Diaper Cake

I was first introduced to diaper cakes when I was pregnant with Jannah-Rae, and I really wanted one at that time. Then, I was introduced to the price tag this merchandise came with when ready made and I could not bring myself to justify the cost. But, I still wanted one!

I wanted one with the subsequent pregnancies, too, but still could not fork over the cash. And, I did not think I had the talent to pull one together, let alone the time to craft it.

This time, though, I decided to try my hands at one; after all I had all the time in the world to try and try again if need be. Little did I know that assembling one required almost no time and no talent, just a little patience, and some creativity. So, when my first order of new born diapers arrived at my door, I sat on the floor and started working. A little over an hour later I had a beautiful 4-layer cake to display on the dining table that has not been used since I have been on bed rest. Now, our play/living room has a new centerpiece for my looking pleasure.

You can make one, too. Here is how.

Ingredients:

• 60 plus diapers, depends on how big you make it. For this cake I used 74. • Ribbon, choose a color and pattern that fits the gender, or a neutral shade if gender is a surprise. • 60 plus small rubber bands, depending on how many diapers you use, wrap around the diapers. • Tissue paper, choose a color and pattern that fits the gender, or a neutral shade if gender is a surprise. • 6 plus large rubber bands, depending on the number of tiers you will be making. To hold the diapers together around the center. • One 8-oz baby bottle or one large bottle of baby lotion. You can also use a large water bottle, which is what I did. • One 4-oz baby bottle. Or a small water bottle, which is what I used. • A cardboard or a cake platter. I used a glass serving platter. • Cake decorations and baby items- for example, baby confetti, artificial roses, pacifiers, bibs, miniature stuffed animals, wash cloths, baby hygiene products, etc. • Magic tape. Building the cake: Roll diapers up tight, one at a time, starting from the front of the diaper and rolling it to the back. The tighter the better. Place a rubber band around the center after you roll each diaper up to hold it tight. Place the large bottle in the center of the cake platter. Place a large rubber band around the bottle then, place about 5-6 diapers through the rubber band to hold them tight. Next, form a 2nd ring by placing a large rubber band around the 1st ring of diapers. Then place more diapers through the rubber band. Repeat for 3rd and 4th ring. When you are done with this tier, dress it up with tissue paper to cover the diapers. Use the magic tape to secure the tissue paper to the diapers. The remaining tiers are made much the same way only using less and less rings are you go up. Dress these tiers with tissue paper as well, alternating patterns and colors if available. The last ring is probably easiest to assemble on a table and then place it on the rest of the cake after it is assembled. Take the small bottle and surround it with 5-6 rolled up diapers. Cover this tier with tissue paper leaving enough paper at the top to create a flower using a ribbon to tie around it. Now place the assembly on top of the construction. Finally, add little baby items and decorations around your cake. The cake is now ready!

Getting ready for JR's 3rd ~ the invitations

 Before I send out the "formal" invitations to any even JR is hosting,

I always like to send out a Save The Date email. Above was created from a Clipart image I found online.

Once the email goes out and I hear back from the guests,

I start working on the traditional paper invites.

For this party, I decided to create multi-colored invites to match the multi-colored balloons

JR will have at her party.

What you need:

* Craft paper cut into 5 X 7 rectangles

* Multicolored plain balloons

* Ribbon

* Stickers for extra decorations

* Sharpie pen, I went with red

* Scissors

The invitation itself will be written on the balloons.

To do that, blow up the balloon just a little, and while holding it shut with one hand,

write down the details of the invite with the other using the sharpie pen.

You will end up with something similar to the above.

The writing is not exactly straight, but that comes with the fact that the balloon itself is not!

Deflate the balloon.

Puncture two holes in your craft paper and thread the ribbon through both sides.

Insert the tip of the balloon between the ends of the ribbon, tighten and tie the ribbon from the back.

Decorate with stickers and add any fun phrase you want to the invitation.

I decided to put the address on the back of the card so as not to crowd the front

or have too much writing on the balloon itself.

Voila!

You now have yourself a fun, creative birthday invite

the recipients will enjoy until the birthday itself.

Getting ready for JR's 3rd ~ the inspiration

It all starts with an idea. Sometimes the idea comes to me, other times I seek it out. 

Last year, JR's favorite "character" was Frosty the Snowman. And so the "theme" of the party was snowmen. I needed a cake that was made of made "two" pieces and a snowman cake was just perfect for that.

The year before that was cupcake year and I made enough to spell out JR and draw out the number 1.



This year requires a cake with three parts. After much thought, I browsed the Internet. Balloons popped up (no pun intended) as the top contenders. Three cake "balloons" tied together with string and brightly colored with frosting. And that set the wheels in motion. Balloons it shall be. Next, the invitations. But before that, a Save the Date email need to go out. 

Apple "Tea" Party: Name Place Trees

Jannah-Rae's friends will always know where to sit when they join her at her formal parties. When they came to the Tea Party, their names were spelled out on a teapot cutout.

 

 

 

At the Lemon "Tea" Party, a half lemon held their names on a leaf.

 

 

 

This time, an apple tree will bear their first initials amongst the apples.

 

To make the name place trees, I first had to have enough empty toilet paper rolls. For this, I called upon my friends and family and together we collected six; the number of girls in attendance. With a small cover-up job, these were then transformed into the tree trunks. Green craft paper and an online template produced the crown of the tree. Red paint spots formed the apples, and white foam letter stickers created the indicators.

 

 



 

Start out with blank green craft paper and toilet paper roll.

 

 

Cover the toilet paper roll with brown craft paper, then paint the paper with brown tempra paint to desired shade.

Dot the tree cut-out with red tempra paint.

 

 

Stick the appropriate letters in the center of the tree.

 

 

 

 

 Cut slits on the side of the "trunk," and insert "crown" into it.

Behold the finished prduct.

 

Apple "Tea" Party: Favors

Every good hostess knows you should not send your guests home empty handed. A party favor is a wonderful way to conclude the event, say good-bye, and leave a lasting memory.

 

For her first Tea Party, Jannah-Rae strung together a teapot cookie cutter and a bag of camomile for her guests.

 

 

 

At her Lemon "Tea" Party, the guests each received a personal lemon cake, and its recipe, to take home.

 

 

 

 

 

For her upcoming Apple "Tea" Party, Jannah-Rae decided to put together an apple basket for her friends. The process of assembling the gift baskets served as both our activity of the day and our art project. The final result was arrived at after a small demonstration, a little frustration, and much collaboration. With steedy encouragement and a small snack, JR actually put many of these baskets together herself.

 

 

 

 

To put these gift baskets together, JR and I scouted our favorite grocery store for fruit baskets. We got lucky and they gave us a handful for free. Next, we visited our craft store for the apples and pipe cleaners. We could have also bought the green grass there, but we already had that on hand from left-over spring packaging. 

With some paint and creativity we set on our task.

It was a beautiful Fall day, so we spread out on our covered patio to enjoy the sun and watch the people while we worked.

With a pair of scissors, I poked holes through either side of the basket for the pipe cleaner handle. JR was frustrated at fist at not being able to string the cleaner through the hole, then after a few tries, she became skilled.

Once the handle was in place, it was time for the grass. Just enough to top off the basket.

First, we put an apple tree leaf.

 

Then, each basket got a green apple,



and, a red one.

 

 

With six on hand, our work was done.



 



 

 

Apple "Tea" Party: Taste Test

While I consider myself a good cook, I do not think I am an equally good baker. I have a few tried and true cake recipes, and I make some pretty good chocolate chip cookies, but when it comes to more "elaborate" desserts, I tend to shy away. Pie, more specifically pie dough, is one of these concoctions that I find extremely challenging. I treid my hands at home-made pie dough once and decided this was one that was worth more store-bought than home-made. The filling, however, is a different story. Once I have the ready-made dough, I can, and have, fill it up effortlessly. Its just the first step that is the hardest.

That being said, I decided that nothing is more suitable for an Apple "Tea" Party than apple pie, and more specifically mini-apple pie. How fun, and cute, would it be if each of the girls had her own individual pie set in front of her. It would make for an attractive table setting, too! Once the idea formed in my mind, I set out to execute it. The first item on the agenda was having the necessarty tools on hand. From the kitchen store I bought an apple-shaped cookie cutter, and from the grocery store, the ready-made pie dough. Then, I needed apples - I love Granny Smith - sugar, eggs, and cinammon.

With everything on hand, and JR napping, I threw together my trial run of these miniature pies. Below is a step-by-step tuturial should you be interested in replicating it one day.

 

Bring the dough to room temperature.

Roll it out, and cut it in even numbers with the cookie cutter.

 

 

 

Aren't these cute!

 

 

 

In a sauce pan, cook until soft the chopped apples, sugar and cinammon

(add sugar and cinammom to taste).

 

 

 

Fill half the cut-outs.

 

 

 

Cover the filling with the other half of the cutouts.

Pinch the edges with the edge of a fork to close the pies.

 

 

 

 

 

Cut a small slit in the top half to allow steam through.

Brush tops with egg wash.

Bake at 425 for 15-20 minutes.

 

And Voila! Mini apple pies!

Apple "Tea" Party: Invitations

The date is set. The invitations are out. We are counting down to Jannah-Rae's third tea party of the year. The theme this time: Apples! After all, it is Fall.

Take a look at the invites. I like to be creative with my cards, while being frugal at the same time. JR hosts enough of these a year that I try not to spend too much on the preparations for the party, saving my money instead to splurge on good ingredients for the menu. So, I out the invitations together myself using "recycled" Christmas cards and red craft paper, and the internet for templates.

 

Cut out the letter A and an apple shape.

 

 

 

Use any outdated greeting cards you have on hand. I typically have a ton of Christmas cards left over from the previous year.

 

 

 

Through trial and error I come up with the right size of items to stick on top of the Christmas card image.

 

 

 

 

I used plain paper to cover the text inside the card. Then, include the pertinent information on the party.

 

 

 

Address the inviations with the girls' first names. Seal and hand-deliver, because it is more fun for JR to hand out the invitations to her friends and for her friends to be receiving them in person.

And, in the spirit of getting ready for the party, JR asked me to paint an apple on her foot. This gave me an idea for the party; face-paint apples on the girls.

 

 

 

Stay tuned for more on the Apple Tea Party in the coming weeks. 

Ocean

"If you cannot take yourself to the ocean,

then bring the ocean to yourself."

That was the theme I started out with one morning when the heat index topped a 100.

JR and I started out with our plain blue wall, and worked our way to the ocean.

(Yes, I know penguins are cold weather creatures, but a girl can dream!)

DIY - Art Display "Clothesline"

If you are like me, you probably have a mass of kiddy crafts lying around. Some are covering the refrigirator door; do you even remember what the color of that door was at one time? While others are stacked up on the floor, in a box, on top of the desk, waiting for their turn on that magnetic door.

If you do, and are looking for a better way to display them, here is what I put together with a few everyday items. Yes, you can buy these already made; but again, if you are like me and do not want to spend more than you have to, then do it yourself.

Here is what you need:

1. Rope or twine, you decide on the leght depending on the wall space
2. Clothes pins; I got the classic ones from the Dollar Store, and the "fancier" you can find cute ones at Michael's 
3. Nails, to secure the rope to the wall 

And, voila, you have yourself a fun and inexpensive art display that does not take up any desktop or fridge door space. Of course, our fridge door still has its share of art hung on it, but this way we get to enjoy the artwork in more than one room.