DIY a Diapers Cake

My best friend was going to deliver her first baby, and I was still fretting about getting a gift that would be both appropriate and useful.

My two other best friends gave birth to, altogether, three babies.

My two sisters gave birth to, altogether, five kids.

Been through eight times of sharing baby joy, my gifts evolved around (1) ang bao, (2) "Bu Yao Jin" tonic drink for the mommy, (3) gift basket that usually includes chicken essence or bird's nest drink.

Sounds unexciting, right?

Maybe because i have become a mommy myself, i really wanted to add some personal touch here. hahaha.. im really a cmi friend. I was still so clueless what to give my friend, until when she told me she was 1cm dilated during one of her routine checkups. I was so thrilled and thought it sounded like any time, though that was still like three weeks away from her EDD.

I then thought of going through the mommy/baby gift i received when I gave birth.

(1) Gold chain for the baby -- this one is like Baby's full month

(2) A Braun digital thermometer -- Good idea but think this friend might wanna choose her own..

(3) Ang Bao / Fairprice vouchers -- most practical

(4) Baby clothes set -- Sounds practical too..

(5) A diapers cake

Right....

A DIAPERS CAKE

That shall be it. She said she hasnt bought the diapers yet. So why not give diapers, with some "packaging" to make it a Diapers Cake?

I am a frugal person (no shame about it), & don't really believe in spending more on something that I could DIY.

I am bad at art & craft, but Maomi always makes things look so easy. haha..

So a quick search online for "DIY Diapers Cake", and the first return had so much useful information!

https://www.buzzfeed.com/nataliebrown/diaper-cakes-for-everyone?utm_term=.qsvNv904l#.bppZqMydb

I shortlisted 4 designs from this website.

1) The diapers hot-air balloon (SN 2) looked like the easiest, but where to find that balloon? Furthermore, there would not be much use of that balloon and surely it would end up in the bin..

So... X.

2) The dinasaur themed diapers tower (SN 7) looked like a great gift for a baby boy!

But i would be too lazy to cut out those cute dinasaur shapes.. see.. so bo-sim right? haha.. anyway, knowing her, she would surely throw those shapes away... haha..

So... X

3) The Chuck Taylor cake (SN 9) looked easy too! I would just need to replace the shoes with another gift, since likely my friend would have a preference of shoes for her baby.. Perhaps i could change the color of the ribbon, and dun do that flower since it's for boy.. haha.. Excuses..

ok.. KIV

4) Then the Ugly dolls cake (SN 18) caught my eye! Not by the dolls; but by the great concept! There's a surprise inside the cake! Whoever thought of this is so innovative!!

MATERIALS

So.. after showing maomi this shortlisted cake idea, we quickly went shopping for the materials.

• 3 x 24 Merries Diapers Size S (since it's a gift, i chose the supposely best diapers brand i knew)
• 1 x IKEA laundry / toy basket to be the cake base holder. Neat idea right?
• 1 x clear plastic sheet to wrap
• 1 x 8oz. Medela milk bottle
• 1 x Ralph Lauren romper for 6 mo
• 1 x bottle of DOM

It was maomi's great idea to use the IKEA laundry/toy basket as the cake base. It is useable instead of a normal round cardboard that would get unused and discarded.

It's red cos i used the blue one for B's toys basket. haha.. in fact, this MTB bought the blue & red one with me during one of our lunches together. haha..

Well.. red is also ok for baby boys right?

Anyway, some cardboards are still needed to hold the DOM bottle's weight.

Start bundling two diapers into a roll and secure them with ribbons. I prefer using ribbons to rubber bands as they feel cleaner.

Wrap the bottle of DOM (beneficial for moms who just delivered!) with layers of diapers, before fanning out the first tier of the cake with the bundle of diapers..

When i took this picture, it reminded me of a flower. haha...

Then do the same for the smaller upper tier..

Finalise and secure each tier with another outer layer of diapers unrolled, before fastening with a ribbon.

And.... *DRUM ROLLING*

Here's the end product!!

All wrapped up like a hamper!!

Haha.. I was so proud of our work that i kept admiring it. haha..

Ok.. A close-up.

We replaced the Ugly Dolls with useful gifts like the RL 6mo romper & a Medela milk bottle.

It's like every thing in this gift is so useful!

Romper, milk bottle, diapers and even the laundry/toy basket are for the baby.

The surprise inside, i.e., the bottle of DOM would be for the mommy.

CONCLUSION

It really is such an easy DIY cake! No flour mess, no greasy feel. hahah..

& really, it looks so presentable and if your friend knows you DIY though you are bad at art & craft, she would be touched, somewhat.

So, c'mon, give it a try! Get your hands busy & enjoy admiring your artwork! haha..