Diaper Cakes

It seems as if this year is the year of babies. I know at least 10 women who are pregnant or have given birth in the past 6 months. Today was my second cousins baby shower. She is expecting Delila Violet to enter the world sometime late February, or early March. Who knows, maybe she will be born on Leap Year day. Next weekend is my husband's cousins baby shower. We will be celebrating and eagerly waiting for Hunter Reid.

I wanted to do something a little different for them than just picking out a gift from the store and wrapping it. Several years ago while at a friend's baby shower, I was intrigued with a gift one of her family members made. It seemed like the perfect gift containing almost everything a new mother would need: diapers, pacifiers, bottles, receiving blanket, onesies, washcloths, and even a scrubby. But it was not the contents that wowed me, but the absolutely adorable way it was put together. All of these items were arranged in the shape of a cake. It was the most adorable thing I had ever seen. Three tiers of mother necessities. Since I have decided to start to try to be a little more hands on and creative with gifts this year, I thought I would attempt to make a diaper cake for each of them.

Here is the cake I made for Delila.

She's Crafty Crochet

I have never been the crafty type. Usually, my idea of a DIY project is wrapping presents at Christmas. Recently, though, I have found myself with more time on my hands and thought a couple new hobbies might be good for me. I decided that I would share this journey with anyone who wanted to come along with me.

One of the new hobbies I have decided to give a try is crocheting. There are so many different things that can be created and it is something that you can do anywhere. My mom is a seasoned crocheter. She has been making blankets, scarves, hats, for as long as I can remember. So, of course, when I decided this was something I wanted to try, she was the first person I went to for a lesson. Of course, she was happy to help. We started with an easy goal : a simple potholder.

My poor mom didn't know what she was in for. Thank goodness she has patience. Crocheting does not come easily to me, to say the least. I was able to complete a chain, and tried my first turn. This was an obstacle I struggled with. After several tries, I decided to just go ahead and start the second chain. This is crocheting for learning's sake. I really was not expecting anything pretty as an outcome. So next comes single crochet stitches. She explained and showed me more times than I care to admit.

I have been working on this second chain off and on for several days. I've lost count of how many times I have stitched and taken apart and restitched. This is the mangled mess I have at this point.

As you can see, this is a pretty pathetic attempt so far, but I know I will get better. I am hoping to be able to provide pictures soon of my progress. If you have any ideas, tips, or tricks to make this learning process easier please please let me know.  :)  Here's to learning something new everyday!!