and dots on the face!

Leave these to dry before attaching to the pretzel.

Paint on giraffe spots using slightly watered-down brown icing gel.  Let dry.

Then attach the faces with a little melted chocolate!

Enjoy!

A twin baby shower

This weekend, I hosted a baby shower for my friend Barb, who is having twin girls in 6 weeks (or sooner!).  I love cooking and making things, so I was excited to spend my last bit of maternity leave working on a special day for a good friend!

The shower was at 10:30, so I decided to serve brunch.  I made sausage and cheese breakfast casseroles, banana bread, yogurt parfaits, fruit salad, mini chocolate cupcakes and chocolate dipped pretzels.  (Check back for future blogs about how I made the diaper cake and chocolate covered giraffe pretzels!)

I also had a "Cravings Corner" full of all the foods Barb has been craving.  Some of her cravings over the last 7 months have been...

Honey Bunches of Oats with raisins and 2% milk
Strawberries
Diet Caffeine Free Coke
Cheeseburgers
Donuts
Chips with Ranch Dip

It was a huge hit with Barb and the rest of the guests.  Who knew burgers went so well with brunch?

Since the party consisted of groups of people from lots of different "friend circles", I decided to make name tags.  Sticky-backed "My Name Is..." name tags wouldn't do, so I decided to make some tiny onesie tags for everyone to wear.

I drew a onesie on a piece of paper, cut it out, and traced the template onto three shades of pink paper.  Then I traced a slightly smaller version of the onesie on white paper and taped them on each other.  All that was left was writing names on them and hanging them on the clothesline!

I hung a line beside the cravings corner table with two newborn onesies and the name tags (held by clothespins) so everyone could find their tag as they came in.  They attached them to their tops using the clothespin!  Super cute.

We had a great time chatting, eating, opening presents, and making the soon-to-be family of four a "wish tree".  We made one of these at my friend Laci's baby shower, and I loved the idea.  Everyone writes things they're excited for the girls to experience as they grow up and/or wishes for them on leaves.  After they share with the group, we put them on a tree to go in their nursery!  We left a lot of room for other family members and friends to add experiences and wishes as well.

Check back for a later blog on how to make this!

Barb and Dave already hung it in their nursery!  Doesn't it look great?

The girls and their mamma were thoroughly celebrated and Barb even got to practice holding two babies, Owen and Alice (my friend Robyn's little girl, who was born 3 weeks after Owen).

Dave's mom made two beautiful blankets for the girls!

Who knew the belly would be a great baby holder?

Practicing a baby in each arm!  We just couldn't figure out how she'd put one of them down...

Everyone went home with a chocolate-dipped marshmallow rattle at the end of the shower!  (Again...check back for the how-to.)

I can't wait to meet these little girls!