How to Make a Baby Bouquet

For my niece's baby shower, I made this adorable baby bouquet. The "flowers" are baby bibs rolled to look like flower buds! It's a nice alternative to the diaper cake. When I first saw photos of these, I knew I wanted to make one. There are several online stores that sell a completed version; just search on google for baby bouquets. Making your own isn't too hard either. Here are the steps:




STEP 1: Choose your materials




1. a container
2. small baby items like socks, bibs, washclothes, or onesies
3. silk flowers
4. a rattle or teether for embellishment
5. rubber bands
6. tissue paper





STEP 2: build the base



I bought a bath set with a hooded towel and washcloth. I folded the towel and placed it in the bottom of the container.















STEP 3: roll your flower buds




You want to use some small item to roll your flowers. The bigger the item, the harder this is to do. I used 7 terry cloth bibs to make the flowers. Fold a bib in half.




STEP 4:



Fold in half again.















STEP 5:





Begin rolling the bib to make the flower bud. It doesn't have to be exactly perfect - real flowers aren't perfect either.













STEP 6:



Secure the bottom of the rolled bib with a rubber band.























This is what it should look like when done.
























STEP 7: Placement of flowers







Place all of the flowers in your container.


















STEP 8: Finishing touches




To finish your bouquet, add in silk flowers, the tissue paper, and I added 2 teethers as well.

The tag lists all the baby items in the bouquet. I printed the list out on cardstock and ran it through my cuttlebug using a scalloped circle die.

Envelope Seals

I used this stamp to make envelope seals for the birth announcements. It was a little labor intensive, but so cute! Using a 8 1/2 x 11 label sheet, stamp the entire page. Color each stamp. Punch out with a circle punch. You now have customized seals for your envelopes.

Baby Shower Favors

Baby shower party favors are one of those nice touches at the baby shower. Favors do not have to be complicated and can be virtually anything. They can be edible, useful, or sentimental, just be creative as much as you can. The only limitation is your imagination!

I made this bookmark for my sister’s baby shower. The baby stamp is from Stampin’ Up. I printed off the quote and then stamped the image and used colored pencils to decorate. I inserted the bookmarks into a clear plastic sleeve. Guests can add their own bookmarks later and use over and over. I purchased the sleeves here. The tassels are sold separately.

The quote says: "I’m really glad that you could come to my mommy and daddy’s shower. Sit down, relax, enjoy yourself and chat with one another. Sorry I can’t be with you, but you see I’m very busy because I’m growing more each hour. I’ll be arriving shortly. I’m happy as can be, so after I’ve been home a while – please come visit me!"

Other favors I have made include:
Tea Bags – make your own paper wrappers with the words “A Baby is Brewing!” Add the date and name of the mother.

Popcorn – make your own paper wrappers with the saying “Baby (Last Name) is Popping in!”

Candles – make labels for the top of a tin that holds a candle. You can often find these for $1.00 each. Or wrap ribbon/yarn around the outside of the tin. Add a tag with the date and name of the mother.

Seeds – place wildflower seeds in a tiny envelope. Make a label that says, “Please plant these seeds and watch them bloom, just like baby (Last Name) who will be here soon!”

Bookmarks – avid readers always appreciate bookmarks. Print your own with the saying, “This bookmark is given to remember (Mom’s name) new chapter in life. Thank you for sharing in this special day!”

Diaper Cake

A diaper cake is a wonderfully creative gift for an expectant mother. It is a collection of diapers (either disposable or cloth) rolled and stacked together to resemble a traditional tiered cake. There can be 1, 2, 3 or more tiers. The tiers of diaper cakes can also be decorated with baby care items such as bibs, pacifiers, baby socks, bottles, toys, and more.

After seeing all the photos online of diaper cakes, I just had to try and make one.

Here are the directions on how I did it:

Supplies:
50 to 60 diapers
Ribbon at least 2-inches wide
50 to 60 clear, small rubber bands
A sturdy core piece – a heavy cardboard tube, a baby bottle, or lotion bottle
Decorations – silk flowers, baby items such as pacifiers, bottles, bibs, miniature stuffed animals, etc.

A cardboard or plastic cake platter for the base. The base needs to be sturdy. It can be made of cardboard or metal or even glass. It must be strong enough to carry the weight of the cake. You can buy pre-made sizes or cut cardboard to fit. If you are cutting it yourself make sure that you do not use the any box folds in the circle you cut. The fold will not support the weight. You can cut exact size of the finished layers or leave a little extra around it for decorating purposes.

Assembly:
The first thing you need to do is have a way to secure the diapers once they are rolled up. Some people use ribbon, clear rubber bands, or tape; be careful with this so the diapers are still useable. Roll the diapers and put ribbon or clear rubber bands to hold them in place. This will take the most time. The rest of the assembly will go quickly once they are all rolled up.

Roll the diapers in a manner to have any outside edge decoration facing inward. Try to place the rubber bands in the middle of each diaper. The idea is for the rubber bands not to show in the final piece. It will be easier to cover it with ribbon if they are approximately all in the same place.

Putting the cake together:
The bottom of a three tier cake will need 2 layers of diapers around a center focal point. I used a sturdy cardboard tube for the center piece. Tie a ribbon around each layer to make the next layer easier to construct. When you have the center piece and 2 surrounding layers together, tie it with ribbon to keep in one place.

Repeat this with the second and top layers. The top layer will only be 1 circle of diapers. You may need to put an additional center piece in for the top layer if your cardboard tube or bottle is not tall enough.

Decorating:Use ribbon and final materials to give the cake a finishing touch. I prefer the finished piece to look more like a real cake. So I chose silk flowers, ribbon, and tulle as my only decorations. I just tucked the stems of the flowers in between a few of the rubber bands. No glue! You want the mother-to-be to be able to disassemble your gift and actually use it. I used a purchased stuffed animal/blanket combo for the top of the cake.

If you are a visual person like me, watching a video really helps with the construction. I liked this one -- video.