How To Create Cupcake Toppers

Rose is a full-time freelance writer who frequently writes about education, special education, DIY projects, food, Milwaukee, and more.

diy-how-to-make-cupcake-toppers — Copyright 2012, Rose Clearfield

If you've been eyeing printable cupcake toppers on Pinterest for months but aren't sure that you can make the leap and do it yourself, think again. Cupcake toppers are easy to make, are inexpensive, and add a personalized touch to any birthday or other special occasion.

This article gives you all of the steps you need to make your own cupcake toppers. I have included lots of other resources for cupcake toppers as well, including material options, occasions to use cupcake toppers, and ideas for party favor toppers.

You can use cupcake toppers for many other foods besides cupcakes! Consider regular cake slices, brownies, bar cookies, sliced fruit, and more.

Materials

Toothpicks
1-2 pieces of 8.5x11 white cardstock
1-2 pieces of 12x12 scrapbook paper
3M Scrapbook Glue or other wrinkle-free paper glue
2 circle hole punches in different sizes (I used 1" and 2")

I chose to make my cupcake toppers for this tutorial with paper, but don't feel limited to that. There are lots of other material options out there, including edible materials. If you don't want to make cupcake toppers that you'll have to discard later, make them edible.

Material Options


card stock	scrapbook paper	wrapping paper
photos	recycled paper (i.e. old greeting cards)	fabric
fondant	sugar flowers	lollipops
chocolate	stickers	scrapbook embellishments
plastic	wood	washi tape
buttons	googly eyes	chalkboard paint or adhesive

Instructions

I chose to personalize this particular set of cupcake toppers with the number 27 for a birthday. Whether you are hand-lettering or printing your cupcake topper words and/or numbers, make sure that they are sized for your smaller punch. After you've written or printed your words/numbers on the card stock, cut them out with your smaller circle punch. Then use your larger punch to cut out the same number of circles from the scrapbook paper.

Use the scrapbook glue to attach the smaller circles to the larger circles. Allow them to dry completely.

Use the scrapbook glue to attach one toothpick to each circle. You can use a different glue, such as tacky glue, that is more sturdy. However, as most cupcake toppers will be single use, the scrapbook glue will hold just fine. Allow them to dry completely.

Your cupcake toppers are now ready to go! Simply stick one in the top of each cupcake.

More Cupcake Topper Ideas

Do you enjoy using washi tape? It's a great material for cupcake toppers.

Occasions to Use Cupcake Toppers


Birthdays	Valentine's Day	Halloween
Weddings	Bridal and Baby Showers	Christmas
Easter	St. Patrick's Day	Super Bowl Parties

Cupcake Toppers as Party Favors

Have you ever gotten a cupcake topper that was also a party favor? They can be a lot of fun. Consider the following options:

Origami animals and objects
Small toys
Pinwheels
Paper flowers
Pretend mustaches (they make a fun photo prop)

Great Cupcake Resources

Pirate Cupcakes—Cupcake Decorating Ideas
Living the Gourmet: Chocolate Sponge Cake Cupcakes

Rose Clearfield (author) from Milwaukee, Wisconsin on October 14, 2013:

Thanks so much, Samita!

Samita Sharma from Chandigarh on October 13, 2013:

I love this idea! So cute, and easy.

Rose Clearfield (author) from Milwaukee, Wisconsin on May 05, 2013:

I'm sure that you're not the only one who has that sentiment about cupcakes, Angelo. You're right that this is a great idea for themed parties.

Angelo52 on May 04, 2013:

I'd rather eat the cupcakes than make cupcake toppers but your article had great ideas for folks that do want to make their own toppers. Seems especially useful for themed parties. Thumbs up and shared.

Rose Clearfield (author) from Milwaukee, Wisconsin on May 04, 2013:

Thanks, missolive! I agree that the customization options add so much to this idea.

Marisa Hammond Olivares from Texas on May 04, 2013:

What a cute idea and the fact that this can be customized makes it a very appealing project for any event. Thanks for the ideas and tips, your photos are always so useful too. Voted up, pinned and shared.

FYI: Now I REALLY want a cupcake!

Rose Clearfield (author) from Milwaukee, Wisconsin on May 03, 2013:

Thanks so much, Vicki and Audrey!

Audrey Howitt from California on May 03, 2013:

I agree--great idea!!

Victoria Lynn from Arkansas, USA on May 03, 2013:

Great idea! And your photos are gorgeous!

Rose Clearfield (author) from Milwaukee, Wisconsin on September 10, 2012:

Thanks, Prasetio!

prasetio30 from malang-indonesia on September 10, 2012:

Very inspiring hub. Thanks for writing and share with us. Voted up!

Rose Clearfield (author) from Milwaukee, Wisconsin on September 08, 2012:

Thanks, Audrey!

Sinea, you're right about cupcakes. They are so popular these days. Toppers do add a special touch to them.

Sinea Pies from Northeastern United States on September 08, 2012:

Cupcakes have become so popular. We have local bakeries that exclusively make cupcakes...elegant cupcakes! I love toppers for cupcakes at birthday parties. Toppers make them so special!

Audrey Howitt from California on September 08, 2012:

Wow congrats on your HOTD!!!!!

Rose Clearfield (author) from Milwaukee, Wisconsin on September 08, 2012:

Thanks so much, J.S. Matthew!

JS Matthew from Massachusetts, USA on September 08, 2012:

This is really cool! Congratulations on the Hub of the Day! Voted up and shared.

JSMatthew~

Rose Clearfield (author) from Milwaukee, Wisconsin on September 08, 2012:

Thanks so much!

Rebecca Mealey from Northeastern Georgia, USA on September 08, 2012:

Very original ideas presented in a very attractive Hub!

Rose Clearfield (author) from Milwaukee, Wisconsin on September 08, 2012:

Thanks so much, ComfortB!

Comfort Babatola from Bonaire, GA, USA on September 08, 2012:

This is a great hub! I couldn't resist when I saw the images of your cupcakes decorations. I love this. You did a wonderful job putting all this together.

Voted up and useful, and congrats on the HOTD award. Very well deserved!

Rose Clearfield (author) from Milwaukee, Wisconsin on September 08, 2012:

Thanks so much for all of the congrats today, everyone!

Heather, it isn't hard at all. It's a little time consuming, but not difficult.

Rabia, Kelley, and Ddraigcoch, that's great that you'll be able to use this idea for upcoming birthdays.

pstraubie48, this is perfect for your daughter.

Carol, yes, you can definitely use this idea for a regular cake!

Donna, this would be great for a fundraiser.

Cyndi, there are SO many cupcake toppers out there. It's pretty crazy. Scrapbook glue isn't foolproof, but it's the best thing I've found for paper thus far.

Violet, happy birthday! I'd send you a 27 cupcake if I could. :)

Gail Sobotkin from South Carolina on September 08, 2012:

Congratulations on earning HOTD for this great hub. Love the many photos you included and the simple step by step directions which will enable any reader to make their own creations.

Voted up, useful, awesome, beautiful and interesting.

Jessica Ellen Holbrook from Newark, DE, USA on September 08, 2012:

So great! The pic caught my eye because today is my 27th birthday! love these toppers!

Stephanie Henkel from USA on September 08, 2012:

Congratulations on your well-deserved HOTD! Cute ideas for party cupcakes - pinned and voted up!

RTalloni on September 08, 2012:

Super tutorial that includes cute, cute ideas. You've got me thinking again… :)

Congrats on a Hub of the Day award for a post that will be valuable throughout the seasons/events throughout the year!

Prasanna Marlin from Sri lanka on September 08, 2012:

mmm, Very informative. I will try this soon. great work

Terrye Toombs from Somewhere between Heaven and Hell without a road map. on September 08, 2012:

Congrats on the HOTD! Well deserved! :)

Cynthia Calhoun from Western NC on September 08, 2012:

Rose - awesome, awesome hub! I enjoyed all the pictures and the entire hub is chock-full of information. My favorite part is figuring out that there's such a think as "scrapbook" glue that lets you glue paper wrinkle-free. I had no idea such a thing existed! That's so awesome to know. You also provided great images from Flickr. Who knew that there are so many cake toppers on there. LOL.

Donna Hilbrandt from Upstate New York on September 08, 2012:

Congratulations on another Hub of the Day! I am always thinking fundraising, and I think these would be great at a bake sale display to attract buyers. Great ideas. Voted up and shared.

carol stanley from Arizona on September 08, 2012:

Never thought of cupcake toppers..could do on a regular cake also. Very creative and interesting. Thanks for sharing all the different ways you can top the cake ...Vote UP.

Stephanie Bradberry from New Jersey on September 08, 2012:

This is a really informative hub. The different designs give some good ideas for adding your own flair or keeping as presented. I think I might try my hand at this for my kids's coming birthday. Thanks for sharing these ideas and tips.

Nira Perkins on September 08, 2012:

Cool hub and congrats on Hub of the Day! You always have such neat little craft ideas and I love them. Thanks for sharing and keep up the great work.

Emma from UK on September 08, 2012:

My son's birthday on Monday and my daughter's a week on Monday, these will be just great to make, I have plenty of card stock and stamps in because of my card making.

Vespa Woolf from Peru, South America on September 08, 2012:

Randomcreative, congratulations on a well-deserved Hub of the Day! This hub will be useful for lots of people. : ) Voted up and shared.

Patricia Scott from North Central Florida on September 08, 2012:

randomcreative...Congratulations on hub of the day. This is a clever collection of toppers for a number of occasions. My daughter is always looking for something new and different for parties. I am sharing this and pinning it as well.

kelleyward on September 08, 2012:

Congrats on HOTD! I'm use these for my son's upcoming birthday party. This will be so much fun. Thanks for the sharing! Voted up! Kelley

KDuBarry03 on September 08, 2012:

Congrats on HOTD! Absolutely love the color patterns and the idea :)

rabia kamran from pakistan on September 08, 2012:

love Ur idea of toppers, will definitely try it for my son's birthday.

Heather from Arizona on September 08, 2012:

These came out absolutely perfect. I'm determined to try this now since you make it look so easy. Love the colors and patterns you used too. Great job!

Rose Clearfield (author) from Milwaukee, Wisconsin on August 08, 2012:

Thanks, Cassy! I'm sure that your kids will enjoy that.

Thanks, myownlife! It's great when tutorials can provide that insight.

myownlife from london on August 08, 2012:

Wow simply the best technique, when we think about making anything, it seems very hard but when we have ideas from others like this, everything is easy. Great job.

Useful

CassyLu1981 from Spring Lake, NC on August 08, 2012:

What a simple idea! We will have to do these for the kids' birthdays coming up :) Thanks! Voted up and shared :)

Rose Clearfield (author) from Milwaukee, Wisconsin on August 06, 2012:

Thanks so much, Terrye!

Terrye Toombs from Somewhere between Heaven and Hell without a road map. on August 06, 2012:

what fun and creative ideas for cupcake toppers, miss creative! :) Loved it! VUMS!

Rose Clearfield (author) from Milwaukee, Wisconsin on July 26, 2012:

Thanks so much, Simone! You're right that these toppers are much easier and less expensive to make than fondant and other edible decorations.

Simone Haruko Smith from San Francisco on July 26, 2012:

I love this Hub! Your toppers look so cute, and the how-to is super helpful. Toppers like these are so much easier to make (not to mention less expensive) than edible decorations like fondant. Such a good idea.

Rose Clearfield (author) from Milwaukee, Wisconsin on July 20, 2012:

Thanks, Om! You'll have to give this a try for your next batch of cupcakes.

Om Paramapoonya on July 20, 2012:

CUTE!!! I bake cupcakes pretty often but have never made my own toppers. Thanks for the helpful instructions and inspiring ideas :)

Rose Clearfield (author) from Milwaukee, Wisconsin on July 19, 2012:

Thanks, Alissa! I hope that you get a working printer again soon! I love your cupcake designs.

Alissa Roberts from Normandy, TN on July 19, 2012:

Love the cupcake toppers! I really wish I had a printer that worked so I could make cute designs on the computer again. After reading this, I am now craving cupcakes :) Great hub - voted up!

Rose Clearfield (author) from Milwaukee, Wisconsin on July 19, 2012:

Thanks, Emma! They will be perfect for your son's next birthday party.

Emma Kisby from Berkshire, UK on July 19, 2012:

This is a cute idea. I love making cupcakes but never think to do toppers or make them into party favors.

I will give this a go when my son has his next Birthday party :)

Voting up!

Rose Clearfield (author) from Milwaukee, Wisconsin on July 19, 2012:

Thanks, Mhatter!

Robert, I'm not a big cupcake maker either, but I will definitely be doing this again with future cupcake baking. They are a great addition to store bought cupcakes, too. Thanks!

vespawoolf, thanks! I got just as many compliments on the cupcakes as I did on the toppers so clearly you wouldn't be alone there. :)

Vespa Woolf from Peru, South America on July 19, 2012:

Your creativity has no limits! This is very clever and, of course, the cupcake is my favorite part. Voted up!

Robert Erich from California on July 19, 2012:

An awesome idea. I have not been much of a cupcake maker in the past, but if I pick it up I will certainly have to consider making my own tops as well. Go big or go home! Great article.

Martin Kloess from San Francisco on July 18, 2012:

Thank you for sharing this clever idea.

Rose Clearfield (author) from Milwaukee, Wisconsin on July 18, 2012:

Thanks, lady rain! Cupcake toppers are easy and do add a sophisticated touch. They're perfect for kids' parties.

Thelma, you will have to give this a try! Let me know how it goes.

Leah, that's great! Superhero cupcake toppers will be a lot of fun.

Leah Lefler from Western New York on July 18, 2012:

This is very timely, Rose! We're planning a superhero birthday party for my soon-to-be five year old and I could make some Batman, Superman, and Spiderman toppers!

Thelma Alberts from Germany on July 18, 2012:

Very informative one. I would try to make this cupcake toppers for my next cupcakes. Voted up and shared.

lady rain from Australia on July 17, 2012:

Very clever ideas for making cupcakes look sophisticated. I can't wait to make some of these toppers for kids' parties. Voted up and more..