Adam explains how to make your own cactus to impress
I’ve shared my shame in the past of being an awful houseplant parent, so now I’ve come up with a nifty little hack for giving the illusion of having houseplants in your home without the risk of them er, dying.
Before you all write in and tell me off, this is in no way a method for replacing houseplants. Instead, maybe think of this as a quirky decoration for your home so you can enjoy the real plants in your garden outdoors. Happy crafting!
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A few words to the wise
Please be aware that the 1949 Coastal Protection Act states that it is illegal to remove any natural materials from the shore. Also, if you’re using pebbles from the garden or a homeware store, make sure they’re completely clean and dry before painting. If they’re cold and wet, then the paint may not stick properly.
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Step 1
Find your perfect pebbles and add your paint. Our driveway is covered with large stones/pebbles that are the perfect size for this make, but you could also buy them from craft shops or find them in your garden. These ones are roughly 2-5cm (1-2in) long and about 2.2cm (1in) wide, but you can work with whichever ones you have to hand.
Once you’ve got the pebbles, you can start to paint. You can use an undercoat of white paint if you need to, but a good quality acrylic paint (which isn’t expensive and is widely available) should cover this in a couple of coats. Go for whichever shade of green you prefer, but think about how cacti look and try to find something similar to that.
Step 2
When you’ve given your pebbles a couple of coats you can begin to add the cactus detail. Using a thin, white, acrylic paint pen, or a thin brush dipped in white acrylic paint, add small ‘flecks’ across all sides of the stone to give the impression of the spikes on a cactus.
The thinner the better here, so a top tip if you don’t have a thin brush, is to try using a cocktail stick instead. It’s best to let each side dry before moving onto the next one as the paint can smudge quite easily before it dries.
Step 3
Pick a pot that you like – a small one works best but it’s up to you. Add a thick layer of gravel in the bottom and then start to position your first stone with some gravel around it to hold it in place. You may need to get your hot glue gun warmed up to secure this one in, but if you start with a long stone then you may not need it.
Step 4
Glue your remaining stones in place however you like, but enjoy being creative. A hot glue gun is a wonderful tool that is perfect for this, and it dries so quickly, but if you’ve got more time then you could use any strong glue.
Step 5
Once complete, place your ‘cactus’ where everyone can see it!
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