Diaper Cake – adding the decoration

If you have been following my blog this week I have been giving you DETAILED instructions with picture on how to make a Diaper Cake. Today we get to the REALLY fun part of any cake . . . the decorations!

I like to have a theme to work with. I feel like it helps to make it easier to pick the items that I will be using to decorate the cake.

So, we start off with our basic cake which looks like this after we have put the tiers together.  If you missed that, you can go here for instructions.

We want to hide those rubber bands and ribbons that we used to hold everything together.

I like to use a pretty decorative ribbon.  In the example above I was doing an Owl themed cake because that was the theme the Mother-to-be was doing in the nursery.  I wrapped the ribbon around the tier of the cake and then did a simple hand sewing stitch to hold it in place.

I have seen some cakes done using crib sheets or baby blankets folded so that they can wrap around the cake.

Some nice big bows always help to bring the look of the cake together, and they can also help to hide the seam where you stitched the ribbon together.  You can use tulle or ribbon for this.  I usually like to add some ribbon in a variety of colors and widths behind the bow also to accent the colors in the ribbon.  If you make the bow, you can cut pieces of ribbon and just hand sew them to the back of the bow before you attach it to the ribbon that is wrapped around the cake.

On a 4 tiered cake I like to do the bows on the third and top tier.  If you place a bow on the bottom tier it can get in the way of the tray and you will not see any of the ribbons you add for accent colors.

On the small 2 tiered cake above I also added a It’s A Boy scrapbooking embellishment to one of the tiers.  I did not want to add a LOT of additional accents because I thought it would clash with the ribbon.

For another cake I did we were going with a Rock and Roll themed baby shower, because it was a couple’s shower and the Father-to-be is in a band.  I used the Cricut cartridge Stamping Solutions to cut out electric guitar shapes which I simply taped to the ribbon.

When I did my FIRST diaper cake I wanted to do something to look like candles on the cake and for some reason I thought of using baby spoons.  You can purchase them in solid colors, or sometimes even in the theme of the baby shower and the cake.

Here is what they look like once you stand them up in the cake . . .

The spoons are also nice because they are an item that the Parents-to-be can actually use also.

And of course, every cake needs a good cake topper.  I like to go with a cute stuffed animal, bathtub toy or rattle.  If the stuffed animal will not seem to stand up for you on the top of the cake, you can place a baby spoon in the very center of the top tier for the toy to lean against.

Using SVG files to decorate your diaper cake

If you want to use your Cricut to cut SVG files to decorate your diaper cake, like I did by cutting out the guitars for the diaper cake shown above, you should check out my list of places to get FREE svg files HERE.

There are also places that sell SVG files that you can use. I found an adorable one HERE for a castle themed party.

Use a Cake Topper on your Diaper Cake

Another idea for decorating your diaper cake is to make a cake topper. Traditionally cake toppers are used to decorate the top of the cake you will eat, but why not use your favorite cutting machine to make the decoration for the top.

My fellow blogger Tara makes some amazing cake toppers that you can check out HERE.

Below you will see different cakes I have done over the years and how all of these elements come together.

The Owl Themed Diaper Cake

The Rock and Roll Diaper Cake

Here is a side shot where you can see the electric guitars better.

My First Diaper Cake ~ It’s A Girl Themed

With is one I even did two smaller 2 tiered cakes to place on other tables at the party.  The smaller ones are topped with bathtub toys.

Rolled Paper Flowers for Decorating Diaper Cakes

Another way to decorate a diaper cake would be with rolled paper flowers. I have a full tutorial on how to make those that you can read HERE, along with a free template you can download.

Other Diaper Cake Designs

Here is a cake that was created by another blogger, Heather.  I found Heather’s blog because she entered my Birthday Card Contest.  While I was at her blog I saw a diaper cake she created and asked her if I could share it with all of you in this blog post.

Heather used a lot more items that the Parents-to-be can actually use to decorate her cake, such as washcloths, baby bath supplies and a rattle.

Make sure to check out Heather’s blog at craftymamaof2heve.blogspot.com to see all of her diaper cakes and a diaper bike that she made (which has inspired me to try something . . . if it works you will see it on the blog in a week or so)

Another great idea from Heather . . . washcloth lollipops!

Another idea I found . . . you could fold baby washclothes or socks to look like roses to decorate the diaper cake.

I hope that my posts this week helped you to see that making a diaper cake is really not that hard to do, but the final product is one that will amaze the Parent-to-be and the guests at any Baby Shower.  And you can really have a lot of fun being creative in combining items the parents will use with decorative items to give the cake it’s own unique and special feel.

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Since Diaper Cakes seem to be one of my most popular posts I have linked ALL of the posts I have done on them together for you, including the detailed directions and what size diaper I use.

Diaper Cakes – Getting started
Diaper Cakes – Building the Tiers
Diaper Cakes – Adding the Decorations

See all of Shawn’s Diaper Cake creations HERE.