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Home | Mompreneur: Diaper Design by Adrienne

Mompreneur: Diaper Design by Adrienne

Mr. Elephant Baby Boy Diaper CakeEver since being introduced to them years ago by her sister, Marin mompreneur Adrienne Bulkley has been creating unique and charming diaper cakes for baby shower and new baby gifts. What is a diaper cake, you ask? It's diapers, toys, and other baby supplies creatively arranged in the form of a festive cake. They make a great centerpiece for a baby shower, and of course they're a gift that all new parents will end up using, too. You can view her creations on her website: Diaper Design by Adrienne.

We asked Adrienne about how she got started in this creative business.

Please tell us a little about yourself. What's your background?

I am a Crafty Marin Mom. I am also a San Francisco native, which is rare these days! I am a graduate of Parsons School of Design (The New School) which led to my editorial career in New York—but that was a lifetime ago. Now I am all about play dates and applesauce! I have two children 7 and 2, a great husband and a dog named Gus.

Diaper Design by Adrienne Counting Sheep CakeHow did you get started creating diaper cakes?

My sister was my inspiration, she made three lovely diaper cakes for our other sister's baby shower and I was really impressed and shocked that they were made with diapers. They piqued my curiosity and so I started experimenting and making them for friends. With every cake, I tweaked and discovered new tricks and added details to the cakes which pleased my aesthetic spirit! Fortunately this was before the Internet was filled with pictures of diaper cakes from here to the end of the earth so I wasn’t daunted at trying to create something better or more astounding than what I had found online. I was lucky enough to be shrouded in ignorant bliss, thinking that I was making these amazingly unusual diaper cakes which then allowed my creativity to go wherever it wanted to go. Garden gnome to kewpie doll, robots to sea horses, nothing could stop this crazy diaper cake train!

After hearing from friends and family for several years about how I should start a business and make these cakes professionally, I realized that I basically had a diaper cake studio in my garage! All the fixings in one place ready for orders and primed to be creatively inspired. It turns out, that creative freedom is what sets my cakes apart from those of a lot of the diaper cake makers out there. I always try to adhere to my firm belief that if I don’t like it then I just can’t make it. Most of my clients give me direction on color scheme and theme but usually let me create custom cakes on my own. And I always have a whole set of one-of-a-kind cakes on hand and ready to ship out through my website.

Fairy Princess Hippo Diaper CakeWhat's the most fulfilling thing about what you do?

The most fulfilling aspect of making diaper cakes as a business is that it allows me to play with color, create, and think out of the box while making my clients and mommies-to-be happy with pretty baby shower centerpieces and gifts that are useful at the end of the day. On a different level, these creations let me get my Pretty Mojo out, anything cutesy and charming is totally up my alley and when I can step back and look at a finished piece and know that it is perfect, is when I feel the best! 

What do you like best about living and working in Marin?

I love Marin, I’ve been living here full time for the past 12 years and spent summers here most of my life – it’s the perfect place for me and my family. We have a very hard to find accessibility to nature, the bay, the ocean, tall mountains, and the wine country right out of our front door.

What do you and your family do for fun in the Bay Area?

My family spends a lot of time at Train Town—my son is a fanatic and loves being there and luckily his 7-year-old sister enjoys it just as much! My biggest joy is China Camp—I get to drive through there almost every day and it never ceases to amaze me as the seasons change and the wildlife comes out and the colors change there is always something new and something familiar there and it puts the calm into my day!