Remember when Clara was queen of the jellyfish? Good times. She has always loved 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 decided to make some pretend pastries.
I know it might sound like a prank—“Happy birthday! Here are delicious sweets you can’t eat because they’re wood!”—but she’s been really into tea parties lately. She loves pretending to add lemon and honey and stirring everything, over and over, so I thought a few teatime treats would expand her options and make playtime more fun.
I liked the idea of making the pastries because I could use her favorite colors and tailor the designs to the specific treats she enjoys. I’d seen a few ready-made wooden pastry sets and thought I could recreate some similar pieces from scrap wood I had in the garage.
For materials I started with a bunch of scrap rectangular pieces of wood from the garage floor and some wooden spheres with flat bottoms I found in the craft section. The little spheres looked like truffles or bonbons, so they were perfect for the project.
I painted everything with craft paint using a small brush, then applied a few thin coats of a glossy, non-toxic clear finish to add durability and shine in case any of the pieces find their way into Clara’s mouth during pretend play. The painting took one of Clara’s naps to complete. I worked while our newborn Teddy napped beside me—there was a nursing break and some burping, but he was mostly calm. Maybe he’ll grow into a painter, or at least a professional pastry taster.
Laid out together, the pastries show a variety of playful patterns: bold pinks (Clara always points out the pinkest donut or bonbon), stripes, swirls, zigzags, crisscrosses, and “sprinkles” made with dots from the back of a paintbrush. They aren’t hyper-realistic, but they’re colorful and charming and tailor-made for her tea parties.
I also made a simple pastry stand using two plastic plates (one large, one smaller), a small bowl, and an ice cream cup holder, all from Target. I turned the bowl upside down to form the base, glued it to the larger plate, added the cup holder to the center, and then glued the smaller plate on top. It’s lightweight and perfect for arranging the wooden treats for serving during pretend play.
All in all, it was a sweet little while-the-baby-sleeps project, and I’m so happy Clara loves them. She even got to enjoy a tea party with Nonna while she was in town for the birthday. I teared up when Clara said, “You did such a good job painting them, Mom… BRAVO!”—those post-baby hormones are real.
Clara’s birthday also included some real treats—she requested four pink and purple pancakes for breakfast and declared the purple one the best. Meanwhile, my ten-pound baby is calling for a feeding, and I’ve got party prep to do this weekend: laundry, cleaning, and more. Realistically, I’ll probably end up cuddling the baby.
Psst— Want to know where we sourced something in our house or what paint color we used? Click the shop button below: