Birthday Cake Party With a Baby Dragon in a Party Hat

A gentle color plan to get started — mix in your own anytime.

• light green
• sky blue
• lemon yellow
• grass green
• cream
• chocolate brown
• bright red
• pale yellow
• orange
• lavender purple
• pale blue
• warm gold

A suggested order, zone by zone — skip around as you like.

1. 1Start with the dragon: fill its head, body, arms and ears with light green, then use grass green for the spikes, the tail and the cheeks.
2. 2Color the cake's bottom and middle tiers cream, leaving the round dots white, and paint the cake plate pale blue with sky blue beads along its edge.
3. 3Fill the top layer and the wavy frosting band with chocolate brown, then color the dragon's belly and the candle stripes pale yellow.
4. 4Color both wings and the pom-pom lemon yellow, make the horns warm gold, and paint the party hat stripes with alternating sky blue and orange.
5. 5Add the balloons and gifts: the left balloon sky blue, the middle one bright red, the right one grass green, and the gift boxes in lavender purple, bright red, deep blue, grass green and lemon yellow ribbons. Leave the balloon shines and eye whites white.
6. 6Optional: add a light coral pink tongue and a mustard gold box for extra warmth, and keep the background white.