DIY Crepe Paper Fan Cupcake Topper Tutorial!

Imma keep this post short and sweet as this weekend and next week up til Thanksgiving is just a wee bit crazy ^_^. A sane person might just pause the blogging entirely until life becomes more manageable, but I've learned that once you start down that road it's hard to get back on track. I've actually planned and delayed this tutorial so many times that I just can't wait another minute to share it with you guys! I hope you find it useful and please don't hesitate to ask me if anything's unclear! And if you like this, you might want to check out myearlier tutorial on making cute pom-pom cupcake toppers from tissue paper.

DIY Crepe Paper Fan Cupcake Topper Tutorial [Printable Tutorial]
Inspired by Kara's Party Ideas, Method by 6 Bittersweets

XIAOLU'S NOTES: You may notice that (contrary to what's listed below) I used a thread color darker than the paper in my photos. I did this only so that you'd be able to see the stitching. I highly recommend you stick to a thread color similar to the crepe paper color when making real toppers. If you look closely, you can see a little bit of my gray thread from the front side of the topper; this is exactly why you don't want to use a contrasting color.

Crepe paper/streamers (any color)
Scissors
Sewing needle
Thread (preferably in similar color to crepe paper)
Small self-adhesive pearls (like these from Michaels)
Scotch tape
4 to 5-inch lollipop sticks
Thin ribbon (same or complementary color to crepe paper)
Glue

Cut a strip of crepe paper about 1 foot 2 inches long. Thread your needle and triple-knot the ends.

Make a simple straight stitch along one edge of the crepe paper (1/4-inch from the edge) from one narrow end to the other. Space stitches about 1/4-inch apart.

Once you've gone from one end to the other, gently pull on the needle while simultaneously pushing the crepe paper together so that the strip forms pretty ruffles.

Once the stitched end of the crepe paper is pushed together as closely as possible, bring the 2 ends of the crepe paper together to form a round fan or rosette. Lightly press the outer edges of the fan with your fingertips to give them definition. Use your needle (which should still be attached to the thread in the crepe paper) to stitch the 2 ends of the crepe paper together. Then make 2 to 4 stitches through the center of the fan/rosette to keep it in place. Triple-knot the thread and cut the thread close to the knot.

Slightly overlap the 2 edges of the crepe paper together and join together with a small piece of tape on the back side. At this point, you may want to trim the edges of the crepe paper fan with scissors if they are not exactly circular.

Pick a side of the crepe paper fan to be the "front." Remove the self-adhesive pearl from its backing and carefully press it to the center of the fan on the front side.

Turn fan so that it's "back" side faces up. Use a 1-inch piece of tape to attach the fan to the top of a lollipop stick.

Cut a 6 to 7-inch piece of thin ribbon. With the "right" side of the crepe paper fan facing up, tie the ribbon into a pretty bow around the lollipop stick. Slide the bow up so that it's right under the crepe paper fan. Trim the ends of the bow if uneven or too long. Use a thin strip of tape or small dot of glue to keep the bow in place.

Place atop a delicious cupcake and admire your handiwork 8D!