With all the amazing cakes going on out there in the world, the pressure can sometimes be a bit much when it comes to decorating a birthday cake for your child or family member, especially if like me, you're no expert with frosting and don't have hours and hours to devote to decorating a cake. My advice? Come up with a fun theme for your cake and quite simply make decorations using paper, markers and skewers! Short on drawing skills? Not to worry, you can certainly find lots of things to draw in my favorite Ed Emberley books for example, or via any simple how to draw book or website, so no excuses friends! Here is some fun inspiration from the creativejewishmom.com archives to get those gears turning:
This Loch Ness monster castle themed cake was actually my very first cake using simple paper decorations, and I have to admit, it is one of the best, though I really have no idea where the Loch Ness monster idea came from, nor did it relate to any theme, but for a 16 year old that certainly isn't necessary in any case.
For this penguin themed birthday cake with paper decorations I used only white printer paper and permanent markers, which explains the dense color. To draw the penguins I quickly looked up "how to draw a penguin" online and took it from there.
This merry go round themed birthday cake with paper decorations and some strips of sour candy is so simple to make and with great results. And while this cake is on the small size, this would also look great on a much larger round cake as well. I thought of making a roof, which you could do on a larger cake, but maybe just a little roof in the center would look cute. I took the inspiration for the animals from Ed Emberley's Make A World, a must have!
Okay, I'll admit it, I just love the paper decorations on this King Kong, Empire State Building themed cake, which I made for a birthday which took place upon our return from a trip which included NYC. I looked at a vintage illustration of the Empire State Building that I have on a fun postcard as inspiration, and Ed Emberley once again for inspiration for King Kong.
The paper decorations for this underwater castle birthday cake were made as part of a water themed birthday, I'll admit this isn't one of my best, as the castle and the fish need more details, but as I recall I was very pressed for time, such is life!
And last but not least, the lake vacation themed birthday cake with paper decorations that I made just a few weeks ago. We really were on vacation, and while truthfully it turned out that there was a Walmart and a Target stuffed to the gills with decorations that one can buy just 15 minutes away, I still preferred using the markers and construction paper we had on hand, as the handmade look is truly so much cuter, and once you get started buying decorations, well I can imagine that there is no end to it!
Hope you've enjoyed this round-up, please don't forget to share photos of any fun birthday cake decorations you make using paper!