Baby Shower: DIY Diaper Cake

Looking for the perfect centerpiece or memorable gift for the next baby shower you throw or attend? Try making a diaper cake so delectable, you'll want to eat it all up, and the mom to be will just eat it up too. Both functional and whimsical, a diaper cake is a thoughtful and fun shower gift you can put together in one afternoon.

If you are a bit on the creative and crafty side, you can really take your diaper cake to the next level with colors, themes, and accessories. If you're not so craftily inclined, it's still an easy project and you may even surprise yourself with your creation. When putting together materials, you might draw inspiration from the colors that have been picked out for the nursery, the style of the shower invitation, or maybe the shower has a theme with which you can coordinate.

Supplies you will need:
· White disposable diapers, in size of your preference (around 100, depending on the size of your cake)
· Wide Ribbon (1 1/2 to 2 inches)
· Rubber bands - large, medium, and small
· Diaper pins or hot glue gun
· Colored tissue paper or paper shreds
· Round or square piece of cardboard to act as the base of the cake

Optional:
Cake accessories/toppers - these are up to you. Cake accessories could range from a teddy bear or doll as a cake topper to several smaller objects placed around the cake such as socks, onesies, diaper cream, thermometer, rattle...infinite possibilities here!

You will also need three or four cylinders of various sizes to act as the frames for your cake layers. Different sized bowls, paper towel roll, or any other cylindrical shaped item you have in your household.

Step 1 - Making the Layers
Take your largest bowl, turn it upside down and place an extra large rubber band around it. Place the first diaper under the rubber band, hugging the bowl horizontally. The bottom edge of the diaper should be flush with the lip of the bowl to facilitate easy removal.

Place the next diaper under the rubber band. Have the smooth edge (where the baby's bottom would be) overlap the first diaper. Continue this pattern so that only the smooth edges of the diapers are showing until they are fanned out evenly around the diameter of the bowl.
Roll up a diaper lengthwise and secure it with a rubber band. It should stand at the same height as the diapers around the bowl. Roll several more diapers and place them in a tight circle around the first diaper. Continue to make the circle larger until it is about the size of the opening of your bowl.

Place the bowl over the circle of diapers. Now, remove the bowl by lifting it up and sliding off the outside layer of diapers. The rubber band should hug the pretty outside layer to the inside layer. This is the base layer of your cake. Add or remove diapers to the inner circle to make the base larger or smaller.

Repeat the steps above using sequentially smaller and smaller bowls. A paper towel roll may suffice for the top layer, depending on the size of your cake.

Step 2 - Decorating
Use your ribbon to cover the rubber band that secures each cake layer. Secure the ends with colorful diaper pins or hot glue.
Stack layers on the cardboard plat form. You may want to wrap the platform with wrapping paper to match the cake first.
Put paper shreds or tissue paper between the layers to act as the "icing".

Step 3 - Final Touches
The icing on the cake will be those other little items you picked up for the nearly-newborn. Get creative with placing around the cake little socks, hair bows, bibs, pacifiers or whatever goodies you have for the new addition. Some items can be tucked into the rubber band behind the ribbon. A cute teddy bear or pretty baby doll can make great cake toppers.

Step 4 - You Take the Cake!
Get ready to be showered with compliments on your creation as you walk into the festivities for the little newcomer!