Close Give Feedback
Resene Paints - home page
Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Pinterest Follow us on Instagram Follow us on YouTube

DIY cacti


Craft with Resene, from the Australian Women's Weekly

When it comes to homeware trends, the cactus is here to stay. Marsha Smith shows us how to create some super-cute and affordable cactus-themed crafts with Resene paints.

Project Description
3 DIY cacti projects

Potted foam cactus

You will need:  Plastic or terracotta pot, A3 sheet foam board, pencil, craft knife, Resene Caper, Resene Clover, Resene Romantic, Resene Gelato and Resene White testpots, fine and medium paintbrushes, floral foam, small decorative pebbles, hot glue and hot-glue gun, small pink synthetic flowers.

  1. Draw a range of ovals and circles (3 large, 3 medium and 3 small, relative to your pot size) onto your foam board. Keep your shapes organic. They don’t need to be perfect.

  2. Use a sharp craft knife to cut out your cactus pieces. Cut a slice out of each interconnecting piece, about 1-2cm long and as wide as your foam board is thick (pic A). Don’t make them too wide or they won’t hold their position. (You can use a little glue, if needed, but don’t connect them just yet!)

  3. Paint all your cactus pieces in Resene Caper. While they’re still wet, use a smaller brush to create some streaks in Resene Clover for added interest.

  4. Allow to dry while you paint your pot. Be creative with your design or use our stripes as a guide. Paint the lower half of your pot in Resene Romantic. You’ll have to wait for each colour to dry before painting another. Next, paint two bands of white. I left a gap to show the black of the pot. A terracotta stripe would also look good. Paint the top rim in Resene Gelato (pic B). Paint some flecks of Resene Romantic on one of the white bands to represent cactus spikes.

  5. Once your pot and foam pieces are dry, connect them together at varying angles. Place some heavy stones in the bottom of your pot for stability and cut out a large piece of florist foam to three-quarter fill your pot. Use this to wedge your foam cactus into position. Once happy, fill the rest of the pot with small pebbles. Glue on a couple of small pink flowers as a final touch.

Pic A / Pic B
Pic A (left).   Pic B (right).

Pebble planter

You will need: Small planter pot, range of river stones, Resene Caper , Resene Clover, Resene Tom Thumb, Resene Dingley, Resene White, Resene Permanent Green testpots, fine and medium paintbrushes, small decorative pebbles, some sand or soil.

  1. Start by thoroughly cleaning your river stones to remove any dirt and dust. Once they’re dry, you can get creative (pic C)! It’s a good idea to paint more than you need for your display so you have options when it comes to arranging them.

  2. Paint each stone a different base colour and allow them to dry. Use a contrasting green or white paint to make markings on your stones. Add stripes, crosses, dashes or little V’s to bring your cactus stones to life. You may wish to use a third colour to create more depth and detail.

  3. Place some heavy stones in the bottom of your pot for stability (pic D) and three-quarter fill the rest with sand or soil. This will help your cactus stones sit upright. Once dry, push your painted stones into place using varying heights and shapes to create interest. Sprinkle decorative pebbles in to cover the soil or sand and you’re done!

NOTE: Use large painted river stones to make photo holders. Take some copper wire (50g or 1.5mm thick) and twist one end around a thick marker pen (or similar) a couple of times to make loops. Bend the wire to the desired height, wrap the rest around the stone and trim to finish.

Pic C / Pic D
Pic C (left).   Pic D (right).

Framed geo cactus

You will need: A3 frame, 2 pieces A3 white paper, 1 piece A3 white card, Resene Clover testpot, paintbrush, scissors, craft glue.

  1. Photocopy the template below to your desired size.

  2. Paint your piece of white card with Resene Clover. Using a dry brush, make a few streaks to give your painted surface a more textured appearance.

  3. Once dry, trace your template onto the painted card and cut out the pieces. (pic E). Place them on your other piece of paper as you go. (Keeping the pieces in order will help you avoid confusion when glueing the cactus down.) Centre the pieces on your paper, then glue them into place. Once dry, pop your finished piece into your frame for display.

Pic E / TEMPLATE
Pic E (left). Template (right).

Project by Marsha Smith, Oct 2018

Download a PDF of this article


Projects from the Australian Women's Weekly
View more project ideas from The Australian Women's Weekly magazine in the Resene weekend craft projects section.

Australian Women's Weekly | All craft projects

 

Order online now:
Testpots | Paints | Primers and Sealers | Stains | Clears | Accessories

Get inspired Get inspired ! Subscribe      Get saving Get saving ! Apply for a DIY card

Resene Paints Ltd

Can't find what you're looking for? Ask us!

Resene Paints (Australia) Limited   – www.resene.com

Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Pinterest Follow us on Instagram Follow us on YouTube
Videos on how to paint and stain your house
 

Colours shown on this website are a representation only. Please refer to the actual paint or product sample. Resene colour charts, testpots and samples are available for ordering online.   See measurements/conversions for more details on how electronic colour values are achieved.

What's new | Specifiers | Painters | DIYers | Artists | Kids | Sitemap | Home | TOP ⇧