Welcome to the March “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 cactus string art.
Pinspired Cactus String Art
My original inspiration for this project came from a darling string art pallet I saw at Hobby Lobby. Put it in my cart then looked at it more closely and decided I could make it myself.
That was January. In February, I started looking on Pinterest for the directions to making a string art and found several pins for cactus string art pallets. I have pinned them on my DIYs, DIMs and Honey-Dos board, here. And in March, I finally created my own cactus string art pallet to use with my other cactus-themed summertime decor.
Follow along the steps below to create your own cactus string art or a piece of string art in a design of your choosing.
The Supplies
I have seen string art made with embroidery floss and yarn. For my project, I planned to use some of my many skeins of leftover green embroidery thread. But mid-stream, I switched to yarn. Either one works well but the yarn just provided a heavier, fuller look.
- Wood pallet
- Small nails, about 1″
- Hammer
- Pencil
- White acrylic paint
- Wide paint brush
- Container for water and paint
- Embroidery thread, colors and number of skeins dependent on your project design OR
- Yarn, again colors and number of skeins dependent on your string art pattern
- Scissors
- Artificial flower for cactus
Directions
- Pulled up several images of cactus string art on Pinterest to use as pinspiration.
- Painted the palette with a wash of white acrylic paint.
- Lightly sketched the cactus design onto the pallet in pencil.
- Began gently hammering the nails onto the pallet along the design outline, spacing the nails as evenly as possible.
- Beginning at the left bottom corner of the cactus, I knotted the embroidery floss around the nail. Then began wrapping the thread around each nail once then moving to the next nail, wrapping the floss around it. Proceeded until all of the nails were connected by thread and the cactus was outlined. Tied off the end of the thread.
- After outlining my cactus, I had run out of the color floss I’d chosen to use. When I went to Walmart the next day for more thread, I discovered this yarn in a variated combination of green-olive-tan. Decided to start again, using the yarn.
- Reoutlined my cactus design with the yarn. Preferred the way the yarn created a bolder line.
- Measured off a length of floss or yarn and began wrapping it on one nail then stretching it across the cactus to a nail on the opposite side of the plant. The yarn took on a criss-cross pattern, filling in the shape with color.
- Once I was happy with the way the yarn had filled the shape, I outlined the cactus one more time, wrapping the yarn around the edge of the plant. Tying off the yarn when I was finished.
- Clipped a bloom from a stem of artificial flowers then used hot glue to attach it to the pallet.
- Ta-da, my finished string art cactus pallet.
Cactus-Themed Summertime Decor
Last year was the first time I used a cactus theme for my summer decorations. Didn’t have a lot of items to use so have picked up pieces to add to my collection over the past few months. PC and I recently enjoyed participating in I Painted That’s “Wood and Wine Workshop” where we built and painted our own pallets. It was one of the activities on my Winter Bucket List, here. My Prince made a baseball themed sign for around the logo for his beloved Cincinnati Reds. I made a cactus pallet.
And I will be reviewing some beautiful artificial cactus I received from Silk Plants Direct in a post coming soon. Here’s a peek at these lovely succulents paired with my cactus string art.
Your Turn
Do you Pinterest? If so, do you ever go back to revisit/use your pins? While I have oodles and oodles of pins, I am pretty good about pinning only things I might someday refer back to. Especially in the way of recipes and DIYs. Would love to have you follow me on Pinterest, here.
And guess what? You, too, can join in the pinspiration fun.
To join next month’s challenge, click here to sign-up ⇒ April 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 • Shirley – Intelligent Domestications
Jenny – Cookies Coffee and Crafts
Joanne – Our Unschooling Journey • Magen – The Kusi Life
Roseann – This Autoimmune Life • Kelli – The Olympic Nest
Lynne – My Family Thyme • Beverly – Across the Blvd.
Debra – Shoppe No. 5 • Pili – My Sweet Things
Laurie – My Husband Has Too Many Hobbies • Kristie – Teadoddles
Julie – Sum of their Stories • Gwen – Geez, Gwen!
Marie – The Inspiration Vault • Candice – Fearlessly Creative Mammas
T’onna – Sew Crafty Crochet • Kenyatta – My Design Rules
Cherryl – Farm Girl Reformed • Lisa – Blogghetti
Leslie – Once Upon a Time & Happily Ever After
Micah – Home Faith Family • Kelley – Simply Inspired Meal
Lauren – Mom Home Guide • Deborah – Salvage Sister & Mister
Gail – Purple Hues and Me • Terri – Our Good Life
Lauren – Wonderfully Made • Sue – A Purdy Little House
Toni – Small Home Soul • Maureen – Red Cottage Chronicles
Marci – Stone Cottage Adventures • Michelle – Our Crafty Mom
• Maria – Tinselbox
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 with the gang tomorrow, 03.21.2018. We would love to see what you have planned for spring!
Thank you, dear ones.
Hugs and kisses,
Love this, Leslie! I like yours better than the one from the store! You are quite the crafter!
Thank you, sweet Whitney. My daughter was a little skeptical about the shape of mine at first but once I filled it in, my cactus looked less anatomical.
Too cute, I love the little flower you added! I did an ‘Oh Deer’ string art awhile back and I still have it displayed in my family room. Too funny, we were just at IKEA yesterday and my son wanted this ceramic cactus, but the cashier said it was part of a display (it was?!!) so he couldn’t buy it! Poor boy! lol!
Carrie
curlycraftymom.com
I remember your ‘Oh, Deer’. I think it was one of the first string art pieces I had seen. So super cute.
Poor Nathan! That’s crazy about his cactus at IKEA. I thought everything there was for sale. I just bought a ceramic cactus at the Dallas IKEA last fall. Probably a very good thing we don’t have an IKEA within 500 miles!
I am seeing cactus everywhere lately. Putting the southwest on the map. I love it.
This cactus is adorable. I love the string art and how it looks. I just don’t think I have the patience for hammering in the nails. Pinning!
Thank you for commenting on and pinning my cactus. I had a little trouble getting the nails to stay in place. I think I was just not hitting them hard enough. Finally got brave and gave each of them a whack. Sure enjoyed this blog hop.
I love how that came out! I like that your version has a lot more string in the string art than the store version. Pinned.
I have been wondering about these string art pieces that have been popping up. Thanks for clearing up how this is done! I really like how your cactus came out so if I do attempt one, its all harm for me! Thank you for sharing sweet lady 🙂
Hope you will try making one of these cactuses. The word cacti just sounds so pretentious to me. Yuck. It was a fun project that I did on the couch beside PC. Will probably try another one in the fall and winter to add to my seasonal decor. But, shh, don’t tell PC. He is banning me from any more seasonal decorations.
So nice to hear from you and have you come by. Hope spring is springing in your neck of the woods. XO sweet friend!
Love how your string art turned out! This is a such a fun project and I like the flower that you added to yours much better! Great job!
Thank you, sugar foot. I really wanted a bright pink pom-pom for mine but decided the flower I found for $.97 was a very close second! Thank you for coming by.
This came out great! I really want to try some of this string art, I need to pick a pattern and just do it! Yours is lovely! Great job! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you, ladybug! This was really a fun project. I would like to make a fall leaf and a snowflake in the future, and maybe a giant sunflower for summer. Hope you will try your luck at this. Easily a one-day activity and very inexpensive.
I love that you made your own string art instead of buying a pre-made one at Hobby Lobby! Your cactus looks perfect!
Hey sweets! Thank you! I probably spent as much money on making my string art cactus as Hobby Lobby was selling theirs for but it’s handmade. And I kind of like mine better. Ha!
Yours turned out great! I’m always taking pictures of things in the craft store that I can make myself instead too. I haven’t tried string art yet but want to
Oh, give the string art project a try. It was fun, easy, inexpensive and something I will try again soon.
Looks like a lot of fun and I love the cactus. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for coming by. It was a win-win-win project…cheap, fast, fun!
Love this and you do exactly what I do. I find projects at the store and just know I could do cheaper and better. Pinned.
Thank you, friend. This project was win-win-win – easy, fun, affordable. Oh and fast!!
That turned out so great! Awesome choice.
Thank you! What a supportive group this is!
Oh this is SO cute! I love that you used a pallet for the background and added the flower – perfect! Seeing the one that inspired you, I think that’s a neat idea too – painting the background picture. You did a great job on this!
Thank you, sweets! Seeing the cactus at Hobby Lobby again in my photo, I liked the idea of painting the image underneath the string art, too. But was sure I would make a mess with the paints. Felt like I was better off just using lots and lots of yarn to bring out the color!
Yours is much better than the store version because you added more string. Thanks for the tip about the yarn and embroidery floss. I really like the touch you added with the flower! I have a flowering cactus so it made me think of that.
This project was so easy, cheap and fun (and fast) that I want to try another string art soon. I really liked the pom-pom on the Hobby Lobby original but as fumble-fingered as I am sometimes am, didn’t feel like trying to create one myself. And the flower was so much cheaper than buying another skein of yarn to make the pom-pom. Thank you!!
Your cactus is definitely better than the one in the store! I love that string art is making a come back. I remember doing it in grammar school for art!
Thank you!! I thought I remembered string art from my daughters’ younger years. Glad to know I didn’t dream it. Thank you for your sweet comments.
This is so sweet. I have never tried string art but it looks so much fun to do. I like the idea of using the cactus because it looks like an easy one to try for the first time.
Thank you, Debra! This was my first string art project and I loved it. Easy, fun, cheap, fast, cheap, fast!!! Ha! Will be trying another for summer.
You did a wonderful job at a DIM cactus string art project. It always feels good when you can create something beautiful on your own for your home.
Thank you, Erlene!! So glad to be a part of your Pinterventures series. I do feel proud and happy when I make something for our home. And this one had the bonus properties of being easy, cheap and fast!!
Love string art, and your cactus is beautiful. Pinning!
Thank you, new friend!! My string art project was easy, fun and cheap!! The trifecta of craft projects. Thank you so much for stopping by.
I like yours better than the store’s! You did an amazing job and I am sure that it is even more special because you made it yourself! This would even be fun for my daughter to do (if I did the nailing part)! Thanks for sharing this great tutorial!
Aww, thank you! I am out of town and have been for a week so very delinquent in replying to comments. I know with a little help, Claire could do a string art project. It would be great for building eye-hand coordination and just plain fun. XO
I love the way this turned out! Quite impressive!
Hey, sweets, thank you! Have been out of town for a week and out of the loop so late replying to comments. Thank you for the kind words and for coming by.
I love this cactus string art! I’ve been really into cacti lately. I’m pinning this great idea! I plan on doing a cactus themed room eventually.
Thank you so much, love! This was a very easy project and cheap and fun and fast!!! All of the important things. Hope you will try it and share your results with me. Please come back again.
This turned out just brilliantly Leslie, well done fro making not buying!
I remember string art back in the 70’s, we had some that my dad had made, so I love that it is right back in fashion now.
I remember string art in the ’70’s, too. We are showing our age!! Thank you for stopping by and for the sweet comment.
OHHH its amazing to read this .
You made my day I know with a little help, Claire could do a string art project. It would be great for building eye-hand coordination and just plain fun.
Thank you. Have fun!!
Thanks sharing this article about the myself inspired cactus string art
Thank you!!
wow , great work on cactus string art. i am also doing crafting work its really gives me happiness when i am making something new . i really love your work and inspirational article. thanks for sharing this amazing article and also pinspired cactus string art.