DIY Diaper Cake

I was cleaning off my desk the other day and came a crossed an invitation to my friends baby shower that I had completely forgotten about.
Panic starts to set in!
Oh, holy crap!!!  What in the world am I going to do with no time or budget to pick up a great gift?
I'm always so thoughtful and creative and I feel as if I ALWAYS have to be when giving gifts and plus it's for someone that was very thoughtful at my baby shower.  I was excited about it when I first received the invitation but with lack of much needed sleep, my 1 year old running circles around me all day and trying to get all my house hold chores done it had easily slipped my mind.  What was I to do with "no notice"?  I need time to budget myself, save money, figure out what the mother to be needs and/or wants, plan what and how to present my gift, should I buy and put everything into a basket, tray, diaper bag, I GOT IT!  A DIAPER CAKE!
It's cheap, easy and fool proof!!!

I could only afford to spend $25.00.  Yikes, that doesn't seem like a lot of money when we're talking about a baby shower gift.  Everyone knows how expensive baby stuff is unless you're a smart shopping, budgeting Momma like myself.

I went to Dollar General.  Yes, I bought supplies for a baby shower gift at the dollar store.
Don't judge, be impressed!
Diaper cakes are super simple and easy.

The supplies that you'll need are:
(These are the items I bought today that were suited to the mother to be needs, but you can pretty much get whatever. Your options are endless!)

Diapers, (I used 50 diapers.) (the bigger count of diapers you buy the bigger your cake.)
Baby Wipes,
Bordeaux's Butt Paste,
Healthcare Kit, (medicine spoon, thermometer, nose cleaner, nail clippers, etc.)
Teething Ring,
Teething Tablets,
Rubber Bands, (make sure you have enough for each diaper and a few extra.)
Card Board,
Pen,
Scissors,
Card Board from a Toilet Paper Roll or Paper Towel Roll,
(paper towel roll is going to be your better option.)
Duct Tape,
Ribbon,
Curling Ribbon,
Card Stock
Gift Bag,
Tissue Paper.

Keep in mind, this isn't the "only" way to make a diaper cake, it's just the way I was able to make mine.  I used what I had around the house so I could save some pennies. 
No harm, no shame.  It's what the mother to be needs and it looks really cute, so who cares.

Instructions:

Start out by rolling up the diapers.  You'll want to lay the diaper front side down and with the top part of the diaper closest to you and roll and use a rubber band to keep them secure.  Depending on how big your rubber bands are you may have to wrap them around the diaper and couple of times.  I only needed to wrap it twice and be sure that the rubber band is in the middle of diapers.

I used 16 diapers for my top layer and 34 diapers for my bottom layer.
If you're making a cake just like mine take 16 already rolled up diapers and rubber band them all together with 1 rubber band.  The rubber band needs to lay a crossed the rubber bands on the diapers.  There's no need to wrap the rubber band twice around the layers, it should be secure enough to keep them all together.
And then do the same to the other 34 rolled up diapers.
Make sure that the outside of your layers aren't showing the ending rolled edge of the diapers.
It's easier to rubber band your rolls together and then turn any diaper rolls around. 
This way the cake will have a clean, even look to it.
(See the 5th picture down from here to see what I mean.)


You'll need a platform for the bottom layer of your cake so when you pick it up it won't fall apart.
I didn't have anything special around the house so I used a card board diaper box that my sons diapers came in.
I broke the box down at the glued areas and opened it and laid it flat.
I then took my 34 ct. bottom layer of diapers and set it on top of the box and drew a circle around the layer as close to it as I could possibly get without getting ink on the diapers.
You could use a pencil for your circle outline but I wanted to be able to clearly see my marking.

Cut out your circle outline.
You'll want to cut about 1 - 2 inches inside and all the way around your circle, that way you won't be able to see the card board when you put your bottom layer over it.

Then you'll duct tape a toilet paper or paper towel roll in the middle of your card board circle.

My toilet paper roll is actually centered, my circle is just a bit lop sided because my scissors broke and I had to use a knife to cut my platform out.

 

I used a toilet paper roll because I didn't have a paper towel roll.  Toilet paper rolls are long/short enough for 1 layer.  Since I didn't have a paper towel roll.  I cut off one of the longer flaps on the diaper box that I used to make my circle platform.  I then bent the flap long ways to try and make a rod and rubber banded both ends together.  I slipped my "card board rod" into the toilet paper roll hole, and placed the top layer of diapers over the "rod". 
Try to center the card board the best you can in the middle of your diapers.

This is where it gets really fun!
Wrap your ribbon around the middle of each layer where you have your rubber band line and tie a pretty bow.

I then put the Teething Tablets on the top front of the bottom layer and tucked the top flap part of the box under the top layer bow. (Look at the picture and you'll see what I mean.)
I also had a few tiny plastic clothes pins that a friend gave me for my baby shower, I clipped them on the box flap and the top part of the bow on the top layer so it looks like there at holding up the box.
I also clipped tiny plastic baby bottles with ribbons glued to them onto the bottom layer bow with the tiny clothes pins.
You don't have to use embellishments, I did because I had them laying around the house.

I then took the Bordeaux's Butt Paste and stuffed it down the middle of the top layer of diapers right above where my "card board rod" is and then set the Teething Ring tilted on the front of it.

Last but not least.
I made a little note card to put on the cake.
I measured out a 3"x6" Card Stock strip and folded it in half and I recently bought a fancy little Martha Stewart paper punch (on clearance and saved $10. on it at Hobby Lobby!  I love a great deal!!!) and with the card folded in half I punched along the top and bottom edges of the card.
I then punched a small hole in the side of it by the fold line with a hole punch and tied it to the top layer bow with curling ribbon.  Honestly you could use any type of ribbon or string that you have around the house.  Remember, saving pennies is a good thing...  For anyone.

That's it.  The diaper cake is finished and for the Baby Wipes and Healthcare Kit...
I didn't have enough room on the cake for them so I put them in a gift bag with tissue paper that I also had laying around the house and made a tag that looks the same as the one on the diaper cake and a pretty curling ribbon bow and put them on the gift bag..

 

I really like it when I'm able to save little things like gift bags, ribbons, party embellishments, etc. etc.  I recommend it to everyone as long as you have a place to keep it neatly organized.  If you're not organized about little things like that then when the time comes to use it you probably won't be able to find it.  So therefore, what's the point in having it if not to use?
I'm not the most organized person (lack of space) but I do keep all my party embellishments and supplies all together so I'll know exactly where I find them.
Thank God too, I would have spent more money then what my budget called for or wouldn't have been able to get my friend as much stuff as I did.

I hope this tutorial has inspired you in same way.

2nd Baby Quilt

Funny story that happened to me tonight that I thought I'd share with you all.
I'm sure you'll get a good laugh out of it.

So David and I had just finished eating dinner and after I was done cleaning up the dishes I had to pee REALLY bad so I went to the bath and as I was finishing up I just so happened to look down at the floor at the corner of the tub and I saw a brown striped spider about the size of a keylime.  Of course I screamed for David to come and save me and ran out of the bathroom with my pants around my ankles and ended up tripping on them and ran completely out of them into the living room and the front door was wide open.  Luckily not many lights were on and we don't have a lot of neighbor traffic around our duplex so I'm pretty positive no one from the outside saw me.

I hope you got a good laugh out, I believe everyone needs a good laugh at least once a day if not more.
Alrighty then, now about the quilt I've recently built.

A few days ago I finished my 2nd baby quilt ever.
I personally don't like the colors, or print of the fabric but I found it super cheap and thought to myself that other people are really into that style so I couldn't help myself and bought it.
Of course I think it looks like crap because I'm WAY to hard on myself and expect everything I do to be perfect in every and all ways possible but in all reality it probably turned out really well.  I've shown a few people these past few days and everyone that's seen it thinks/says the work I did looks fantastic.  That helps me feel a little better about it for sure.

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I would LOVE to know what you think about it!  Even if there's something about it that you don't like or even hate I still welcome your comments, every opinion counts because I've explained before that I want to start making baby quilts to sale and I need to know what the general public thinks before I start, that way I can relate what I make to what the consumers want. 
I can't wait to hear from you!  Thanks in advanced!!! (^_^) xoxo

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The pattern is called a Fence Rail, the front is a bold hot pink, electric blue, white and black.  The back of the quilt is a solid black and it measures about 30" x 34 1/2"

I made a homemade level today! :)

I have been without the internet for a whole 2 weeks until today!  My boyfriend and I were using my neighbors connection but she moved out (you guessed it) two weeks ago and we FINALLY counted our (coin) Change Box that was suppose to be for a vacation next year so we could get the internet.  One great thing is we counted a WHOLE years worth of internet bills so were going to pay it all off when we get the bill in the mail.  Which is such a lovely idea to me because that's one LESS bill we'll have to worry about paying on time regardless if we have the money or not and it was with money that was piled up in a box that sat in the corner of the bedroom.  Basically what I'm trying to say is...  It feels like we're getting it for free.  Well, not really because we used our vacation money but whatever I'm nuts.

OH!  I have a Handy Dandy Tip that I discovered myself today while David and I were trying to hang shelves and pictures on the living room wall.
If you need a Level to hang picture frames and what not with and you don't have the money to go out and buy a level then you could take a babies bottle and fill it with water and put on the nipple and cap (so you don't happen to make a mess.) and use the lines of the bottle to level with.  Super Easy, Super Duper Fool Proof and Super Duper Duper CHEAP!  We all LOVE cheap now don't we?  Umm... haha Yessss!  :)