DIY Paper Cactus!
Hello to all the otters of France and Navarre (and others, I love all otters)!
I hope you're well and that the cold hasn't made your fingers sore, because you're going to need them for this DIY. After all your enthusiasm for my paper display case at the Lemonade ShopI thought you deserved a little DIY to give these little wonders to your loved ones, or to yourself, for Christmas. Paper cacti are perfect for those who don't have a green thumb, and even real cacti don't last more than two weeks (it happens to the best, don't judge them). So today I'm sharing my paper cactus technique with you, in every color and size! Love you all! Charlotte.
For this DIY you'll need:
- Cactus patterns to download here,
- Canson paper, white or the color of your choice,
- a pair of scissors,
- glue Green Scotch tape (after many tests, I'm telling you, it's the best!),
- a scalpel,
- a small ruler,
- a terracotta pot that you've previously lined in white,
- tweezers,
- a pencil.
To begin, print out all the cactus patterns and cut them out.
Transfer the patterns to paper and cut them out, making sure to erase any pencil marks! For the main parts of the cactus, cut out 8 pieces of each, so that you have a well-rounded cactus! For the spines, you'll need around 50 (and a lot of patience).
Now get your scalpel and ruler, and lightly bind all the cactus tabs with the back of the scalpel. This will help you with the next step: folding the tabs towards the inside of the cactus!
You'll now assemble the first two parts of your cactus. As you can see, they have the same shape, except that one just has tabs to allow assembly. Gently apply glue to all the tabs, taking care not to apply too much so as not to get glue marks on your beautiful white cactus.
Place the two parts one on top of the other and make the edges coincide as much as possible! And you've got your first cactus fragment!
Do the same for the other 7 fragments!
Concentrate, turn off the TV if you've got it on, and let's get on with assembling the cactus. If you look at your piece, you can see that there's one side with 4 tabs, and 3 on the second. Make sure you start with the side with 4 tabs! Fold the tabs outwards.
Apply glue to the tabs, and match your next fragment on the side with three tabs. This is where the tab cuts should coincide!
Fold the glued tabs inside the second fragment to join them together. Now glue the three-tab side inwards to secure your cactus!
Continue in this way with the other fragments, and you should see your cactus take shape! For the final gluing operation, which will give your cactus its round shape, I recommend you glue only the four-tongued part, as this will be sufficient and, above all, easier for you! Press down firmly and wait for your cactus to dry completely.
Now you've done the hard part, you can turn the TV back on! Now put your cactus in its pot, and let's get on with the thorns!
Grab your tweezers, fold your thorns in half and apply glue to the back (a tiny dot of glue).
Glue your first thorn to the edge of the cactus, and continue with the rest! For the flower, you can find the DIY hereAssemble it and glue it to the top of the cactus for the finishing touch!
And Ta-Da!
