Monday, September 3, 2007

World Famous Diaper Baby Cakes - Burt's Bees Diaper Cake

So here is one of the most famous and popular diaper baby cakes. It was featured in Find It! Magazine in the February 2007 issue. The magazine called this diaper cake "one of the best on the net" because the design was so fresh. It features a super soft Gund brand stuffed bear and Burt's Bees Specialty Baby Supplies. But if you were going to make one of these yourself you could also include some Bert's Bees products for mom too!

It is called the Contemporary 4 Tier Deluxe Diaper Cake. It comes in several colors: Teal, Pink and Green. And all three options feature the ultra-soft Gund Brown Bear. They sell for $127 - and you can get them shipped just about anywhere. Again you can try and replicate this diaper cake yourself or you can have one made and shipped upon request. Personally I love sending this one to friends who live out of state when I just can't make it to the baby shower. I enjoy the fact that this high quality gift usually serves as the baby shower centerpiece and ends up the topic of conversation even when I am not able to be there in person. And I will say that they know how to ship these diaper baby cakes a lot better than I can and I have had nothing but good experiences with this cake.

So do you order or make one yourself? I guess it comes down to how much money you want to spend and how much time you have to make this diaper baby cake. But this baby diaper cake design really is fresh and would be a great idea for your next baby shower.



Sunday, August 26, 2007

Learn How To Make Diaper Cakes - Instructions

Looking for more ways and ideas on how to make diaper cakes? Well then check out this Diaper Cake Instructions information on Squidoo. In addition to having instructions for making a rolled diaper cake, it also showcases some popular examples like the featured Brown Bear Deluxe Diaper Cake and the ever popular Winnie the Pooh Diaper Cake.

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

How To Make Diaper Cakes - Layered Method Diaper Cakes

While the most common way to make diaper cakes is the rolled method, I have come across a few more creative techniques. This one is called the layered diaper cake because it "layers" the diapers instead of rolling them. Now this method does result in a much larger diaper cake (requires more diapers) than the rolled method. And because the diapers are not rolled, this cake has a much looser appearance. For that reason I know several people that do not like this method for making diaper cakes. But with that said there are some benefits, it is much easier to transport as if can be re-assembled with easy and it is easier for the new mom to take apart. And sometimes that is a consideration, like my friend who suffers from arthritis.

Layered Diaper Cake Ingredients:



95 -100 disposable Diapers

3 yards of large ribbon

Large rubber bands or about 2.5 yards of elastic (which ever is available / easiest to find)

Small baby items (baby pins, pacifiers, rattles, teething rings, combs, bibs, etc)

Large round serving tray or base cut from cardboard (again something inexpensive but supportive)

Cake Topper - stuffed animal, doll, baby keepsake - something that matches your diaper cake theme



First create the base tier. Take 50 diapers and begin laying them out on their sides, side by side, on top of the tray/carboard support. I place a baby bottle in the center of the base layer and work the diapers around that. Now you don't have to use a baby bottle, just make sure you keep a space about 4 inches wide at the center. This space is necessary to make this tier bigger than the next tier. I also angle the diapers slightly to give this tier a roundness. Now the tough part is to get them really tight together before you tie them off. I find getting a friend to hold them tightly in place as I wrap the elastic around them all to secure them works the best.



Now you are ready to create the second tier of diapers. Take 35 diapers (sometimes I have used 40 - depends on the diaper size) and begin laying each one out on their sides, again with a slight angle to create some roundness. You do not need to keep any space at the center for this tier - that was only for the bottom tier to make sure it was wide enough to support the other two tiers. Then hold them tightly in place and tie off with the elastic or rubber band/



Now for the top tier, you will make it just like the second tier, taking 10 diapers and laying them at an angle in such a way you create a small circle. Again secure this layer with rubber bands or elastic.



Then just place the tiers on top of each other. Wrap the ribbon around each layer to hide the elastic and decorate with the small baby items. I like attaching them to the ribbon or tucking them behind the ribbon rather than tucking in items between the diapers. Then just add your cake topper of choice and viola!



Below is what a layered diaper cake looks like - before being decorated. You will notice the way that the diapers are angled on the middle and top tiers to give it that cake roundness. It gives you an especially good visual on how the top tier has been angled into a relatively tighter small circle. Hope you find this alternative diaper cake making method useful.


This layered method is just another great way to make diaper cakes.

And if you are interested in learning more techniques and want the quickest and easiest way to learn how to make diaper cakes, then check out these step-by-step diaper cake making videos.





Monday, August 20, 2007

16 Popular Ideas for Girl Diaper Cakes

Yes it is true, more people request ideas and theme suggestions for girl diaper cakes than for boys. Maybe people feel they can be a bit more creative with girl diaper cakes - or maybe there are just more baby girls being born lately. Well at least that is what one study has found. Well since we did a list of best boy diaper cake themes - we have to do one for girl diaper cake themes.

Now onto those great diaper cakes for baby girls. Below is a compiled list of 16 popular themes and ideas used to create girl diaper cakes. Again this list is not and complete list or a list exclusively for girls - there might some ideas that sound good for a particular mother expecting a boy - then go ahead as use it. For example I think Danica Patrick might appreciate a race car diaper cake if she were going to have a boy or a girl.
  1. Angels
  2. Cowgirl / Western
  3. Winnie the Pooh
  4. Lady Bugs
  5. Princess
  6. My Little Ponies
  7. Hello Kitty
  8. Zoo animals
  9. Teddy bears
  10. Basic Pink /Stork
  11. Rubber ducks / Frogs
  12. Underwater/ mermaid theme
  13. Sports / Golf/ Soccer / Tennis
  14. Precious moments / snow babies
  15. Religious / Lamb
  16. Baby toy specific / baby einstein toys
Of course you can do any of the themes listed by themselves or by creating a "Baby's First...." or "My First..." to any of these ideas. My favorite girl diaper cakes have been the ones that go beyond just pink ribbon and are decorated a bit different - like hello kitty or even using the nursery theme. My favorite girl diaper cake to make or have made is the lady bug diaper cake.

And remember pink is nice but not all the time. And be sure to check out the boy diaper cake list for additional ideas.

Here is another great page full of pictures of well done girl diaper cakes. Again use it for ideas and inspiration when you go to create your own diaper cake. Of course there is nothing wrong with ordering one that you like instead of making it - I have done that as well. The site is Lil Baby Cakes and they have some great themes - and they definitely have well made make diaper cakes.


Here is a great creative example for a girl diaper cakes from Lil Baby Cakes - a Mod Mom themed cake - again a bit unexpected but that is what makes this diaper cake so nice. I just think this is one of the coolest.

Sunday, August 19, 2007

Diaper Cakes on Parade

I just came across this video made by one diaper cake maker/enthusiast. In this videos she shows off several different diaper cakes that she made herself. Fun video but be warned she does go sideways quite a bit, I think just so you can see the sides of the cake. There are some nice cake ideas in there and I just love being able to see more examples of the way other people make diaper cake. I particularly like the winnie the pooh diaper cake.

Boy Diaper Cake Ideas and Themes

Learning how to make diaper cakes is only part of the process. The next piece is coming up with ideas and themes, and sometimes it can be challenging. So here are some suggestions to get you going. While these are listed as diaper cake ideas for boys, many of them can be used for girl diaper cakes as well!
  1. Jungle
  2. Trains / Thomas
  3. Nascar / racing cars
  4. Zoo animals
  5. Teddy bears
  6. Basic Blue /Stork
  7. Frogs
  8. Dogs/Puppies
  9. Bob the Builder/ tools
  10. Rubber ducky
  11. Golf
  12. Sports - Baseball/Football/ Basketball/Soccer
  13. Precious moments/religious / Noah's Art
  14. Cowboy/ western
  15. Baby toy specific / baby einstein toys
Of course another idea would be that you could do any one of the above themes by themselves or you can just add "Baby's First...." or "My First..." as part of the theme. Personally some of my favorite ones have incorporated things that the expecting dad loves to do. My brother - the father of the twin boys - is a huge NASCAR fan. I can't tell you how much he loved the Jeff Gordon / Nascar diaper cake I created with him in mind.

I found this great page full of examples of well done diaper cakes for boys. Check it out as it will give you more ideas and show you just how beautiful these diaper cakes really can be. The site is Lil Baby Cakes and they have some great themes - they definitely know how to make diaper cakes for sure. So use the site for inspiration for your own creation or just save some time and order one from them.

Here is a great example from Lil Baby Cakes - a blue and green frog themed diaper cake

How To Make Diaper Cakes - For A Baby Shower - Basic Recipe


Here is a basic recipe and how to make a diaper cake.

First thing you need to do is decide on a theme, that will help determine the types of items you will purchase and colors. Also you might want to check out these step-by-step video tutorial after reading through these instructions to help put it all together. Again making diaper cakes yourself is going to save you a lot of money.

Ingredients

  • 40-50 small diapers
  • 1 burp cloth
  • 2 baby towels (or receiving blankets)
  • 1 baby bottle
  • 3 – 4 diaper pins
  • Baby items of your choice – pacifiers, teething rings, rattles, baby brushes, etc
  • 1 cake plate – plastic or one cut out of cardboard
  • Rubber bands – the clear kind
  • Scotch tape (clear, heavy duty)
  • Colored ribbon (color will depend on your theme, I also prefer the curling kind)
  • Cake Topper – a small stuff animal or baby keepsake item

The Base Layer

Begin by taking 20 diapers and rolling them around the baby bottle. Just continue doing that for all 20 diapers, rolling and placing them around the bottle. Then use some strong scotch tape or clear rubber bands to hold the diapers together. When you are done, you have just created the first layer of your cake.

The Middle Layer

You are going to create the second layer, just like you did the first layer. This layer is going to be smaller as it will sit on top of the base layer. You will only use about 10-15 diapers for this layer – wrapping them around each other until you reach the desired width for this layer. Secure the diapers with tape or rubber bands.

The Top Layer

Again creating this layer that same of the other two layers. This is going to be even smaller – using about 5 diapers round. Secure the diapers with tape or rubber bands.

Assembling

Now fold a baby towel or receiving blanket to match the width of the base layer of the cake and wrap it around. Use the diaper pin to secure this in place. You will do this again for the second layer – fold receiving blanket, wrap and pin. Now for the third layer you will use the smaller burp cloth and wrap it around the top layer and pin.

Take the ribbon (the color of you choice and preferably the curling kind) and tie it around each layer, leaving a little extra at the ends to be curled. Your small baby items will be used for decoration. Take those items and tuck them behind the ribbon all around the sides and on each layer.

Then add your small stuff animal or baby keepsake item that you want as a topper onto the top of the cake.

Congratulations! You have just learned how to make diaper cakes, now just repeat for the next baby shower.

Below is an fantastic example of a fancier baby shower diaper cake. If you want to learn how to make this cake and others like it - then I suggest checking out the "How To Make A Diaper Cake" step by step videos.