Half the fun of building a towel cake is deciding what to tuck between the layers. Kitchen tools for a bridal shower, tiny socks for a baby shower, something a little cheeky for a hen night. The trick is finding fillers that feel considered rather than random, and one of the best is also one of the simplest: a jar of honey from a beekeeper near you.
Why Local, Specifically
Most supermarket honey is blended from several countries and pasteurized, which is done for shelf appeal rather than flavor. Heating thins it, keeps it clear and stops it crystallizing on the shelf, but it also strips out much of the pollen and the delicate aromatic compounds that make honey taste of anywhere at all.
Raw honey from a nearby apiary is the opposite. It tastes of whatever was blooming within a few miles of those hives, which means clover honey from one county genuinely does not taste like wildflower honey from the next. As a gift, that is the whole point. It is a jar of somewhere.
What It Actually Does
Honey is genuinely useful, and worth being accurate about. It is mildly antibacterial, largely because it is too low in water for microbes to thrive in, which is why it keeps almost indefinitely and why it has been used on minor wounds for centuries. It soothes a sore throat, and there is decent evidence it calms a night-time cough about as well as over-the-counter syrups do.
The claim you hear most often, that eating local honey builds tolerance to pollen allergies, is the one with the least evidence behind it. Trials have not really borne it out, largely because the pollen that makes people sneeze is wind-blown grass and tree pollen rather than the flower pollen bees collect. It is a lovely idea and probably not true. For the fuller picture, this rundown of the benefits local honey brings to the table covers the ground well.
Watch: EVERYTHING You Need To Know About LOCAL RAW HONEY (YouTube)
One Rule for Baby Showers
This one matters. Honey should never be given to a baby under twelve months old, raw or otherwise, because of the risk of infant botulism. An infant gut cannot handle spores that an adult gut deals with easily.
So if you are building a diaper cake, the honey is a present for the parents, not the baby, and it is worth saying so on the tag. Pair it with a good tea, a lemon and a note about surviving the first few weeks and it becomes rather thoughtful.
How to Work It In
A hex jar sits neatly in the top tier of a three-layer cake. A smaller jar tucks between rolls without unbalancing anything. Add a wooden dipper, tie the ribbon around both, and you have a filler that looks deliberate rather than like something grabbed on the way over.
It is inexpensive, it is local, it will actually get used, and nobody ever unwrapped one and thought it was filler. That is a good gift.
Around here we love a gift that makes people stop and look — the kind of thoughtful, handmade touch a towel cake brings to a shower or a housewarming. That same instinct, the quiet joy of giving something crafted rather than pulled off a shelf, points toward another handmade classic for the outdoorsy folks on your list: the Adirondack pack basket. It is part backpack, part heirloom, and entirely made by hand.
The magic is in the weave. A true 
Think of the gardener who is forever hauling produce, the forager and mushroom hunter, the hiker who prefers old-school gear, or the couple settling into a rustic new home. It suits a milestone that calls for something lasting — a wedding, a retirement, a big move — far better than another gadget destined for a drawer. Pair it with a few local treats tucked inside and you have a gift people genuinely remember.
When it comes to baby showers, wedding receptions, and other events, we always see certain things that appear at every event. This is the food table, often with a wedding cake, shower cake, or other types of cakes somewhere nearby. Even towel cakes are popular centerpieces for a celebration’s food table. Why? They are often the largest item on the food table and add a burst of color or beauty to average, everyday food items. The effect is nice, but we say that it could be better. At your next baby shower event, why not have custom tables for the ultimate setting? The table itself can be the centerpiece.
We know that hearing what a fantastic cake you have provided is a host’s greatest compliment. However, we think that you could step it up and provide something that will take your guests by surprise. You can keep the cake if you want to, but accentuate it with something even more beautiful.
Creating a custom table is much easier than you may expect. The hardest part at times is simply choosing the right piece of wood for the job. First, you must keep in mind that ANY piece of wood can become a beautiful custom tabletop. Even a sheet of plywood can be great with the right techniques. To beautify a piece of plywood, you need stain along with a little epoxy to bring out the wood grains that are there. You can add photographs or engravings to it if you want. The key is to seal it before you apply a flood coat.
The whole idea of creating custom towel cakes for someone is the idea that it is created specifically for that person and that occasion. It gives the towel cake significance. It makes a beautiful centerpiece. Often, they are found sitting in the middle of a pile of gifts, perhaps elevated above them to show that it is there. However, we have to ask, “couldn’t other personalized items work just as well? What if the entire table was a custom piece? Is there really a reason to choose custom tables vs custom cakes?
Big picture, the towel cake is fun. It is fun to create and fun to give. A mom-to-be loves to see a diaper cake. Made with infant towels, baby diapers, bottles, bibs, and more. A bride-to-be may enjoy getting household items in her towel cake. It could be actual bathroom or dish towels along with silverware, large spoons, naughty nighties, and whatever else you feel is going to be something she will enjoy with her new husband.
Now, custom tables are different. Custom tables require a little more effort, but they are usable beyond the event. You can make a table with photographs of a couple’s beginning. The photos that were captured when they began dating, the night they got engaged, and even add in their engagement photos. For a baby shower, have the mom-to-be pose monthly for a photograph of her growing belly. You can turn those pregnancy photos into a changing table for the nursery. It will be something that mom treasures for life.
Every parent wants what is best for their baby. This is something you may want to consider when planning a baby shower for someone or giving a gift after the baby’s arrival. Most moms are choosing more organic materials and items. This is why some of the best things to use when making a towel cake is organic towel cake decorations.
There are numerous options when decorating or creating a towel cake. If you want to keep it 100% organic, you may choose to use organic baby towels, baby blankets, and baby clothing, bibs or burp cloths. All of these items will be used and loved by new parents and they will appreciate knowing that they are safe. If you want to further decorate the cake with baby-friendly items, there are still plenty of unexplored options.
Decorations around the cake will make it truly a personalized cake from you. There are many “green” baby toys including stuffed animals and wooden blocks, cars, or other things. When scattered around a cake or sitting on different tiers, it will make all the difference to how much the parents to be will love it.
In our world, there are some very talented people. People who can look at a towel and think, “I can make this beautiful if I put it into a cake.” There are also people that make outstanding bead jewelry, wood tables, and everything else. You can see their creations on websites like Etsy and eBay. These sites allow so much connection between artists and DIY-ers, but it also offers clients to consider custom options that are only available online.
Once upon a time, you had to visit craft fairs or small town festivals to see the creativity of others. It was nice and enjoyable, but you had limited choices when it came to gift-giving and such. The internet has changed the way we see crafts. It has changed the number of crafts that we have access to. It can spark imagination and allows us to meet with crafters or artisans in areas all around the world. How much easier does that make it for you to find the perfect gift for someone? Especially when you add in the potential to speak with those crafters and have them create personalized items for you, your family, and friends.
If you are a crafter, there is money to be made online. You just have to make wise choices. For instance, if you have an online business that provides a product, you need to have protection for yourself. Lawsuits and other unforeseen issues can come from selling products online. Let’s say someone buys a bead necklace from you and their child breaks it, then swallows the bead. It’s a worst-case scenario but could happen. They may come after you for help to pay for the medical expenses. To protect your online business so that you will be able to continue providing your projects, you need to be protected by an insurance agent like EM Ford Owensboro.
At every special occasion or every holiday where gifts are given, we often find ourselves wondering what the perfect gift may be. It becomes even more complicated if you want a gift that is personalized, specifically for that person or their needs. Instead of rushing out to the nearest store, why not consider getting or making a one-of-a-kind towel cake? This gift is fun, personal, and 100% useful.
A towel cake is a gift that is very similar to a gift basket, but more unique. These creations are made of towels but feature both décor and usable items. Each one is lovingly wrapped and stuffed with select items to match that occasion or that person. They make fantastic centerpieces at wedding receptions but are also perfect when given as a gift at a baby shower. Know someone who is having a birthday? A cake is always welcomed, but yours can have special gifts inside as well.
There are many people selling towel cakes online. You can buy them, or strike out on your own and create one that is straight from the heart. All you need is three or four towels, three or four hand towels, and 2-4 wash clothes (depending on the size of your cake). You may also want to embellish it with a ribbon.