Long story.....

The ex of my DH is a very nice woman in fact we all get along quite well, her daughter is expecting her first baby and they are having a baby shower and they asked me to make the cake.

Here is the problem the shower is kind of a cluster of things and themes mixed together and I am having a really hard time with colors and design theme. She gave me the invitation that is white, yellow, green and black with white polka dots. She is having a girl and wanted me to add some light purple to it because that is her favorite color. I am more than stumped. It needs to be a 3 tier cake. I was thinking of making one of tiers black with white polka dots easy... one white yellow and green stripes to match the card. then what? hoe do I add the purple? I have a tier that I have no idea how to decorate. I was leaving it simple and putting a carriage on top sitting on a circle with a purple ruffle. I am having major creative block on this. I dont know if any of you can understand what I just wrote but maybe you can help!!!

THANKS!
Katie

Do another polka dot tier or another stripe tier, depending on which ones are already done...so that they'll be alternating...polka dot, stripe, polka dot or vice versa...then finish them all with a light purple ribbon with a bow. It will look busy...but some of the neatest cakes look really busy and it all comes together somehow.

If I did that say polka dot, stripe, polka dot and did the bow, what could I use as a border between the layers? I need a border my layers never look clean enough to go without.

THANKS AGAIN!
Katie

Use fondant balls for the border.

Are the any shapes on the invitation. Do you have a copy you could attach picture of?

You could use the ribbon/bow as the border. Have a look in my photos the pink baby shower cake with the babies and you will see what I mean

I was just thinking too, you could do a mix of dots and stripes like my cake to the left, or if you moved the tier with the stripes to the top and made the middle tier simple and plain, except for an oval with a simple drawing or something on it. Like a cradle or initial or baby's name. You can use a scrapbooking stamp for this. Maybe just a ribbon and bow around the cernter tier.

I tried to scan and attach it I never have any luck with that! There are no shapes only a carriage on top.

I like TexasRose idea. You could do the top tier with purple polka dots and try to incorporate the middle and bottom tier-color wise...oh I love cakes with stripes.

Also for a border, you could do a fondant ribbon in the same color fondant so that it blends and isnt real noticable, but is clean at the same time.

Here's the invitation!

http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-photo_1326484.html

as i read your post i thought about this cake I made for a babshower. I know it is not as good as some of these others, but it came to mind. I used polka dots....stripes and then nothing on the top layer, but did a 'button' border. the buttons were cute and fun to make. funny thing is that the original idea for this cake was all polka dots with a carriage on top. I like babies more than carriages! I incorporated the black because i wanted a color that stood out. You could do the same with purple....
I used butter cream borders. I also got the stripes a bit crooked and it makes the whole cake look crooked, but it looked much better in real life! good luck!

I love all the ideas!

I think I like the idea of the bows being the border.

Still working it out

Katie

Ok I have read through all the suggestions and this is what came together in my head...

Bottom tier: white with black polka dots and some other polka dots incorporating some of the other colours...like some smaller some over lapping etc.

Middle tier: light purple with a white oval in the center of the front with the initials on it in one of the other colours.

Top tier: white again with different width stripes with different colours...I would put in a very thin black stripe maybe 4 total to bring some of the black more throughout the cake. Then with your carriage topper

As for the border I like the fonandnt ribbon that goes around and I find easier then rolling balls! With a nice slim flat bow .

Anyway thats just what came into my mind!

HTH!
~Ashley

I want to say bottom tier to be striped just like invitation, only add a coordinating purple color stripe along in with the yellows, whites, and light greens.

Middle tier black with tiny white dots and also a white oval plaque with saying or name.

Top tier light green with yellow, white, purple polka dots.

Borders in balls or ??? with contrasting colors...for instance black and white and green on the very bottom....then yellow and white and green on the middle border...and purple and green and black on the top border.

I just did a two tiered baby shower cake where I incorporated about six colors...you just alternate it between tiers. Its in my recent photos.

What a great cake!! I LOVE IT!

I am realizing how hard it is to make cakes for NON-Cake people!

UGGGHHH!!!

What a great cake!! I LOVE IT!

I am realizing how hard it is to make cakes for NON-Cake people!

UGGGHHH!!!

So I plugged this idea in to my cake software (which I am not at all thrilled that I paid $70 for...) and this is what I came up with. I can't do black in my software for some reason so replace the brown with black...

So I plugged this idea in to my cake software (which I am not at all thrilled that I paid $70 for...) and this is what I came up with. I can't do black in my software for some reason so replace the brown with black...

That's kinda what I was thinking only the black in the center (so its less overbearing) and then a bit of purple included in with the other two tiers.

Cool software!

Are those 6,10, and 14" layers? i really like your idea.

Are those 6,10, and 14" layers? i really like your idea.

Someone just posted this cake that looks like it was based on the same invite!

http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-photo-1416608.html

Someone just posted this cake that looks like it was based on the same invite!

http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-photo-1416608.html

I agree, I think that finished cake looks much like the invitation. I also like the software sketch. I would change the bottom a little bit, larger circles like the pink and black and white bridal shower cake in my photos, then I would move the plain tier from the top to the middle with an oval plaque. I would be afraid of the carriage if it were 3-d but I liked the 2 dimensional one in the example above. Short of that, I'd use a carriage/stroller stamp on the plaque. But if the parents have chosen a name I like that better on the plaque

Hi katiekatie I founded a cake that looks almost like the invitation. It is in the 2009 baby shower contest the lady that made it is Tita9499 its called stroller fun. Tita did a very good job. hope this helps.
sammie

That softwear is great! I cant believe that cake it does look just like the invitation.

I talked to the girl that is having the baby and we are working out the details. The cake isnt due till August 15 so I have some time!

Thanks again EVERYONE~

I think, that for me, I would keep the black on the bottom tier. I almost feel that because black is such a bold color compared to your other colors, I'd like to see it on the bottom to "anchor" the cake. If I saw black in the middle, but lighter colors on the top and bottom, I think it would draw my eye to the middle and play tricks with how I saw the cake-in my head, it looks almost off-balance with a strong, bold black in the middle and lighter colors on top and bottom.

That's just my opinion.