It’s a safe bet if you read this blog with any regularity that you either bake or want to. Whether you’re a beginner or a pro, the time will come when you need to ship something, present something, or dress something up. You could spend a fortune on pre-made items, or you could read the following bits of awesome advice on DIY constructions, presentations, and shipments:

• First of all, maybe you want to draw something on some cookies or even a fondant-covered cake, but you don’t want to have to go by eye alone for straight lines a hundred times in a row. You could go out and find a stencil and hope that it fits your needs, or you could follow Hanielas’ advice on making a template for calendar cookies and change it to suit your project. And I can’t recall if I’ve already listed Sweet Sugarbelle’s guide to paper cookie stencils but there it is again just in case!
• Then again, maybe stenciling isn’t your thing. You want to stamp something, but the craft store just doesn’t have what you want. You can’t possibly make your own cake and cookie stamps, or can you? This Craftzine post has full details on making your own no-carve stamps using silicone on acrylic plexiglass. Simply use a food-grade silicone (i.e. those rated safe for kitchen use) and you can make your own custom stamps with the same basic skills you already use for piping!
• Now you’ve got some goodies, maybe some stamp-topped cupcakes. How are you going to present them in a cute, fun, original way? You could go buy a bunch of pre-made cuffs, which I personally consider to be fairly expensive given that they’re usually single-use. You could design and print your own using this template by Skip To My Lou, or do a Google search for more free printables. Or you could use these handy tips (scroll about 2/3 the way down) from Brenda’s Wedding Blog to craft your own fabulous cupcake wraps out of doilies and easily stuck-on fake gems (via CraftGossip). If you’re a super-duper decorator, you could even use an edible glue with your own hand-cast sugar jewels! The creative possibilities are wide and inspiring!
• Ah, but maybe a cute little wrapper isn’t enough. Your cupcakes need to be sent home with guests in a safe, cozy, sweet little box, and you don’t like any of the bog-standard ones you’ve seen at the craft store. DIY to the rescue again! Myrtle and Grace shares her Cupcake Box Tutorial here.
• Wraps are all well and good, but how to display your cupcakes at the event itself? Do you need to buy fancy and expensive pre-made stands? Heck no! Sweetly Sweet shows you how to make your very own reusable, sturdy cupcake stands! Be sure to grab her free printable here (it even includes matching invitations, labels, and more!). Via CraftGossip.
• But what to do if you need something bigger and more heavy-duty? Glamour and Grace posted this excellent tutorial on making your own cake stand with options for gorgeous edging. Also via CraftGossip. And here’s my personal tip: you can frequently find lovely plates and potential bases at Goodwill or other thrift stores, which means you’ll spend less money, support charities, and be eco-conscious all in one go. So many wins there that I lost count!
• Finally, if you’ve got to ship those precious treats, check out this How To Package Cookies For Shipping video by University of Cookie. A lot of the advice will apply equally to other baked goods as well.

What are your favourite DIY tips to facilitate your baking presentations?

And remember: if you like it when people go to great lengths to give you free stuff others charge for, especially those printables, it encourages them to keep doing it if you post a comment of thanks when you use them!