1. Lay out cupcakes as shown in the pattern below (way below). Gently squish together. Mix frosting to be sure it is soft and will spread easily, then spread some white frosting over the cupcakes.
2. Using red and white frosting alternately, create stripes - 7 red and 6 white. I made two strips of frosting for each stripe. Leave a space for the field of blue in the upper left hand corner, seven stripes deep, and not quite half way to the middle of the flag.

3. Fill in the empty field with blue strips. 
4. Roll out fondant and cut out white stars. I used a star cookie cutter from my pie making kit. At the right time of year you can find marshmallows shaped as stars and you can use those instead of fondant.
5. Color some fondant yellow, using a gel coloring. Roll it out and cut out stars to line the cake. Or, if you don't care for fondant, use some yellow frosting to create a nice edging to the flag.
6. Cover your flag cupcake cake until you serve it at the party. Everyone will love being able to grab their own piece of the cake.

Tips:

• To make full cupcakes, instead of flat ones, either use a Duncan Hines cake mix or fill the cups more full and make 18-22 cupcakes instead of 24.
• Use canned frosting or homemade frosting. Use my recipe or get two cans of the store bought stuff, just to be sure you have enough.
• Use gel food coloring because it won’t thin the icing and make it runny.
• If the icing is too thick, spreading it over the top of the cupcakes will pull the tops of the cupcakes off. Thin with half and half or milk.
• If the icing is too thin, it will run between the cupcakes and make a gooey mess. Thicken with powdered sugar.
• I generally use larger, more open tips for decorating the cupcake cakes. They give a more definitive edge to the cake and the larger pieces of frosting won’t fall down the small cracks between the edges of the cupcakes.

Cream butter and shortening. Add vanilla and mix. Add sugar, one cup at a time and continue mixing. Scrape sides as needed. Add half and half. The frosting should be easy to spread, and still firm so it won’t slide down between the cupcakes. Add more powdered sugar to thicken or more half and half to thin the frosting—but add in very small increments.

Keep frosting refrigerated when not using. Mix well before use because it spreads 
easier when it’s warm.