Mom Saves Cake Toppers from Daughter's Childhood Birthdays, Uses Them All for Sweetly Nostalgic 18th Cake (Exclusive)

Ashley Deputy describes herself to PEOPLE as "very sentimental"

<p>Ashley Deputy</p> Ashley Deputy and her daughter on her birthday

Ashley Deputy

Ashley Deputy and her daughter on her birthday
  • Ashley Deputy has saved many mementos from her daughters' childhoods in baby boxes at home

  • When her daughter Gabrielle Muse was approaching her 18th birthday, she wanted to do something special for the day

  • With her daughter's permission, she decorated her cake with the saved childhood toppers, sharing the images on TikTok

When Ashley Deputy gave birth to her daughter Gabrielle Muse, she knew she would go above and beyond to celebrate her birthday each year.

The Asheville, North Carolina native, who is also a mom to another daughter, describes herself as "very sentimental." Both of her daughters have a "baby box" in which she saves every sports and dance uniform, drawing and report card.

For the past 18 years, Deputy has created a special theme for Gabrielle's birthday party, complete with costumes, a color scheme and cute details like matching cake toppers and numbered candles — items she has preserved in the baby box for nostalgia.

"I have a few other yearly traditions since they were born," Deputy, 36, tells PEOPLE exclusively. "One is a mat that I have everyone sign at their birthday parties. On the actual birthday, I do a special photo shoot and place the picture in the frame. For Gabby's 16th birthday, I displayed the previous 15 years on the wall, and her friends enjoyed going through and finding their signatures from the parties they attended."

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<p>Ashley Deputy</p> Gabrielle Muse on her 1st birthday

Ashley Deputy

Gabrielle Muse on her 1st birthday

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As Gabrielle's 18th birthday approached, Deputy wanted to commemorate the occasion in a special way. A few weeks before the big day, she decided to use all of the saved cake toppers to decorate a cake — a simple white whipped icing cake with a marble inside — showcasing Gabrielle's interests and favorites over the years.

"She knew my idea (I had to get her approval, teenagers, am I right?)" Deputy says. "Before the birthday dinner, I brought out all the toppers, and we picked one or two from each year — except the years where there were only candles — and decorated the cake. She enjoyed seeing all the cake toppers and reminiscing about those moments."

"I cried pulling them all back out," the mom adds. "I fought back tears while placing them on the cake with Gabby. I cry every time I watch the video or see the pictures. It brought back so many memories. They grow up fast and change so much. It was cool and emotional to see it all together on the cake."

<p>Ashley Deputy</p> Gabrielle Muse on her birthday

Ashley Deputy

Gabrielle Muse on her birthday

Shortly after the birthday, Deputy decided to share her experience on TikTok. She thought it was a cool idea and hoped it would inspire other parents. To her surprise, the video went viral, garnering 1.2 million views.

"I was shocked! I'm not used to having a 'good idea,' and I've never had a video go 'viral,' so I definitely bragged to my kids about the views, hoping to earn some cool points," she says.

Reading through the comments brought her joy. She says she often gets teased by family and friends for her sentimental "traditions," so having others appreciate her efforts truly means a lot to her.

"It’s sad when you get more support from strangers on the Internet than from most of your family," Deputy says. "But that's the world we live in, right?"

She continues, "I hope people take away that it's okay to save little things that bring back good memories and are special to you, even if no one else understands. My daughters love going through their baby boxes and reminiscing about the memories tied to each item."

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