How to Make a Paper Quilling Cactus
This beginner-friendly quilling craft uses paper strips to create a potted cactus. You'll make three main parts: the pot, the cactus body, and the flower -- and then glue them all together!
Yield: 1 paper quilling cactus
Cost: $1
Materials
- Quilling paper (brown, green, and pink)
- Tacky glue
Instructions
Step 1: Find what you need
- Gather your supplies and materials.
Step 2: Make the pot
- Add a thin line of tacky glue to one end of a piece of brown quilling paper.
- Place the end of another piece of brown quilling paper into the glue, connecting the 2 pieces.
- Repeat with a third piece, creating an extra long strip of paper. Allow the glue to dry well before handling.
- Place a toothpick or needle on top of one end of the paper. You can also buy special quilling tools.
- Roll the paper around the toothpick until you have a tight/secure roll that will hold the tension on its own. Then remove the toothpick.
- Continue rolling the paper around itself until you get to the end.
- Then release the tension on the roll carefully, until you have a larger loose circle.
- Hold the circle and add a line of glue to the end. Connect it to itself to stop the circle from unraveling any more.
- Use your fingers to push the roll into a square shape, pinching the corners to maintain the shape. This will be the plant pot.
Step 3: Make the cactus
- Connect 2 green strips of paper. Use the same technique to create a green roll.
- Release some of the tension on the roll and glue the end in place, creating a loose circle.
- Repeat, making 2 more green circles a bit larger than the first. (These will also be made from 2 pieces of quilling paper each.)
- Squish the smallest circle flat, pinching each end to make a pointed leaf shape (also called a "marquise").
- Repeat for the larger circles, but bend one end of each so they form a curve.
- Add a thin layer of glue to one side of the smaller piece.
- Attach one of the larger pieces with the curve connecting to the smaller piece. Repeat on the other side. Pinch the pieces firmly so they stick together.
Step 4: Make the flower
- Cut a piece of pink quilling paper into 3 even pieces.
- Use the same technique to create 3 tiny rolls. Release some of the tension and glue the ends in place.
- Then pinch the pink circles into the same leaf/marquise shape.
- Glue the pieces together the same way as the cactus, so that the points meet on one end.
Step 5: Glue the pieces together
- To glue the cactus pieces together, begin by adding a thin layer of glue to one side of the plant pot.
- Then place the 3 points of the cactus into the glue, with the connected sides at the top.
- Finally, add glue to the bottom of the flower (the connected side) and place it where you'd like on the cactus.
- Your paper quilling cactus is complete!
- Use similar techniques to create a whole collection of paper quilling cacti!
Video
Notes
Looking for more fun and easy paper crafts? Here's a few of our favourites:
Paper Squishy
Paper Worm Experiment
How to Make a Paper Star