Aug. 27, 2020

How To Make A" Back To School" Cake Topper and Free SVG Bundle

Ok ok, I know this school year will be like any other (to say the least!!). You’re probably stressed out about your kid having to wear a mask all day, or trying to figure out how you will have enough devices for all of your kiddos to do online school…*insert sobs here*

While I can’t wave my wand and make everything go back to “normal,” @craftychristiescreations and I have been working on a craft tutorial that is sure to brighten your day and make this school fiasco that much more enjoyable.

This month you’re not just getting one free design from Pen + Posh either. This month’s “freebie” is a bundle with FOURTEEN designs in it!! Starting from preschool through senior year, you are SET with these awesome grade markers! Oh, and don’t forget the seven other free designs from our favorite designers!! Grab them all at the bottom of this post!

Silhouette Studio

This design really didn’t need any manipulation before cutting, which makes this project so simple!

Each grade is it’s own piece, so just choose the grade you want and move everything else off the cut mat. (Christie takes off everything but third grade)

Change your media size to letter, and then make a copy of the image by pressing and holding ALT on the keyboard while the image is selected. You should see the cursor change from a hand to an arrow, then drag off a copy of it.

Once you have your two identical images side by side, head over to the send panel!

No special instructions here, but Christie does point out that each of the letters is attached to the outside of the design so this will cut as one piece. The weeding will be a bit tricky, but otherwise this is a cinch!

Go ahead and send it to cut!

Assembly

Getting it Off the Mat/Weeding

Pull off the excess paper around the designs and then very carefully pull off the words. Sometimes it’s easier (especially with paper) to pull away the scraps first when doing this.

The scraper tool can also be super handy to lift the design up off the mat!

Once you get it up, weed what’s left. PRO TIP: Be gentle when manipulating the pieces that are stuck, and they will let go.

For the second pennant, Christie uses another method to pull it off the mat: she flips the mat upside down and carefully peels it off using the scraper tool.

She gently peels everything off the mat this way, not worrying about the pieces she doesn’t need, because she can weed them afterwards--always being super careful not to rip anything! Watch the full video to see how Christie expertly manipulates the stubborn pieces.

**CHRISTIE’S HINDSIGHT: Use the over cut feature in Silhouette! It would’ve helped prevent so many of the tiny pieces getting stuck.

Once she was finished weeding both, she also realized that peeling the second one off the mat turned out way better than the first one she just pulled off the mat. (Left side=pulled, right side=peeled)

Putting it All Together

Ok, now we are ready for some glue! Christie used a flat toothpick and added a little glue to the end of it, then attached one of the designs to it, like so:

PRO TIP: If you want this to be extra sturdy, use 100 pound cardstock for extra girth!

Flip it over, and do the same to the back!

Once both sides are secured to the tooth pick, pull it apart enough to add some glue in between the sheets of paper to really solidify everything.

Ta-Da! A beautiful cake topper worthy of a first-day-of-school muffin or cupcake to really make the day special and fun! Don’t forget to share your photos on social and tag us!

Check back next month for another awesome tutorial and FREE SVG design bundle!

For more from Christie, check out her website, Crafty Christie’s Creations, she specializes in handmade greeting cards, and DIY paper crafts. She is an EXPERT in Silhouette Studio, which has also led her to start producing tutorials to make all this crafting a bit easier. Follow her on Instagram @craftychristiescreations for more fun craft projects and tips!