D.I.Y Flag Cake Toppers And Straws.

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It's Monday afternoon and that can only mean one thing folks...yep you guessed it. Another healthy dose of wedding D.I.Y magic. I don't know about you but there's something infinitely calming about sitting down and making something pretty from scratch.

Speaking of creating glorious and pretty things, as you read this, the RMW team is currently shooting their next piece of editorial on location (hopefully with the sunshine blazing I might add) - we're beyond excited to share it with you. In the meantime if you want some sneaky peeks or a laugh at Mr Crohill up some ladders then it's worth checking our instagram feed for some behind the scenes action as the day progresses.

Anyway I digress, back to the post in hand...

As you've probably guessed, this afternoon we'll be showing you how to create a DIY flag topper your cake can be proud of.

Shall we get on with then...

What You Will Need:

Cutting mat, scalpel, ruler, double-sided tape and dispenser, wooden kebab sticks or similar, paper/card in the colour of your choice, printer and the RMW handy flag download (available at the end of the post).

Step 1 - Download And Print.

After you've assembled everything you need for this project (cue mad dash around the house supermarket sweep style) you'll need to download the handy flag document that you'll find at the end of this post and print it out. We chose to print the various motifs and phrases onto multiple pieces of coloured paper - think princess pink, primrose yellow and a forget-me-not blue.

If you're looking for something a bit sturdier then you could always opt for card instead of paper but just be conscious that it might be a wee bit harder to manipulate around your kebab sticks - more on that later.

Then taking one sheet of your printed paper at a time begin cutting each of the individual flags out using your scalpel and a metal ruler on your trusty cutting mat. If you're not in possession of a scalpel and cutting mat combo then you can always use a pair of scissors but just be aware that the finish won't be as crisp.

Oh and be careful with that blade - it's sharp!

Step 2 - Get Sticky.

By now you should be surrounded by miniature piles of paper flags - oh it's like baby confetti before the big day!

We recommend cutting out more flags than you actually think you need because you can guarantee that a few will go in the bin courtesy of that ol' chestnut 'trial and error' and frankly more is always more in our opinion. If you find that you've made too many by the end then you can always give some to your gran (she'll love them!).

You'll have noticed in our 'What You Will Need' section that we recommended that you use double-sided tape and dispenser to stick the flags to your wooden sticks. Again if you feel that you're more comfortable with glue then by all means do use it - we just found that the double sided tape was much neater and prevented any 'bleeding' through of the glue to the other side of the paper.

Flip your flags over so that your words/symbols are on the back and apply a small amount of double sided tape to the back of the flag. You'll notice that on each of the flags we've provided a handy dotted line as a guide so that you lovely lot know exactly which point to add your chosen sticky stuff.

Step 3 - Wooden Sticks AHOY!

Now's the time to get your sticks out; we used wooden kebab sticks which you can get from the local supermarket but you can pretty much use whatever takes your fancy. Make sure whatever it is that you're using is sturdy though and will be able to pierce the topping, be it icing or buttercream, on your cake.

Wrap your flag around the top of your 'stick' using the dotted line as a guide. I'd suggest that you position the guide line towards the back of your stick or even on the side as you don't really want to see it from the front for aesthetic reasons. There should be a smaller length of paper at the back with the majority of the length of your flag standing proud at the front.

And then you're done. One flag complete!

Step 4 - Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

Repeat these steps until you've got a fairly hefty amount of flags in all different colours and with different motifs and words on.

Step 5 - Style It Out

And now folks it really is up to you to style your flags to your hearts content. As I mentioned earlier we do like at times to go a tad overboard...hence the plethora of flags in our buttercream creation made by the lovely Charlotte at Buttercream and Dreams.

If you're thinking of trying out a similar look yourself then remember to create interest by positioning the flags at different heights in different colours - keep the flags fairly evenly spaced to allow them all to shine.

Alternatively if you're a fan of the less is more mantra, then you might like our 'Oh Happy Day' topper. We placed three in descending height on our delicious dessert but of course there are a myriad of ways that you can style such a statement.

And lastly don't be restricted purely by the cake topper label - why not wrap your flags about any old flagpole...like these terrifically turquoise straws - perfect for your cocktail bar or even doubling up as a budget-friendly wedding favour.

Pop them in a super fun container, like this pink milkshake vase from Ikea or even a silver mint julep cup if you're after something a little bit more elegant and away you go.