Our newest party decor project screams summertime! These butterfly cupcake toppers are beautiful and easily customized, which is just how we like our DIY party decor projects. While we have a lot of holiday themed cupcake toppers on the site, it is always good to make party decor that you can use for everyday celebrations. Our butterfly cupcake toppers are total stunners for birthday parties, summer gatherings, and any other special events that you have in mind. All you need to craft these toppers are tissue paper, wooden beads, and toothpicks. For your tools, make sure you have a hot glue gun, Mod Podge glue, and a paintbrush on hand.

You should be able to find all of the materials and tools for this project at your local craft store. Once you have everything ready, start this project by printing the PDF template below. You can use this as a guide for cutting your tissue paper, or, if you’re feeling confident, you can easily free-hand these butterflies! Choose any colors of tissue paper that will match your specific party decor. We went with a summery color scheme with yellows, oranges, and pinks, and used a shimmery white tissue paper as the foundation for the butterflies. Each wing is made of two layers of tissue paper, which you can create by fusing the two layers with Mod Podge glue. Use a paintbrush to paint a layer of the glue between the papers, and then simply press down. Easy!

Use this same technique with Mod Podge to attach the other details of the butterfly. Here is where you can really explore your creative side to create your own butterfly designs. The glittery gold accents that you see on the butterfly is actually just nail polish! Once your wings are ready, set them aside while you prepare your toothpicks. Use one large wooden bead for the body of the butterfly and one small wooden bead for the head. Glue these to the tip of your toothpick with hot glue, placing the smaller bead on top of the larger bead. If you want to add antenna, you can do so by painting 20 gauge floral wire black and attaching them with hot glue. You can also use a toothpick to make little eyes on the bead. So cute!

The last step in this project is gluing the wings directly to the back of the beads. Now they are ready for action! I am also happy to say that this butterfly cupcake toppers project is very quick if you need them in a pinch. If you are interested in making more gorgeous toppers to go with these butterfly cupcake toppers, check out our mini flower toppers made with text weight metallic paper. Browse some of our other party decor projects and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to see our daily makes! Enjoy ~ Lia