NEW! sweet sweater 'gingerbread' cakes!

deb used to bake. uh huh. but now if deb bakes, deb eats.
getting older with a slowing metabolism sucks!
so now my approach to 'holiday treats' takes a different form...

i just make sweet things out of other things... like SWEATERS!

for the finishing touch on my Gingerbread Holiday theme this year,
i've created two all-new Sweet SweaterTM originals to inspire you:

an oh-so-trendy 'tall cake' and a lil' mini 'cake buddy'
all trimmed out with gingerbread houses, men, candy canes, snowflakes,
and some 'frosting' that couldn't be easier!

continue reading to see how these sweet treats came together - 
without a calorie in sight ;) 

let's start with the tall cake...

it was inspired by some of the wonderful creations that my long-time blogging buddy
Saucy / Sasha from Canada shares on her @saucybakes Insta account.
i saw a reel of a 'gingerbread' theme cake she created,
and was utterly inspired to try something similar - with sweaters and trims!

i headed to my local thrift store and found a dark brown flat-knit sweater,
and picked up a skein of white looped yarn at JoAnn's Crafts.

then i went on a search around the house for a 'cake'-shaped container
that i could cover in the sweater to make the cake... 

yes, that's a jumbo plastic coffee creamer container!
it had the perfect proportions for a tall cake,
so i began the process of covering it in the sweater...

the 3rd + 4th photos in the top row above show how i laid the container down
on the flattened sweater, placing the bottom edge of it on the u-shaped neckline - 
then cut off the extra sweater fabric.

i wrapped the sweater piece around the container,
and a few drops of hot glue held that ribbed neckline in place along the bottom edge.
(it does not carry over UNDER the edge, so the 'cake' will sit flat on a plate.)

next i pulled the sweater fabric tight up to the top of the container,
folded it over the top edge, and hot glued it on the INSIDE of the container
(because the lid needs to screw into place for the cake top).

the top itself gets covered with a circle cut from the sweater fabric,
which is held on with either hot glue or double-stick tape along the outer edge.
i trimmed the excess fabric close to the lid edge...
don't worry about the ragged edge, as it won't be seen.

i put the lid securely on the container, then
glued a length of the white loopy yarn around the outer lid edge,
as well as at the bottom edge of the 'cake'.
doesn't it look for all the world like fancy royal icing?!!!

now for the really fancy details...

for the cake topper, 
i gathered up some of the 'gingerbread' elements i've created and used this season:

a tiny flat ceramic 'house' ornament and painted wood tree, a felt snowflake,
a white pom pom snowman, two of my hot glue/resin gingerbread men,
a length of large white rick rack, and some scraps of the white loopy yarn.

arranged in a tiny scene, they sure look real!

what you can't see in these photos is the small white ceramic creamer
that sits behind the house to hold it up, as well as holding the candy canes.
i had originally planned to use a dimensional ceramic house - but it was too large in scale,
so i had to use the flat ornament instead.

similar elements gather on the bottom side of the cake:
another felt snowflake, a larger painted tree, candy canes,
another hot glue / resin gingerbread man, and the tiny plastic sign (cheese marker!)
add more sweet details.

now, if you've been around here long,
you know that i use and REuse just about everything... over and over and over.
so all of the cute things used to 'decorate' the cake are not attached to it.
they're just carefully placed to get the look i wanted
until i'm ready to pack it all up!

making the mini cake was even easier!

i covered a small tin can with a sweater remnant to create the bottom part of the cake.
a circle was cut from the sweater fabric - same size as the one for the big cake's 'lid',
and wrapped that around a large handful of polyfil stuffing. 
that 'pouf' of fabric and stuffing was then pressed into the fabric-wrapped tin can,
with the open end downward and the rounded center visible on top...
it didn't need securing, as it stuffed firmly into the empty can.

two pieces of large white rick rack trim were glued on
 at the top and bottom edges of the tin can,
then a few loops of the yarn were added to the top of the mini cake
to look like a daub of frosting.
one of the hot glue / resin gingerbread men i made tops the 'frosting'.

originally i had planned for this to be a cupcake,
made inside one of my vintage milk glass punch cups...
but i decided to use the fabric-covered tin can instead,
to give more of a 'cake' look to the project.

displayed on a felt snowflake,
the wintery charm of this little cake is a perfect way to end the holiday season.

may the warmth of winter bring a sweet end to this year for you,
along with all the promise of the new year to come.

Happy New Year, friends! make it a sweet one!

related content:

my sweet sweater birthday cake

all of my sweet sweater originals

cakes made from a chenille bedspread and old tins

make a faux red velvet cake with a sweater!

make a 'faux' cake from stacked dishes!

shared online:

funky junk interiors | new upcycle ideas #659

thank you for including my project in your feature, Miss Donna!

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