Stars and Stripes
(and Polka Dots)

W

ho doesn’t love a sweet, whipped-frosting covered, sugar crystal-sprinkled cupcake?

Don’t you just want to take a bite out of one of these?

In my household, cupcakes have always been fun to make.  Now, they’re even more fun to decorate.

These handmade, star-shaped toppers are not only easy to construct but they’re also a great way to dress up a tasty treat.

Throughout this post you’ll see how simple it is to give ordinary cupcakes a little extra punch and whimsy to fit any theme (4th of July or otherwise).

You’ll only need a handful of supplies including: patterned scrapbook paper, decorative cupcake holders, a star punch, toothpicks and glue sticks (one for each of your helpers).

Various punches can be found at most crafts stores and on-line.

This is a perfect activity for little hands too.

Promise a cupcake a piece and you’ll get a very enthusiastic reaction from your volunteers.

Select your assorted patterned paper and start by punching out multiple star shapes.

By the way, consider keeping a box of cupcake mix and icing handy in your pantry because this is a great rainy day activity.

If the patterned paper is one sided, make sure you punch out an equal number of star shapes with the blank, backside facing up too.

That way, you’ll have mirror, patterned paper images to put together.

Use the glue sticks to adhere two star shapes with wrong sides together.

Before the glue dries, slide the tip of a toothpick between the two shapes at the center-bottom of the shape.

Your volunteers will get a kick out of their mini creations.

Really, it doesn’t get much easier than this.

Before you know it, you’ll have a handful of stars (and smiles).

Cameron and Jordy whipped out about 40-finished stars in about 20-30 minutes (far more than we needed).

They’re hard to stop making once you get going.  Just store your extra toppers in a plastic baggie for later use.

These cupcake toppers can be created to suit any theme because there are tons of punch shapes available.

How cute would these be with a pumpkin or black cat shape for Halloween, or bunny shapes for Spring or Santa shapes for Christmas cupcakes or pink and blue, baby booty shapes for a shower?

Gotta theme in mind?  There is most likely a punch to fit the bill.

Next time you serve up cupcakes or send a platter to that school fundraiser, bake sale or special event, consider taking a little extra time to top them off with handmade cupcake decor.

These toppers are guaranteed to make your sweet treats that much cuter.

Now for the tastiest part of this project.

On your mark, get set, GO!  OK, kids, now you can finally take a great big bite of stars and stripes and polka dots. ♥