How To

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HOW TO: Make a Tiny Cactus

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Plants, in general always add a little something special to a room. This plant might be tiny, but its petite size and handmade look are sure to put a smile on your face.

This tiny plant looks great in any room, but I think it really shines in the Chelseamakes Simplekit dollhouse: The Mill Valley



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WHAT YOU NEED:

  • Green Polymer clay

  • Brown polymer clay

  • A toothpick

  • Wire

  • Wood or metal bottle cap

  • Oven



LET’S GET STARTED:

  1. Find yourself a clean surface.

  2. Pre-set your oven to 275 degrees

  3. Begin by rolling the polymer clay in your hand to soften. Work with clean hands to make sure your cactus is free from dust and debris

  4. Once soft separate and roll to create 6 balls – (1) Large – 3/4”, (2) Medium - 1/2”, (3) Small – ¼”

  5. Gently press on each of the clay balls to flatten to approximately 1/8”

  6. Pinch on end and re-flatten as necessary to form the paddle

  7. Using the toothpick, make light indentations to make the cactus spikes!

  8. Insert the brown clay into the bottle cap

  9. Insert a piece of wire so that it sticks out from the bottom of the largest cactus paddle

  10. Insert the paddle into the brown clay

  11. Cut two small pieces of wire an insert into the medium sized paddles

  12. Insert into the largest paddle

  13. Repeat the process with the smallest paddles

  14. Bake at 275 for 15 minutes

  15. Remove from oven, let cool

  16. Coat with modpodge to finish

For an added bonus, I coated the brown clay of the plant with black seeds and added some little red flowers. You can also experiment with different cactus styles!

Enjoy!