Easy but Adorable Baby Shower Gift & Corsage (and cake!)

I had the distinct pleasure of throwing a baby shower for my dear friend, Heather. We have known each other since our senior year of high school, and she means more to me than I could ever express. We’ve been there for each other in times of laughter (“Jungle Boogie” anyone?) and in times of heart ache. But the key is that we’ve BEEN there.

Needless to say, I was ready to throw a shower for her and little man, and I’m excited to share some of the cool things I created!

I wanted to make her a personalized gift. I was on Pinterest looking up baby gifts, and I found this.

Want to see how I made mine?

1st, you need blocks. I found mine at Hobby Lobby.

Then, you need paper. I chose various scrapbook papers that fit the color scheme Heather was going to use in the baby’s room. I trimmed the paper to be just shy of the size of the blocks so that there’d be an edge around.

Miss Sassy Pants helped me with the next step: sanding the wood so it would be ready for paint.

Then, you paint the edges of each side of the block. You can use black or brown.

Next, use ModPodge to attach the paper to the block. I put the ModPodge on both the back of the paper and the block. It stuck very quickly.

After they dried, we used a file to smooth the edges of the paper so it wouldn’t look like such a stark contrast. The file helped make the blocks look more vintage.

Next, we applied stickers to spell out the baby’s name.

Then, we brushed off the file mess and painted ModPodge on all sides to seal and set the blocks.

Here was our final product (at the shower):

I also wanted Heather to have a corsage, but I wanted it to be useful. I used ribbon and two pacifiers. She’ll be able to cut the pacifiers off to use for the baby if needed.

And for the shower, I wanted to do something less traditional for her cake. I will say that I did stress a little over whether or not I was making the right choice. Based on the reaction from the ladies, I’d say this was a big hit:

I got this brownie cheesecake from this book: Taste of Home Fast Fixes with Mixes

1 package (8 oz) brownie mix
2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 cup milk chocolate chips, melted
whipped cream & miniature chocolate kisses, optional

Prepare brownie mix according to package directions for chewy fudge brownies. Spread into a greased 9-in. spring-form pan. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes (brownies will not test done). Cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack. Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla; mix well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Pour over the brownie crust. Top with melted chocolate; cut through batter with a knife to swirl the chocolate. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until center is almost set. Run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool completely. Remove sides of pan; refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Garnish with whipped cream and chocolate kisses if desired. (8-10 servings)

What I did differently:


* I added about 2 tsp of oil to the chocolate chips as I melted them so they’d stay softer and pour easier into the pan.
* Instead of chocolate kisses, I just used more of the chocolate chips I had.
* When I used the knife to swirl the chocolate, I did NOT go all the way down into the brownie batter. I just swirled above (I didn’t think that was overly clear in the instructions).