This pipe cleaner cactus is such a fun little craft! Made with fuzzy green pipe cleaners and mini terracotta pots, each cactus has its own cute shape and personality. They look so cheerful grouped together, and they make the sweetest handmade decoration for a desk, shelf, windowsill, or craft room.
This pipe cleaner cactus craft is perfect for kids, teens, and adults who love plants but don’t want to deal with prickly cactus spines or watering schedules. Make your own pipe cleaner succulents by twisting your pipe cleaners into tall cactus arms, round barrel cactuses, or tiny little cactus plants. It’s a simple, creative project that’s fun to make and adorable to display!
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How to Make a Pipe Cleaner Cactus
Materials:
Watch the step-by-step video tutorial:
Instructions:
Find what you need:
- Gather your supplies and materials.
Make a tall pipe cleaner cactus with arms:
- To make the main part of the tall cactus hold 8 green pipe cleaners together.
- Bend them a bit at the half-way point.
- Wrap one of the pipe cleaners around the half-way point to secure the group together.
- Make the group of pipe cleaners flat again, spreading each of the pipe cleaners out evenly.
- Now scoop up the pipe cleaners and pull them so they come down from the center. You can hold a finger on the inside center to help you do this.
- Gather the pipe cleaners together so they’re even at the bottom and push down on the center to round out the bundle a bit.
- Then wrap a few of the pipe cleaner ends around the group, about 1 inch above the bottom.
- To make a small arm for the cactus you’ll need 1 pipe cleaner cut in half.
- Hold the 2 halves together and twist them in the center to connect them. (The same as you did for the full pipe cleaners.)
- Fold the ends down and twist the bottom to create a smaller version of the tall cactus.
- Then fold the bundle down just above the wrap and up again after about 1/2 inch.
- Repeat the same steps to make another arm using 4 pipe cleaner halves this time.
- Make a gap in the side of the cactus where you’d like one of the arms to sit.
- Hold the arm in place and add hot glue to the bottom section.
- Push the main cactus pipe cleaners back together, holding them in the glue until it dries.Repeat, adding glue above the arm of the cactus, gluing it together so there isn’t a visible gap.
- Repeat, gluing the 2nd arm to the other side of the cactus, placing it either higher or lower than the first arm.
Make a short rounded cactus:
- To make a rounded cactus you’ll need 8 pipe cleaners cut in half (16 sections). Keep them separated into 2 equal groups.
- Twist 8 of the halves together in the middle. Separate the pipe cleaners and fold them down, similar to what you did with the tall cactus.This time don’t spread them out all around, though. Keep them together to one side, creating a rounded half of a cactus.
- Repeat with the other bundle of pipe cleaner halves, leaving 1 half out. Then add a line of hot glue to one of the outside pipe cleaners.
- Connect this pipe cleaner to the outside one on the second bundle.
- Glue the other side together too, creating a full round cactus.Wrap the final pipe cleaner half around the bottom of the bundle to keep it together in a round shape.
- To make a blossom for the cactus, wrap a pipe cleaner around a pen or pencil, creating a coil.
- Remove the pen and slide half a pipe cleaner into the middle of the coil.
- Bring the pipe cleaner together and twist it, creating a rounded shape.
- Slide the pipe cleaner ends inside the coil as well and spread out the coil, creating a circle.(We used green pipe cleaners for this, but you could make a colourful flower too!)
- Use hot glue to attach the flower to the side of the cactus, near the top.
“Plant” the cacti:
- Fill a 3-1/2 inch clay pot with sand. But make sure you tape up the hole in the bottom first!
- “Plant” the cactuses, sticking the bottoms into the sand until they’re fairly secure in place.
- Then top up the pot with sand.(Keep reading below for other options, if you don’t want to add sand into your pot.)
- Your pipe cleaner cactus is complete!
- Now have fun making more cactuses in various colours, shapes, and sizes!
Helpful Tips:
- Use different shades of green pipe cleaners to create a whole mini cactus garden. Mixing light green, dark green, and bright green pipe cleaners makes each cactus look a little different.
- Make your cactus extra decorative by twisting together a small pink pipe cleaner flower and gluing it to the side or top of your cactus. It’s such a cute way to add a pop of colour!
How can I make a different size of pipe cleaner cactus?
Changing the size of your pipe cleaner cactus is all about the length of the pipe cleaners and how many you use. For a shorter cactus, use 6 inch pipe cleaners or cut regular pipe cleaners in half. For a taller cactus, keep the pipe cleaners full length.
To make a thicker cactus, add more pipe cleaners to your bundle before twisting or shaping it. You can also glue smaller bundles of pipe cleaners together to create wider cactuses, like the small rounded cactus in the tutorial above.
Do I have to fill the pot of my pipe cleaner cactus with sand?
No, you don’t have to use sand. Sand gives the cactus pot a cute desert look, but it can be messy if the pot gets tipped over. For a less messy option, try adding small rocks or pebbles instead. They can still spill, but they’re much easier to clean up and won’t spread as far as loose sand.
You can also glue a Styrofoam ball or a piece of painted foam inside the pot. Poke small holes in the foam where you want the cactus to sit, then glue the pipe cleaner cactus into place. To give it a more finished look, glue sand or soil to the top of the foam, or cover it with brown pipe cleaners, felt, or tissue paper.
How many pipe cleaners do I need to make a pipe cleaner cactus?
You’ll need at least 20 pipe cleaners to make both cactuses from the tutorial above, which works out to about 10 pipe cleaners per cactus.
The exact number of pipe cleaners needed will depend on the size and shape of your cactus. A small cactus may only need a few pipe cleaners, while a taller or thicker cactus will need more.
Can I make this pipe cleaner cactus craft without a terracotta pot?
Yes! Mini terracotta pots look really cute, but you can also use small paper cups, recycled yogurt cups, or tiny plastic plant pots. You can even make a small planter with cardboard.
Simply paint the container or decorate it with pipe cleaners or scrapbook paper to make it look like the perfect vessel for your pipe cleaner plant.
These pipe cleaner cactuses are such a fun way to make your own mini cactus garden that will never die! No watering or sunlight required, and each one turns out a little different depending on the pipe cleaner colours, cactus shape, and pot decorations you choose.
Make one little cactus for your desk, or create a whole collection to display together on a shelf or windowsill. This pipe cleaner cactus craft is simple, cheerful, and so much fun to customize!
Here’s even more cactus craft ideas:
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Where to buy:
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