Remember when Clara was queen of the jellyfish? Good times. She loves pretend play, and we enjoy making things for her for birthdays and holidays—like a play kitchen, a dollhouse, a latch board, a figurine cubby, a patterned doll cradle, a colorful quilt, a cuckoo clock and a beanbag pouf—so for her fourth birthday I thought a set of pretend pastries would be a fun gift.
I know it sounds like a tease—“Happy birthday! Here are sweet treats you can’t eat because they’re made of wood!”—but she’s been really into tea parties lately. She loves adding pretend lemon and honey, stirring her cup, and repeating the actions over and over, so a collection of teatime treats seemed perfect.
I wanted the pastries to be personalized, using her favorite colors and mimicking a few of the specific sweets she likes. I’d seen some pre-made wooden pastry sets for sale, but after staring at some scrap wood on the garage floor I figured I could make my own version with what I had on hand.
I started with a handful of scrap rectangular pieces of wood from the garage floor plus some small wooden spheres with flat bottoms that I picked up at a craft store. The spheres made great little truffles or bonbons.
I painted the pieces with craft paint using a small brush and then applied a few thin coats of Safecoat Acrylacq to give them a glossy, durable finish. It’s non-toxic, which felt important since toys often end up in a toddler’s mouth. The whole painting process fit into one of Clara’s naps. I had the baby tucked in nearby; there was a nursing break and a little burping, but he was mostly calm. Maybe he’ll grow up to be a painter—or a professional pastry taster.
When I laid out the finished pieces I focused on bright colors and playful patterns rather than hyper-realism. Many of Clara’s favorites are bright pink, so I leaned into that and added stripes, swirls, zigzags, crisscrosses and “sprinkles” (made by dabbing with the back end of the paintbrush). The goal was cheerful, toy-friendly pastries that read clearly as pretend treats at a child’s tea party.
I also made a simple stand to display the pastries. I used two plastic plates (one larger and one smaller), a small bowl turned upside down for the base, and an ice cream cup holder as a riser. I glued the bowl to the larger plate, attached the cup holder in the center, and glued the smaller plate on top to create a tiered stand. It’s lightweight, kid-friendly, and just right for little hands.
This was a satisfying little project to work on while the baby slept, and Clara’s reaction made it all worth it. She got to show the pastries off to Nonna when she visited for the birthday, and when Clara said, “You did such a good job painting them, Mom… BRAVO!” I cried a bit. Parenthood and emotions: an unavoidable combination.
The birthday included edible treats as well—Clara requested four pink and purple pancakes for breakfast. She declared the purple one the best, in case you were wondering.
Now I’m off to feed the baby (he’s already ten pounds!), try to get some party prep done for Clara’s weekend celebration, and maybe tackle a mountain of laundry. Realistically, though, I’ll probably spend the afternoon cuddling the baby instead.
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