Cupcake Toppers: How To

The paper cupcake toppers from Oliver’s first birthday party were actually really easy to make, even without one of those fancy cutting machines that hardcore crafters have. The whole thing took about an hour to make 24. A bonus was that when removed from the cupcakes, they also looked like mini props! Fun!

To make them:
First draw the shape you want to make. Simple shapes will look much more professional and polished if you make them symmetrical, so fold the paper in half, draw half the shape, and cut out. This works great for things like mustaches, glasses, stars, hearts, leaves, etc. It might take a couple tries to get it exactly how you want it, but once you finally have one you like, you can use it as a template.

Cut out strips of poster board or cardstock twice the size of your shape. Fold it in half and trace the shape onto your folded strip. Cut out the strip with scissors. I found that if I cut out the side with the fold last, my two shapes stuck together easily, making the two pieces identical.

For shapes with cut-outs, like the glasses, I carefully used an exacto blade to remove the center.

Then all I did was rub some glue on the “inside” side of one of the shapes, place a toothpick in the center, then cover it with the other matching shape. I spent a few seconds making sure all the edges lined up and pressed it together. Voila!

For the tall star cake toppers, instead of toothpicks I used skewers. Since there were children at the party, I first cut off the point - I didn’t want anyone ripping the star off the skewer and suddenly having a weapon.

For the “1” circle cupcake toppers, I just stuck two envelope seal stickers together over a toothpick or skewer. These ended up looking so good and were so fast and easy, these are definitely something I can do for future parties, no matter how busy or frenzied we are.

I'm really pleased with how it came out. In a big group they were quite striking.

When they were all together on the cupcakes on the cake stands, it looked really fun and festive. They even made up for my less-than-perfect looking homemade cupcakes. Chocolate cake with aqua vanilla frosting. I made them from scratch, by myself, without proper tools to make them beautiful. They tasted pretty good, but a food stylist or professional baker I am not. But I think the little toppers helped bring it all together.