Tutorial Tuesday: Diaper Cake Tutorial

If you missed last Thursday's post, here's a recap of the baby shower I hosted for my sis-in-law.

Now on to the fun diaper cake centerpiece!

{I apologize in advance for the small amount of photos.  I made this last year long before my blogging journey began, so I'm lucky I have any pictures at all!}

What You'll Need:

~ Approx. 60 diapers - depending on how big you want to make the cake
{You can use disposable or cloth.  You could even use patterned diapers if you prefer.}
~ Several rubber bands
~ Cardboard or plastic cake platter (or you could just cut a piece of cardboard)
~ Large bottle of baby powder or some other baby product
~ Bottle (I used the type that has liners & no "bottom")
~ Decorative ribbon
~ Whatever "decorations" you want to use


What to do:

Begin by unfolding several diapers, and rolling them up tightly one at a time.  It's best to start from the front and roll it toward the back as tight as possible.  Wrap a rubber band around the center of each rolled up diaper.

Place the bottle of baby powder (or whatever product you chose) in the center of the cake platter, and place the diapers around it, securing them in place with a large rubberband or ribbon.  You'll probably need about 6-8 diapers for the first ring of the bottom tier.

Form a second ring, following the same instructions as the first, only this time using about 10-13 diapers.  Again secure with a rubberband or ribbon.

Now form one more ring for the bottom tier, using approximately 18-20 diapers.  For this ring, you have the option of either tying each diaper with a rubberband as before (you'll want to be sure the rubberbands are in the middle so that when you place a ribbon around the ring, it hides the rubberbands), or you can tie a small ribbon around each diaper so that several "bows" show all around the ring.  (You'll still have to tie a larger ribbon around the layer to keep the diapers together.)  I had a little difficulty keeping all the diapers in place while I tied the ribbon around it.  You may want to have someone help you hold them in place while you tie the ribbon, or you can hold together as many as possible, tie the ribbon (with a little room to spare), and then sqeeze in more diapers.

Now your bottom layer is finished!

Repeat the same process for the second tier, but only make two rings this time.

Stack the bottle on top of the baby powder.  (This is why I like the "bottomless" bottles.  It sits better on the baby powder, making it sturdier).  If you chose another type of bottle, it may be easier to sit in on a table to form the top tier & then place it on the cake.

For the top tier, you only need to form one ring of diapers around the bottle.  (You can either invert the bottle nipple as I did so that it wouldn't show, or if you don't have a topper, you can leave it sticking out the top of the cake.)

Now's the fun part.....decorating it.  You can be as creative as you'd like!

Although I had a thin ribbon around each tier of diapers holding them in place, I chose to cover that ribbon with two layers of other decorative ribbon, held in place by a little hot glue at the back.  (I just pulled it tight & glued the ribbon to itself, not the diapers!)

I also added a pink feather boa around each layer, which not only added a little more pizzazz, but also helped to conceal the cake platter on the bottom.

The bunny is just sitting on the top, with nothing actually connecting it.
You could also just tie a bow on the top.

Then I added a few other baby items, such as a little "princess" fork & spoon, a bunny wrist rattle, a little rhinestone picture frame (which I lined with green scrapbook paper & a rhinestone "C" sticker - the baby's initial), baby shoes, and a pacifier & clip.  Some items were tucked into the ribbon, while others simply rested on the cake or were attached with some type of clip  - whatever I had on hand.  I even used paper clips!

Now that you've seen the front of the cake, I'll do a 360* around it. 

Here's a view of the side of the cake, which I decorated with little baby bunny slippers and a couple of hair bows.

And here's the back, which showcases a flower barrette, some washclothes (which I simply tied together with ribbon, paper-clipping the ribbon to the ribbon on the diaper cake), and another pacifier resting on the bottom tier. 

And here's the other side, which holds a sweet little pair of baby booties.

And now we're back to the front.

These make great baby gifts as well!

I'm linking to Mosaic Monday at Little Red House & Metamorphosis Monday at BNOTP!  Check it for some great inspiration!