Tag: wedding reception

Make a Flag Topper to Enhance a Simple Wedding Cake

Take a simple cake from a local store (ie SAMS, Costco or local grocery store) and make it unique by adding your own flags and some flowers and voila!!…a customized cake for cheap   that was less expensive!

My daughter liked the flag idea for the top of her cake. However, I could not find any pre-made flags the right size for patterns, to place on the cake nor any of the colors of her wedding.

So, I decided to make my own. It was super easy and fun!!

Supplies you’ll need:
A heavier weight or “stiffer” paper for making a pattern for your flags. We used scrapbook paper in multiple colors. We found individual sheets (which is much cheaper) esp. if you get them on sale to boot like we did at Hobby Lobby. So, they were just pennies… YAY me! You can also find them in book form with a common color scheme at most craft stores.

Some bakers twine , jute twine, or I used a two-toned silver/copper wire from Hobby Lobby. Just think about how you want the flags to hang. (Do you want the string taut or have a swag to it.)

Glue stick for paper flags and heavier glue to secure beads/wire to skewers.

Two, wooden dowel rods or skewers from Hobby Lobby. (You could paint these but I liked the bare look of the wood.)

Beads if you want a more finished look to the top of each skewer.

Directions:
First, decide the scale of each flag’s keeping the size of your cake tier in mind. (I mean, you don’t want too tiny of flags for a large cake or vis versa.)

Then, decide how long they should string across the cake. You want to make sure it’s not too long for the size of the cake layer you’ll be stringing the flags across. But not so short you only get 2 flags on your wire…that’d just look weird. 🙂

Lay out the way you want your design to look.

Cut out the flags by placing the pattern on the fold to make it easier to attach to your string or wire later.

Decide the spacing between each flag as well as color and shape of each flag.

Arrange on the wire and glue the paper together first by folding. BE CAREFUL on how much glue you use as it can bleed through the paper.

I thought it’d look more interesting to make different flag shapes, so I placed alternating flags on the wire. Also, try some “see thru” papers adding a color underneath as I did with this black and white designed paper. I liked how the pink paper showed through.

I later tied wrapped and frayed the ends of the wire to make fancier “tassels” then  secured them to the skewers. Make sure they are tight or glued so they don’t slide down the stick.

Most importantly, make sure you think about how the wooden rods will angle once inserted into the cake.

This way you won’t keep poking holes in your cake. I kind of practiced after laying out a template of the diameter of my tier since I didn’t have the cake in front of me yet.

Now add some flowers and VOILA!…a unique design for your cake! (Wish I had a clearer picture! ugh)

I do think our topper of flags turned out really cute and with all the other added expenses for this wedding, we definitely saved on the cake!

Here’s the initial cake we ordered from SAMS. but we removed some of the designs to make it more simple.

(We had other desserts anyhow; this was just for the cake cutting ceremony anyhow.  😉

Need more ideas? More pictures from the wedding can be found here: http://wp.me/p5ntHO-aZ

To make an easy ring box look here: http://wp.me/p5ntHO-ae

Have you tried something like this? Tell me what you designed?

Speaking of cakes check out my friends’ business. Her cakes are the most unbelievable work of art, EVER! https://www.facebook.com/thecakeryartisticbakery/?fref=ts