Mini Bunting Cake Topper: A Paper Decoration for the Cake

Two sticks, a length of thread and a handful of tiny paper flags: a mini bunting cake topper is one of the smallest projects on the party list and one of the most noticed, because it sits in the middle of the table and ends up in most of the photos.

The flags are folded over the thread rather than glued onto it, which keeps the back as neat as the front and lets you slide them into position before anything sets.

What you need

• Scraps of colored paper or light cardstock in three or four colors
• Two paper straws or two bamboo skewers
• Thin thread, embroidery floss or fine twine, about 16 in (40 cm)
• Scissors, ruler and pencil
• Glue stick, plus a dab of tacky glue for the knots
• Optional: cardstock for two small stars to top the sticks

Text-weight paper folds over thread more cleanly than heavy cardstock at this size.

Sizing the bunting to the cake

Three measurements decide whether the topper looks right: how far apart the sticks stand, how tall they are, and how much the thread dips.

Set the sticks a little closer together than the cake is wide, so each one stands about 3/4 in (2 cm) in from the edge. Cut the thread between the sticks roughly 1.5 in (4 cm) longer than the spacing; that extra length is what makes the gentle swag. A thread pulled tight looks stiff and tugs the sticks inward.

For height, the lowest flag tip should clear the top of the cake by at least 1 in (2.5 cm), with extra room if candles will be lit nearby. Sticks about 8 to 10 in (20 to 25 cm) long usually leave enough length to stand firmly and still hold the bunting high.

Cutting and folding the flags

Each flag starts as a small diamond. Folded in half over the thread, it becomes a triangle with two finished faces and no glue anywhere near the edges.

1. Cut the diamonds. Cut a strip of paper 1 in (2.5 cm) wide and chop it into pieces 2 in (5 cm) long. Fold each piece in half to make a 1 in square, then cut from the two ends of the fold to the middle of the opposite edge. Unfolded, the piece is a diamond 1 in wide and 2 in tall with a crease across the middle. Make seven to nine.
2. Fold each diamond over the thread. Rub a glue stick over the inside of the diamond, lay the thread in the crease and fold the two halves together. Press from the fold toward the point so the halves line up.
3. Build the row. Add the remaining flags along the thread, leaving a gap of about 1/4 in (6 mm) between them and at least 3 in (7.5 cm) of bare thread at each end for tying.

Use a glue stick here, not liquid glue, which squeezes out at the edges of something this small and leaves shiny marks. With a glue stick, the flags can still be nudged along the thread for a minute to even out the spacing.

Tying the thread to the sticks

1. Lay the two sticks on the table, parallel, at the spacing you chose.
2. Tie one end of the thread around the first stick about 3/4 in (2 cm) below the top, with a double knot.
3. Tie the other end to the second stick at the same height, letting the thread dip.
4. Check the swag by lifting both sticks upright. Adjust the second knot if the flags hang too low or the thread is taut.
5. Put a small dab of tacky glue on each knot and trim the thread tails once it has set.

Thread slides on a smooth straw, and a knot that slips down one side leaves the bunting crooked, so do not skip the glue.

Finishing touches and a two-tier version

A small paper star on top of each stick hides the cut end and repeats a shape from the rest of the table. Cut two stars about 1 in (2.5 cm) across for each stick and glue them back to back with the tip of the stick between them.

For a two-tier bunting, tie a second thread about 1.5 in (4 cm) below the first, cut it slightly longer so it dips more, and give it smaller flags made from diamonds 3/4 in wide and 1.5 in tall (2 x 4 cm). Use taller sticks so the lower row still clears the cake.

The flags are a miniature of a full-size wall banner. Cutting both from the same paper, following the paper pennant banner tutorial for the large one, makes the cake echo the wall, and a set of paper cupcake toppers in the same colors carries the look across the rest of the table.

Placing it and taking it off

• Add the topper shortly before serving, so the paper stays crisp and dry.
• Only the clean, bare lower ends of the sticks go into the cake. Keep glue, thread and paper at the top.
• Push both sticks in straight, at the same depth and the same time, so the thread does not pull one over.
• Lift the whole topper out before the cake is cut.

Using it as a table decoration instead

The same bunting works without a cake. Stand the sticks in a block of floral foam hidden in a small box or jar, or use it to crown a stack of donuts on a plate, with the sticks resting through the center holes. Two small weighted jars with one stick in each turn it into a low centerpiece; the guide to DIY birthday centerpieces explains how to weight the jars so they do not tip.