DIY Cake Topper & Mini Cake Banner

The cake is the most photographed object at the party, and the topper is its crown. Custom toppers run $25–$60 online — or one hour and $5 of supplies at your kitchen table. Here are two styles, plus the tricks that make DIY look bakery-made.

Style 1: The mini bunting banner

Cut small triangles (about 1.5 inches) from cardstock in your palette — two or three colors, plus one metallic. Fold each over a length of baker's twine and glue shut. String between two wooden skewers, leaving slack so the banner swoops. Angle the skewers slightly outward when you plant them in the cake — the V-shape is what makes it look professional.

Style 2: The name or number topper

Print the name or age in a bold script font, reversed (mirror image), on the back of glitter or metallic cardstock. Cut it out — a craft knife for the tight spots, scissors for the rest — and glue a clear-handled skewer or lollipop stick to the back. The reversed printing means no printer lines show on the front.

The tricks that elevate it

• Double up: glue two layers of cardstock back-to-back so the topper stands rigid and looks finished from every angle.
• Height matters: the topper should clear the cake by 2–3 inches. Too short reads homemade; a little tall reads designed.
• Food-safe barrier: wrap the in-cake portion of skewers in a bit of food-safe tape or a paper straw sleeve.

Our styling note

Match the topper to one color already on the table — the runner, the place cards, the chair sashes — and the whole tablescape snaps together in photos. Set the finished cake on a dessert cart at child height, and you've built the moment every camera at the party is waiting for.