Surprises by Amy

Custom Theme Diaper Cake

Now, that you're a pro at making simple and elegant diaper cakes, you are ready to build a custom theme diaper cake! This cake contains diapers and baby supplies. I am showing you a cowboy theme, but you can do any theme you'd like!

In case you forgot, here are the rules to remember.

NOTE: THIS TUTORIAL WILL MOVE FASTER AND HAVE LESS DETAILS THAN THE "YOUR FIRST DIAPER CAKE" TUTORIAL. I WILL TRY TO ADD LINKS ALONG THE WAY TO SERVE AS REMINDERS. IF YOU FIND YOURSELF LOST, PRACTICE AGAIN WITH THE "YOUR FIRST DIAPER CAKE" TUTORIAL.

LET'S GET STARTED!!!

1. GATHER SUPPLIES

The supplies you will need:

approximately 46 size 1 diapers
one 10" round cake board
rubber bands
hot glue gun
extra hot glue refills
one roll of packing/shipping tape
one pair of tape cutting scissors
one pair of ribbon cutting scissors
wide ribbon (around 1.5" or so)
thin ribbon* (around .5" or so)
curling ribbon (as many as you'd like that match)
one topper (stuffed animals or toys are good)
one 24" w x 30" h cellophane bag*
one baby flannel receiving blanket
one bottle brush (it's easier to stuff a toy or stuffed animal on top with a bottle brush)
baby supplies (as many as you'd like)

*optional

For more details and information on each supply see, Supply Notes.

2. PREPARE DIAPERS

Roll and rubber band all of your diapers.

3. BUILD BOTTOM TIER

For this step you will need approximately 26 diapers, cake board, curling ribbon (any color, it will be used to tie the tier together and will be hidden, if you are using a light-colored wide ribbon then use a light-colored curling ribbon so it won't show through) and ribbon cutting scissors.

Lay down your cake board and start standing your diapers up around the perimeter of the board.

When your two ends meet, start filling in the middle. When your board is full, take your curling ribbon and tie VERY LOOSELY around the diapers. (you will be stuffing more diapers inside, so make it very loose) Cut off the extra slack of ribbon.

Now, start filling in the tier with the rest of the diapers (using a total of 26 give or take) until the tier is round, tight and full, being careful not to break the ribbon. (don't worry if this happens, just tie again and make looser next time) Tier will look like this when done:

4. WRAP BLANKET AROUND BOTTOM TIER

In this step you will need your bottom tier of diapers, cake board, flannel receiving blanket, tape and tape cutting scissors (or other cutting device).

First, you will need to fold the blanket. The rules are this: if you blanket will fold in half like a triangle, continue folding like this:

If it WILL NOT fold like a triangle, then fold long ways like this:

The blanket will be wrapped around and then tucked under the bottom tier, so you should make the height of the blanket a little taller than the bottom tier, approximately 5" tall or so for a size 1 diaper.(this will make more sense later)

Remove your bottom tier of diapers from the cake board and lay on it's side. Then, take the folded blanket and wrap around the tier, making the "clean fold" on the top-side of the diapers as shown:

Making sure the blanket is wrapped around snugly, cut a few pieces of 4"-6" tape and tape down the end of the blanket (taping horizontally), with the excess hanging on the bottom as shown:

top of tier:

bottom of tier:

Now, insert your cake board underneath your tier, where the blanket is hanging down by pulling and positioning the board like this:

Be careful not to separate the tape while doing this. Make sure the top of your tier is level to the top of the "clean fold" of the blanket. When everything looks smoothed out and level, take the extra slack of the blanket and fold and tape all the way around onto the board (may take several pieces of 2"-4" size tape) like this:

Tier will look like this when finished:

NOTE: MAKE SURE THE IMAGES ON YOUR BLANKET ARE FACING THE CORRECT DIRECTION AND AREN'T UPSIDE DOWN. IF THIS HAPPENS, READJUST YOUR BLANKET AND REPEAT THIS STEP.

5. BUILD MIDDLE TIER

For this step you will need approximately 14 diapers, bottle brush, wide ribbon, thin ribbon*, curling ribbon (any color, will be hidden), tape, tape cutting scissors (or other tape cutting device), ribbon cutting scissors and hot glue gun.

*optional

Insert your bottle brush down the middle of the bottom tier as shown:

Make sure the bottle brush is standing straight and is centered. The bottle brush will give your cake support and keep all tiers attached.

Build your middle tier as you did in the beginner's "Build Middle Tier" tutorial, then add your ribbon as you did in the beginner's "Add Ribbon to Tier" tutorial. Cake will look something like this when done:

6. BUILD TOP TIER

For this step you will need approximately 6 diapers, wide ribbon, thin ribbon*, curling ribbon, tape, tape cutting scissors (or other tape cutting device), ribbon cutting scissors and hot glue gun.

*optional

Start building your top tier as you just did in the last step. Add you ribbon as well. When you are done, your cake should look something like this:

7. ADD CURLING RIBBON, TOPPER AND BABY ITEMS

For this step you will need your curling ribbon, ribbon cutting scissors, topper (stuffed animal, toy, etc.) and your baby items.

Stuff your topper inside the top tier, making sure it is facing the front of your cake as shown:

Now, here's the fun part! Start stuffing your baby items in your cake. As many as you'd like! Here is an example of things I have stuffed inside:

(a wash cloth inside a diaper and a lotion sample between the blanket and tier)

Now, add your curling ribbon to your cake by tying it to your topper. In this example, I have tied the ribbon to the horse's tail as shown.

You can also add curling ribbon to your baby items. Cake should look something like this when done:

At this point you can stop here and hand it off to an expecting mommy or wrap in a cellophane bag . I suggest wrapping the cake if you are giving as a gift or shipping as it will help keep the whole thing sturdy. You don't need to wrap if used for decoration or centerpiece.

GOOD JOB! You just made your first custom theme diaper cake!!! Now, you can pretty much tackle anything! Try your hand at diaper cupcakes, mega deluxe diaper cakes, twin diaper cakes and diaper tool belts!

Click here to see more custom theme diaper cake ideas!

Diaper Cupcakes

If you have already mastered a Simple & Elegant and Custom Theme Diaper Cake, then these cupcakes will be very easy for you! There are several ways you can make a diaper cupcake, so many of the supplies are marked optional*. I will provide a link that will show you several examples.(link is at end of page)

LET'S GET STARTED!!!

1. GATHER SUPPLIES

Supplies you will need are:

10-12 diapers
wide ribbon (around 1.5" or so)
thin ribbon * (around .5" or so)
curling ribbon
flower buds*
packing/shipping tape
rubber bands
hot glue gun
ribbon cutting scissors
tape cutting scissors (or other cutting device)
baby supplies*
topper (toy or stuffed animal)*

*optional

For more details and information on each supply see Supply Notes.

2. PREPARE DIAPERS

Roll and rubber band all of your diapers.

3. BUILD TIER

A diaper cupcake is basically a single tier cake of 10-12 diapers. All you need to do is create a circle of diapers (by standing them up as in previous tutorials, except without a cake board) and fill them in. In this example I used 8 to make the outside of the circle and the other 3 to fill the middle. Then tied with curling ribbon.

4. ADD RIBBON TO TIER

Now, add your wide ribbon and thin ribbon.

5. ADD CURLING RIBBON, TOPPER, FLOWER & MORE

At this point you can decorate as you please! You can add curling ribbon, flowers, toppers and baby items. In this example I have added a white bear, pink rose buds and curling ribbon.

Click here for more Diaper Cupcake examples.

Twin Custom Theme Diaper Cake

click to enlarge photos

These diaper cakes follow the regular Custom Theme Diaper Cake Tutorial, but the baby items and topper are doubled. You could also make twin diaper cakes from the Mega Deluxe Diaper Cake Tutorial.

Mega Deluxe Diaper Cake

back of cake:

click on photos to enlarge

A Mega Deluxe Diaper Cake has four tiers and is a Simple & Elegant and Custom Theme Diaper Cake combination.

I usually make with approximately 30 diapers on the bottom, 20 on second, 10 on third and 5 diapers on top. I usually combine a diaper brush AND a dowel in the center to keep it sturdy.

Click here for a full list of supplies needed.

To create a Mega Deluxe Diaper Cake, follow the steps in the Simple and Elegant Diaper Cake Tutorial, but add an extra tier on top. Use your dowel rod as you normally would, but when you get to the third tier, insert a bottle brush in the center (keep your dowel rod in place). This will attach the third tier to the top tier and give you a little dip on top to stuff a topper in. (as mentioned in the Custom Theme Diaper Cake Tutorial) When your tiers are built you can choose to add flower buds, baby items, and a topper.

I consider this cake the cream of the crop as far as diaper cakes go!

Diaper Tool Belt

This "diaper tool belt" is a great gag gift to give to a new daddy, sister, brother or grandparent! This is always a hit at baby showers and parties!

Here is what you need to make one:

one canvas waist apron - I prefer the aprons with 3 pockets, I usually buy mine at Oriental Trading, but they also sell them at Hobby Lobby individually.

printable iron-on paper - I use Avery's T-shirt Transfers. You can buy these at Wal-Mart.

2 clothes pins - I buy at Wal-Mart.

one pair disposable latex gloves - I buy at Wal-Mart.

one pair construction goggles - It's cheapest to buy these at dollar stores if they have them, if not, then Wal-Mart.

one pack travel baby wipes - You can buy off brand wipes at a dollar store or name brand at Wal-Mart.

one pacifier

one face mask - It's cheapest at a dollar store (sold in packs), if not then Wal-Mart.

one disposable diaper pad - I buy at Wal-Mart. They sell Huggies brand or off brands.

three diapers (any size, size newborn & 1 fit best in pockets)

one sample-sized baby powder

NOTE: You can add or take away from any of these items. Again, no rules! Other items I've seen in these belts include anti-bacterial gel, tongs, baby lotions and diaper rash creams.

LET'S GET STARTED!!!

The first thing I do is heat up my iron.

The next thing I do is print my iron-ons. I create my images in Photoshop, but you can use any image software. I create two images, one with the "hazardous waste" image and the other "diaper tool belt" text, then I print it out on the transfer paper. I try to fit as many images on one page so I do not waste any precious space on the paper. REMEMBER TO WRITE ALL TEXT BACKWARDS.(MIRROR IMAGE)

After you print and cut out your iron-ons, it's time to iron them onto the apron! I iron out all of the wrinkles on the pockets before beginning and make sure the apron is cooled off before applying the iron-ons. Try to line up your iron-ons straight then press down firmly and start ironing.(follow iron-on directions) Don't be surprised if your first attempt fails. Mine surely did. You have to get used to doing this, especially since each iron is different. Wait until the iron-on is cool before you remove the backing-this will avoid any smearing of the ink.

When your iron-ons are cooled off and complete, it's time to stuff the apron! You can use any of the items I mentioned. You can replicate my tool belt if you'd like!