First, you will need to make your design. You can definitely use the same design I used by clicking here or you can make your own in minutes. Just follow the directions below to make a variety of cake toppers for your next party.

For a cake topper using an image, you will need the image you are going to use plus a circle or shape to go around it and a long, skinny rectangle to go into the cake. You can use the shape tools to get your circle and rectangle. I just searched for happy birthday images in Design Space for my vinyl cut file.

Then put the circle and square together. Be sure to align the two by centering horizontally. Then you can click weld to get your design. This one is ready to cut! The gray will be the acrylic while the pink will be the adhesive vinyl

You can also turn text into a cake topper. There are a few ways to do that. First, let's use the offset feature on some cursive text to make an outline.

The weld together with a simple rectangle as before to get your shape. Now you can cut the grey from plastic and the pink from vinyl

Finally, you can use a stencil font as a cake topper. I prefer a stencil font so that all of my letters stay together. You will need the word, one rectangle for the bottom, and one to put in your cake.

Then just weld all three pieces together and cut! This one is simple and you can use as is or even paint the back after it is cut.

Now that you have your design, it is time to cut the acrylic with the Cricut Maker. These plastic sheets come with a protective film on the front and back. I usually remove that before cutting.

Then place on your strong grip mat. Use a brayer to stick down to the mat well and tape all the way around with painter's tape to secure.

Add that to your Cricut machine. Be sure to move the white star wheels all the way over to the right. I like to use the basswood setting and the knife blade to cut these sheets. Be sure to watch the cuts and pause the machine occasionally to check the cut. Mine went about 16 passes and was cut through. The curves will be the last to be completed.

Once the cuts are complete, remove the mat from the machine then you can start removing your cut pieces.

It may be easier to flip the mat over and pull the cut pieces off.

You will also want to cut your vinyl pieces then you can add them to your cake toppers as well. Be sure to weed your cut vinyl then add transfer tape over the top.

Peel the vinyl away from the backing then place on your cut acrylic. Press down well with your scraper then remove the transfer tape. You have just make a DIY acrylic cake topper!

Just put the long piece into your cake and press down. This thin plastic is fairly flimsy but the cake will hold it up enough for a party. You can also trim the part that goes into your cake with a pair of scissors if you get it too long.