Cloth Diaper Cake Tutorial

This has been a week full of baby stuff! How fun...and I don't even have a baby! Today, I'm going to show how I made this gorgeous baby shower diaper cake out of all cloth baby necessities. It is very eco-friendly and any friend who is a mom-to-be would love it as a gift...I know I would have when I was expecting my babies.

 

Here is what you need to make your own eco-friendly cloth diaper cake:

- Muslin Cloths, Baby Bath Towels, Burp Cloths, Baby Wash Cloths, Baby Prefolds (Cloth Diapers)

- Ribbon (I replaced the one in this picture with a prettier ribbon when I made the cake)

- Scissors

- Chopsticks or something similar

- Cake Stand or another base on which to display your cake

- Baby Bibs

Here is how you make a cloth diaper cake:

1. Place baby bibs on cake stand.

2. Fold baby bath towels to the desired width that will end up being the height of the first layer (I folded the baby bath towels in thirds lengthwise). Roll them up. Carefully wrap muslins or prefolds or burp cloths around the outside of the rolled towels. This is the bottom layer of the cake.

3. Tie a decorative ribbon around the rolled bath towels to hold them together. Some people use a rubber band to hold everything together. I used my hands and legs and carefully tied the ribbon. I didn't want an ugly rubber band to show through since my ribbon was transparent.

4. Stick a couple of chopsticks between the gaps in your rolled towels. Be very careful and gentle so that you don't accidentally snag the towels.

5. Roll burp cloths, muslins, prefolds the same way you did the towels, but make the width of the roll slightly smaller. This is the middle layer of the cake. Again, tie a ribbon around the roll to hold it together.

6. Very carefully, place the second layer on the bottom layer so that the chopsticks stick up into the gaps of the rolled cloths. The chopsticks will hold your second layer in place.

7. Roll washcloths or burpcloths, muslins, etc. in a similar way as the other two layers. I overlapped the washcloths in a line on the floor and then rolled them. This helped create a nice, even roll. Tie a ribbon around the roll. This is the top layer. You can end here or continue with a muslin rose on top.

8. Follow my tutorial to make a muslin rose. Then carefully and gently place a chopstick through the rose so that the rose is at the top like a lollipop.

9. Gently stick the chopstick into the center of the top layer until the rose is resting on top.

You now have a gorgeous cake that will make a lovely gift for any mum-to-be.

Besides making a lovely gift, they add a special touch to the decor at a baby shower. Here is mine on the food table among a tasty assortment of snacks and sweets...

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I'm linking up to some of these fabulous parties.

How to Make a Muslin Cloth Rose

If you follow along, you have probably seen the recent post about my homemade cloth diaper cake that was part of my friend's baby shower decor. This is a closer look at one part of the cake: the muslin cloth rose. I'm going to show how you can make your own muslin rose, which is a beautiful addition to a diaper cake. You could also arrange a few of these into a muslin rose bouquet or to top a wrapped gift.

There are only two things you need to make your own muslin cloth rose:

1. Baby Muslin Cloth (like these)

2. Ribbon

I obviously used baby muslins but you could also use any type of thin, soft, flexible fabric if you do not intend for them to be used by a mom-to-be.

1. Lay out the cloth and fold it in approximate thirds.

2-4. Again fold muslin in thirds, creating a long, narrow folded piece.

5-6: Roll from one side until you have about a third of the length remaining unrolled.

7. Pick up the roll and fold top edge down toward you at an angle (diagonal).

8-9. Continue to bring the unrolled length around, holding it in place as you carefully bring it around.

10. Your unrolled length will eventually end up back at the diagonal from number 7.

11. Tuck the amount of remaining length into the space under the folded diagonal. This will hold the rose together.

12. Admire your cloth rose.

Tie a ribbon around the rose to hold it securely in place. 

Here is a look at the muslin rose I used to top the cloth diaper cake...

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I'm linking up to some of these fabulous parties.

Baby Shower Decor

I helped organize a baby shower for a friend last week. We did not want to go overboard with games and decorations, but still wanted it to have a special feel. So, we kept to simple baby shower decorations that included gifts for the mom-to-be to take home!

This one is a oldie but goodie. I love the look of the onesies hanging from a clothesline...I probably should have ironed them. Oh, well. To make it a bit prettier, we used sheer, slightly sparkly ribbon instead of an actual clothesline. 

We used the same ribbon to tie balloons to the "throne" and to hang these adorable wool diaper wraps from the chandelier.

I made the wool wraps from felted charity shop sweaters and Katrina's Sew Quick Soaker Pattern. I forgot to take more pictures of them before hanging them at the party, so this is the best you get to see. Hopefully, I'll be making some more for her soon.

Along with the onesie clothesline and soaker chandelier, we decided to have a "diaper cake." This was a bit tricky because the mom-to-be is going to use cloth nappies (diapers). Instead of using my own brain, I first tried to find an online tutorial for how to make one - impossible! So, I set my laptop aside, and used my own creativity to figure it out. Easy.

I will have a full tutorial on how to make a cloth diaper cake in the next few days in case anyone else out there ever needs a little guidance. In summary, I used baby bath towels, muslins, burp cloths, and lots of waschcloths to make the beautiful cake. So, I guess it isn't technically a diaper cake, but I actually think it is much prettier with the cloth instead of the disposables.

Click here to learn how to fold your own muslin cloth rose. Besides using them to top the cake, you could also use them in a bouquet or to decorate a wrapped gift.

In a few days, I'll put up the tutorial for the cloth diaper cake!

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I'm linking up to some of these fabulous parties.

Baby Hats

Last week, I showed a few baby blankets that I made recently. Today, I'm showing my favorite baby hats. You can find them all in my and my mom's Etsy shop, Sunshine Makings.

With the exception of the pink and grey hat, these are all crocheted with the softest bamboo yarn. 

It is so silky smooth it feels like it might melt into my fingers. I absolutely love it for baby items because babies should have the softest of everything on their delicate skin. 

 The bamboo also has a slight silky shine to it as you can see in this white, blue, and green baby hat. 

I hope you like these and stop by Sunshine Makings for a closer look! 

If you decide to buy one or anything else you might like in my Etsy shop, please use the following code for a 10% discount: SSBLOG

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I'm linking up to some of these fabulous parties.

Crocheted Baby Blankets

I'm so excited to show the latest listings in my and my mom's Etsy shop! We've been wanting to add more baby items for awhile and we have now added baby blankets to our shop, Sunshine Makings. 

They are all crocheted using the v-stitch and double strands of yarn. I love how the double strands make the blankets warm enough for a baby and the v-stitch allows breathability (is that a word?). 

They are all so soft and cuddly, it makes me wish my kids were still small enough to use these baby blankets. If you've got a baby or know someone who does, here are your choices of colors: blue, blue & white, pink & grey, or the softest yellow.

If you do decide to visit our shop and make a purchase, please enjoy a 10% discount by using this coupon code: SSBLOG

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I'm linking up to some of these fabulous parties.

Mayfair

I know I've been silent for the last week or so and here is why...

I've been busy stocking up for Mayfair! I had a vendor stall at my first ever craft fair! Mayfair is one of the largest and most enjoyable events at our school. It's mostly fun and games for the kids, but there is always shopping for the ladies. This year, after gaining confidence in selling through my Etsy shop (Sunshine Makings), I took a leap and reserved a spot at Mayfair.

It's one of the best things I've done. I had such a great time chatting with the people who stopped at my table...and I sold stuff! I made enough to cover the cost of my table (which was my main goal), to donate over £40 to IJM, and also some to keep.

I had barely finished setting up when I made my first sale and then snapped these pictures really quickly before making a second sale (hence the knocked over sign and fallen cup sleeve and Starbucks cup missing it's sold sleeve :-)). 

I made sure to have a variety of items because I had no idea what people would buy. I was surprised to find out that I had a perfect selection and sold a little bit of everything. A few of the items were made by my mom (Kay from Jerry&Kay) like the scarves and wrist warmers above (all sold!).

My favorite new items I made especially for the fair were the baby hats. They are made of the softest Bernat bamboo yarn. I sold one and took orders for about five in larger baby sizes...that was exciting! Stay posted or follow my blog in any possible way (options in sidebar) to find out when these will be available in my Etsy shop.

 

After looking at my booth, I see a few display improvements to be made for the next fair, but I was really pleased with it on the day, and overall, this was the best first craft fair experience I could have had! Thanks to everyone who encouraged me, and to everyone who bought something, and to King Damascus who gave me pep talks during the week leading up to the sale when I was stressing myself out!

Blue Ripple Crochet Mug Cozy - Free Pattern

**Click here to access the Blue Ripple Mug Cozy Free Crochet Pattern**

One of my obsessions this year have been mug and cup cozies. If you follow along, you've seen quite a few, including my recycled denim mug cozy and the variety of cup sleeves that my mom (Kay from Jerry and Kay) and I sell in our Etsy shop. Well, today, I'd like to share with you one of my latest creations - a crochet pattern for this lovely blue ripple crochet mug cozy. It is a great project for crocheters of all levels and if you don't crochet, you can find one here in my Etsy shop. I love wrapping it around my mug in the morning, knowing it will keep my coffee warm for those few minutes more.

If you're interested in learning how I covered my button with crochet, please visit my blog soon as I'm going to have a short tutorial about it soon!

**Click here to access the Blue Ripple Mug Cozy Free Crochet Pattern**

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I'm linking up to some of these fabulous parties.

I'm participating in The Crochet Challenge on JJCrochet. This mug cozy is my second accomplishment for the challenge. Have a look at her blog for more info...and a free pattern!