Dear ones,
Welcome to the April “Pinterest Challenge Blog Hop”, hosted by My Pinterventures. The purpose of this Pinterest Challenge is to motivate all the participants of this hop (and you, too) to not just pin, but to make it happen! So, this month, I chose to create my own pinspired painted rock cactus garden.
Pinspired Painted Rock Cactus Garden
The pinspiration for today’s project came from several pins, including this one, and this little pot given me by my dear friend Dolores. You might remember that I began using cactus for my summer decorations last year. And that I have recently completed several projects to include in my decorating once summer arrives.
There’s last month’s pinspired string art cactus, here. And then a pallet I created on “Wood-n-Wine” night in February, a winter bucket list activity, pictured, here. I was also fortunate enough to be invited to review some realistic silk cactuses sold by Commercial Silk, that I will be adding to my decor this summer season. Looking forward to putting everything together!
Follow along the steps below to create your own painted rock cactus garden.
The Supplies
This craft was not only easy-to-do but it was also easy on the bank account. In fact, because my pot was gifted to me, and I already had the paints and brushes for my Hobby Lobby painting classes, it was virtually free! The river rocks even came from my backyard!
Here’s what you’ll need to gather:
- Several smooth rocks of varying sizes, it occurs to me that mine look rather more like potatoes than rocks!
- A pot in which to ‘plant’ your rock cactuses
- Acrylic paints or poster paints, in white, and shades of green and yellow
- A paint brush
- Container of water
- Q-tip for adding white accents to cactus
- White-out correction pen
- Artificial flower, pom-pom or button
- Hot glue gun
- Soil, sand or some kind of filler for pot
- Smaller pebbles to place around base of painted rock cactuses
Directions
- Select several smooth rocks for your cactuses, stand them up together to make an interesting arrangement of varying heights and shapes.
- Wash rocks to remove any dust or dirt and allow them to dry.
- Mix up a shade of green for the first cactus.
- Paint the rock all over with exception of the tip of that will be hidden by the filler you use.
- Paint the other rocks similarly using several different shades of green for interest.
- Allow painted rocks to dry completely, approximately 30 minutes.
- Add details to each rock using white paint and a Q-tip or a White-Out correction pen.
- Using the correction pen actually allowed me more control over the detailing.
I think my dark green cactus has gone from looking like a potato to looking like a watermelon!
- Fill the pot with sand, soil or smaller rocks into which the painted rock cactus will be planted.
- Collect a few smaller pebbles to place around the base of the painted rocks.
- Plant painted rock cactuses into your pot and add pebbles around them to help secure them in place and to cover your filler.
- Determine what kind of flower to add – artificial flower, button, pom-pom. I used a couple of fabric scrapbook embellishments cut like flowers and added a wooden button for the center.
I really, really, really wanted to use that blingy pink flower but it was too large for this little arrangement which means I need to make a larger painted rock cactus garden with which to use it!
- Hot glue flower in place.
- Stand back and admire your green thumb!
More Pinspiration
My Prince is FINALLY back from working in Germany for close to 6 weeks. He was awake a lot last night due to jet lag. And being the good wife that I am, I was up right beside him for a lot of that time. I think this project turned out kinda cute even though I am a little shaky from ‘jet lag’ sympathy pains today. Would like to try some of these other rock painting crafts I have pinned on my DIY, my Green Thumb and my Seasonings Pinterest boards.
Succulents and cactus seem to be all the go lately. I am seeing little pots of artificial succulents everywhere. Used in centerpieces or little arrangements. They are inexpensive and yet so realistic looking! Shop from the galley below for pieces under $15.00. Succulent candles (wonder how they smell?), succulent prints, terrariums, planters.
When you click on any of the images in the gallery, I earn a few cents. Thank you so much for window shopping with me. Since I am not subbing at the moment, my bank account sure appreciates the boost!
Your Turn
Are you seeing succulents everywhere, too? Have you begun incorporating succulents into your decor? I think, no, I know I need some of those cute cactus kitchen towels. Did you see them in the gallery? Available at World Market and Bed, Bath and Beyond. Lucky for me, we have both stores right in the same shopping center where we like to eat dinner on Saturday nights after church.
Would love to have you join the fun for May.
To join next month’s #pinterestchallenge, click here to sign-up ⇒ May Pinterest Challenge
Now let’s see what other things Pinterest inspired! Head over and visit the other hosts to see what they crafted, cooked, built, or tried!
Erlene – My Pinterventures • Lauren – Mom Home Guide
Debbee – Debbee’s Buzz • Laurie – My Husband Has Too Many Hobbies
Marie – DIY Adulation • Julie – Sum of their Stories
Marie – The Inspiration Vault • T’onna – Sew Crafty Crochet
Debra – Shoppe No. 5
Roseann – This Autoimmune Life • Terri – Our Good Life
Lisa – Blogghetti • Marci – Stone Cottage Adventures
Leslie – Once Upon a Time & Happily Ever After
Kelley – Simply Inspired Meals • Joanne – Our Unschooling Journey
Pili – My Sweet Things
Jenny – Cookies Coffee and Crafts • Gail – Purple Hues and Me
Sam – Raggedy Bits
Beverly – Across the Boulevard • Samantha – Little Bits of Home
Kristie – Teadoddles • Shirley – Intelligent Domestications
Kelli – Olympic Nest • Chelsea – Making Manzanita
Cherryl – Farm Girl Reformed • Ola – J’adore Le Decor
Rebecca – Simple Practical Beautiful
Hope you will visit some of the creative goings-on these gals are sharing on their blogs. I plan to do that right now. And these please consider linking up your spring bucket list update with us, 04.21.2018. We would love to see what you have going on this spring!
Thank you, ladybugs!
Hugs and kisses,
Hi, Leslie!
What a neat little craft!
It definitely has all the pinworthy ingredients: cute, doable, fun!
Looks like a very pleasant way to spend a little me time, and make some adorable dec with the price tag in check!
Very clever, Missus!
Em, you doll!! Thanks for commenting. Why don’t you come over, and we can paint some rocks together? Would love to get to know you better and just hang out for an afternoon doing so. I could pour us some wine or some coffee, or one then the other. You are welcome anytime!!
You did a great job!! We have a local rock painting group that even has their own FB page! After painting the rocks, they hide them in various places around town and when someone finds one, they post the pic to the FB page. It’s really fun!
Hey, Laura, I have heard of painting rocks and setting them about town. And really planned to do that until I found this darling rock cactus project. Would love to have the link to your town’s rock painting FB page for inspiration as I am planning to try that now. Would love to have my 7 year old grand help me when she visits next. Cady is very artistic. Thank you!
OK = this is ADORABLE!!! & the kind of plant I can keep up with! LOL
I got my son a rock painting kit for Christmas & I wanted to keep it for myself 😉 I love all the painted rock art now. This is the cutest one I’ve seen though!
Thank you so much!! Rebecca Jo, come try your hand at painting rocks. As creative as you are, your rocks will be masterpieces! Have never heard of rock painting kit. Where did you find it? There are great ideas and pattern examples on Pinterest so I want to try painting garden rocks to plant about town.
These are so cute! And I love that little pot you put them in!
One of my dear teaching buddies gave me that adorable cactus pot. It turned out to be perfect for my cactus garden. Getting anxious to take my spring decorations down and move into full summertime cactus all over the house.
That is so darling! My boys painted rock animals last year and I had pulled up some rock cactus ideas for them but really I think I wanted them. How fun and you found the perfect pot for your garden. Pinned.
Thank you, Joanne, for pinning my rock cactus. I want to branch out now and try painting some for the yard and to hide about town to bring smiles to those who find them. Would love to do that when my granddaughter visits. She is quite the creative artist!
This is so cute! I can’t believe it’s made out of rocks. The cactus flower was a perfect addition & any projects that free is a win!
Yay, Jenny, for free projects. I was bragging how free this rock cactus project was and my Prince Charming asked me how long it took, how much paint I used (even though I didn’t buy it for this project specifically, the paint was purchased at some point), the price of the pot had I purchased it (it was gifted). Kind of made me question how free this little project was. Ha! Men!!!
This turned out SO cute, Leslie! I just love anything with cactuses right now and when I was in Hobby Lobby they have 2 displays full of cactus stuff. I picked up a few things, because I want to do a little bit of a cactus theme on my front porch this year. Nothing over the top, just some subtle touches. 🙂 Those rocks are so cute how you painted them! This is one of my favorite crafts you’ve ever shared on here! And goodness, PC was gone 6 weeks?!!! I would have gone crazy! Brian travels about once a month for work and that is hard most of the time for me. I hope he got to see a lot of neat things while there and it wasn’t all work!
Carrie
curlycraftymom.com
Oh, Carrie, thank you for making me smile! Your comments are the best. Love that you are going to sprinkle the cactus theme into your decorating. I am seeing cactus everything…towels, canisters, ring holders, framed prints, little twinkly lights. Oh, I could just go nuts. Except PC is grumbling again about my decorations…the quantity! And I am poor these days because I am not working.
PC’s job is evolving and becoming to involve more travel. He will be going to North Carolina now in a few weeks, or a month or so. Not sure when or for how long. And then another overseas project in the not-so-distant future. When I am busy, I do ok, for the most part. But now that I am home and not working, my days can be long and very solitary. Poor Paul had to work on Saturdays and Sundays, too, so didn’t even get to experience being in Germany.
I’ve pinned several of the painted cactus rocks. They are so cute and fun to make! Yours turned out wonderfully!
Thank you, Laurie. I want to expand this project next time to make rocks for my garden and maybe a few to set about all around town. It was quick and fun.
This is my kind of plant! I don’t have much of a green thumb. Painting the rocks different shades of green was perfect for the look. What a fun project!
Hey, Beverly, rock cactus are my kind of plants, too. I can kill ’bout anything! Had fun making these so that was a bonus.
What detailed instructions! Awesome job on this! This would be a great project for me since I kill every plant that crosses the threashhold into my home. Lol!
Come on, girl, these painted cactus rocks are indestructible. Hope you will give them a try.
Very cute, would be great for a themed dinner party for your table.
I love the idea of making these painted cactus pots centerpieces for a dinner party. I am so antisocial=introverted when it comes to entertaining but I do have family over. That counts, right? I could get the teensiest pots and paint a single cactus in each one and set it by each place setting, huh? Love your idea!!! Thank you!
This little cactus is so adorable. And a fun craft project also.
Thank you! I have seen painted rocks all over Pinterest. Now to try my hand at painting some and sharing them with the world.
Super cute! I used to love painting rocks when I was younger – this brings back memories!
LOVE IT!
This is a pin that’s been on my ‘to do’ list for a while too. I love how yours turned out. As soon as they are upright in the pot it all looks less ‘fruit and vegetable’ and much more cactus !
Thank you so much!!! My painted rock cactus project was so easy. Really want to paint some for the yard, now. So pleased that you came by!
I have a few of these cactus rock garden pinned to my craft board too. Such a fun way to add some greenery onto a shelf or desk for those that don’t want to take care of a live plant.