Cakespiration #2

Some good friends of mine are having a 'Naming Ceremony'  for their little boy next month and have asked me to make cupcakes for it... eek! As much as I enjoy making them, and as many as I've made, for the most part I've been the one deciding to make them, either just because I'm bored (in which case I'll take some to friends and family who live nearby) or because I've chose to make them for a girlie get together or something.  This is only the second time I've been asked to make them for something particularly important;  the last time was for another friends little boy's 5th birthday party, for which I made cookie monster cupcakes, my proudest creation to date!

I've had no real instruction from my friend as to what they want exactly,  just vanilla sponge with vanilla buttercream, which is great for me as my chocolate buttercream never works out quite right!  I've spent the last hour or so Googling 'Christening Cupcakes', 'Naming Day Cupcakes' and 'New Baby Cupcakes' to get a bit of inspiration, and to be honest I'm no better off as there was that many pictures! Some of them (well, most of them!) are probably a bit beyond my limits,  I don't yet trust myself to make models out of sugarpaste, nor do I want to spends loads on different cutters and equipment when I don't know when I'd use them again.  That said, there was still plenty that seem perfectly doable, and I've posted a selection of those, and the more fancy ones, above.

If anyone else has any ideas, or if you've made some for a similar occasion yourself, or know someone who has, let me know!