I bought my daughter this shirt to wear for her first birthday party next month:
I want to make her cake to match it, I've got a cake stand and the pans (I think), but I'm not entirely sure what I'm doing with the decorating (I'd only done one cake before, honestly). Can anyone help with suggestions on tips, etc. so I can make this not look like a two year old did it?
Thanks in advance!
You can make a copy of the picture... go to Staples or somewhere and make put the shirt in the copier (I've done it with a purse of my daughter's before).... and then do a transfer. That is pretty easy to do, and it will look really cute.
I can't see the cake enough....too small. It just looks like a stacked round pink cake with swags piped on it and a tiara on the top....yes?
Yes, except it's candles on top, not a tiara. I couldn't make the cake any bigger, sorry.
maybe a 8"x4" on the bottom and a 6"x2". Ice pink do darker pink swags and voila... looks pretty easy.. you can do it
you could may a two tiered caked light pink and do pink swags going around the cake. Just remember this....Your daughter is not going to remember her 1st b-day, this is more of a memory for mom. lol 
I'm not sure what you want to do.
Do you want to create a "picture" of the cake and cat, or do you want to make a three tier cake with the ribbon swags?
I want to do the tiered cake. I just have no idea what I'm doing!
i would do a 6x2 ontop of an 10x4...
then simple swags.
don't forget the support (i would put it between layer 3/4 on the 10x4
good luck
easy, peasy.
Just bake what ever size cake you want for the bottom tier times 2 so you have a good tall 4" cake. Then bake a cake 2" smaller in diameter but only once so you have a short 2" cake for the top. (ie. 8" bottom & 6" top)
Ice your cakes seperately with a light color pink BC & add your dark pink swags around each cake.
Put a few straws or dowel rods into the lower cake to support the upper cake, then just place the smaller cake ontop.
Pipe a small bead boarder around the bottom of each cake & there you go.
I think it will look very sweet when your finished.
Remember to post pics. 
I'm addressing one thing no one else has
Making swags: On a piece of thin cardboard - like a file card - trace around a round object (glass); cut then fold in 1/2. You now press that against the iced cake (make sure you can touch the cake w/o any icing coming off) and it will make a slight mark you can follow to have perfect swags.
Do you have any decorating equipment? Use a pastry bag w/a tip 16 and cover the marks. You can make stars; zigzags, shells, or straight line - whichever you want. If you don't have any equipment you can put icing in a plastic sandwich bag; cut off a tiny bit of one corner and squeeze the icing thru it. Won't be perfect but can look o.k. for someone who doesn't decorate
You've been given excellent advice so far and I would love to do some searches for you but I'm falling asleep (I'll try to do some for you tomorrow). I just wanted to add that it might be helpful to practice the swags on a piece of wax paper or the sides/back of your cake pan before you do them on the cake.
I did a quick search on google and found this for stacking:
You can also find other videos on youtube for making buttercream icing, even colouring your icing, filling the bags etc.
Hope this gives you something to start with.
Also just as a thought perhaps you could take a class a Wilton class at a local craft store (ie. Michaels, Hobby Lobby, AC Moore etc.) although you could find everything you want right here on CC.
Oh and before I forget welcome to CC!
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