Cute Cardboard Prickly Pear Cactus DIY
I love plants in my home decor, and I’m especially fond of plants that are easy to care for. Succulents rank right up there with my favorites because they are difficult to kill, and they stay green and beautiful all year long.
Unfortunately, I still manage to always either kill my succulents or choose the wrong ones for the look I want. So I have discovered the joy of making my own!
I love the look of prickly pear cacti. They are so darn cute! The way they just sort of look like tiny, fat, green goblins climbing on each others shoulders. And then they sprout these beautiful vibrant flowers at the top. They are just *chefs kiss* perfection!
So I wanted that look to cheer up some drab areas of my home. But rather than buy them or try and grow them myself, I thought I’d do what I enjoy and make them myself. This cute cardboard prickly pear cactus was the result.
Here is what you need if you want to make your own.
Supplies:
- Piece of regular paper
- Pen or pencil
- Ruler
- Scissors
- Enough cardboard to trace out
- Empty box that is 4” wide x 3 ½” tall
- Western print scrapbook paper
- Dark green paint
- Bright pink paint
- Orange paint
- Sponge paint brush
- Glue gun
Instructions:
Step 1. Sketch out and draw a template for a prickly pear pad that is approx. 4” tall and 3 ¼ inches at the widest point. Also draw a cactus flower that is about 3” wide and 2 inches tall. Draw a cactus fruit that is 2 inches tall and 1 inch wide. Cut these out so that they can be used as stencils.
Step 2. On the cardboard, trace 7 prickly pear pads, one flower and two fruit. Cut these out. On each piece of cardboard, make a 1” cut in the center on the bottom.
Step 3. Paint one side of the cactus pads dark green, the flower pink and the fruits orange. Let these dry.
Step 4. Flip everything over and paint the backsides of all of the cactus components.
Step 5. Use the glue gun and scissors to attach the decorative paper to the box.
Step 6. Cut a piece of cardboard that is 4 inches wide and 2 ½ inches tall. Glue this securely in the middle of the box.
Step 7. Use the glue gun to secure one of the cactus pads on the cardboard inside the box (as shown).
Step 8. Use the glue gun to secure two cactus pads on either side of the first one.
Step 9. Continue using the glue gun to secure the cactus pads in any design that looks good to you. Keep in mind that you should make sure that the sculpture has enough balance to stand on its own.
How cute is that? I mean, you can definitely add more detail if you want to, and you could paint it more uniformly if you’d like. But I really enjoy a handmade quality to my crafting, so I like how rustic and charming this looks. Leaving the corrugated cardboard edging showing makes my heart happy for some reason.
I also have thought about changing out the cardboard planter for a cheap terracotta planter. You can get them really cheaply at the hardware store, though most people (including me) have at least one or two laying around somewhere.
This could be really great for a kid’s room. It’s not something they have to take care of, it’s easily replaced if broken, and it’s something that they can change around when they get bored. It works almost like a boredom buster or one of those bottles kids use to calm them. Like their own little zen garden, but instead of raking sand, they rearrange how their cactus looks.
I think I’ll definitely be making more of these in the future. Perhaps I will try some different types of cacti to create my own little succulent garden.
I invite you to join me. Let me know if you try it yourself. It would be great to see what you create! Tag me on instagram. I’m @homeishandmade
Cute Cardboard Prickly Pear Cactus DIY
Equipment
- glue gun
- sponge paint brush
- scissors
- ruler
Materials
- sheet of paper
- pen or pencil
- cardboard
- empty box that is 4” wide x 3 ½” tall
- western print scrapbook paper
- dark green paint
- bright pink paint
- orange paint
Instructions
- Sketch out and draw a template for a prickly pear pad that is approx. 4” tall and 3 ¼ inches at the widest point. Also draw a cactus flower that is about 3” wide and 2 inches tall. Draw a cactus fruit that is 2 inches tall and 1 inch wide. Cut these out so that they can be used as stencils.
- On the cardboard, trace 7 prickly pear pads, one flower and two fruit. Cut these out. On each piece of cardboard, make a 1” cut in the center on the bottom.
- Paint one side of the cactus pads dark green, the flower pink and the fruits orange. Let these dry.
- Flip everything over and paint the backsides of all of the cactus components.
- Use the glue gun and scissors to attach the decorative paper to the box.
- Cut a piece of cardboard that is 4 inches wide and 2 ½ inches tall. Glue this securely in the middle of the box.
- Use the glue gun to secure one of the cactus pads on the cardboard inside the box (as shown).
- Use the glue gun to secure two cactus pads on either side of the first one.
- Continue using the glue gun to secure the cactus pads in any design that looks good to you. Keep in mind that you should make sure that the sculpture has enough balance to stand on its own.
Notes
