How To Make Cupcake Toppers

I am so super excited to share this fabulous DIY Cupcake Topper tutorial by Jennifer of Double the Fun Parties. Jennifer commissioned me to design a custom Nancy Drew Party for her daughter and she documented the whole set-up process. I will be sharing some of her fabulous tutorials and the party in the next few weeks. The party will knock your socks off!

You can find the Nancy Drew Printable collection here.

How To Make Cupcake Toppers

DIY Cupcake toppers present so many options for customization and they are a ton of fun. You also may see cupcake toppers called “party circles” because they certainly can do more than top cupcakes.

Step 1 – Find

Locate some Printable Cupcake Toppers online.  Love The Day offers tons of free cupcake toppers and cupcake topper printables see, for example these Valentine toppers, these cute Cinco De Mayo favors, these Game Day party decorations, Baby Shower printables, or some Christmas party toppers.  If you are looking for even more variety, explore Etsy, and be sure to check out my store.

Step 2 – Print

Print your toppers on 110 lb. cardstock. I print at home using the best color printer for home use, a Xerox Phaser.  If you can’t print from home, reach out to your local Office Depot, or try a mail service like Vista Print.

Step 3 – Trim

Once you’ve printed your toppers, you’ll need to trim the toppers close to the page edge to punch them out later — here’s why:

Your punch just can’t reach the topper unless you cut away the border. I like to use my paper trimmer for this. Again, trim around the outer edges first, and then cut the toppers into rows or columns.

Step 4 – Punch

Now you’re ready to punch out each topper. You will usually want a 2″ punch for this job. Here’s a circle punch by Fiskars. The long handles make for easy squeezing.

But wait … there’s more! Why limit yourself to circles when there are squares and scallops and and other flourishes, oh my? My favorite punches are the flat ones on the right by EK Success. They make it easy to hold the toppers without them slipping in the punch. You also can turn the punches over so you can see what you’re punching. And, they lock flat for storage. That’s a huge improvement!

I do think it’s nice to match your punch shape to your design. Here’s the flourish punch on two different backgrounds. I much prefer the flourish with the solid background as opposed to the sharp angles of the argyle.

Step 5 – Attach

Now it’s time to attach your lollipop stick. You can find lollipop sticks in the baking aisle of your craft store. They come in two lengths and I prefer the longer sticks.

You can push them more deeply into your cupcake, so you know they aren’t going anywhere. Just a thin bead of Aleene’s Thick Tacky Glue on about 1/2″ of your stick is all you need to attach the stick to the back of the topper.

Here you can see four different looks for your toppers. Quick, easy, inexpensive ways to dress up your party. So now you can make your own cupcake toppers! And when you do, make sure to tag me on social with #LTDcrafts.

Step 6 – Top

Now that you’ve made the toppers, insert them into your favorite cupcakes, cake, flower arrangement, or dinner!  DIY party toppers are the best!!