DIY Pipe Cleaner Cacti

DIY Pipe Cleaner Cacti

When I saw this amazing cactus-shaped chair on Pinterest the other day, I was instantly inspired. The way they shaped wire to look like the outline of a cactus is genius! I had a ton of green pipe cleaners left over from another craft, so I gathered them up and got to work on these fun cactus sculptures.

DIY Pipe Cleaner Cacti

The awesome thing about this project is that you can totally customize the technique to make a cacti in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors! This is such a fun project to do with kids – they’ll love experimenting with the 3D shapes in a medium that is so forgiving. Put a pompom on top and you’ve got a colorful collection of cactus (try saying that 5 times fast!) to decorate your table for Cinco de Mayo.

DIY Pipe Cleaner Cacti

What You Need

DIY Pipe Cleaner Cacti
  • Green pipe cleaners
  • Scissors
  • Pompoms
  • Yarn
  • Hot glue (optional)

How-To

DIY Pipe Cleaner Cacti

Step 1
Shape a pipe cleaner into a circle, twisting the ends together to secure.

DIY Pipe Cleaner Cacti

Step 2
Attach another pipe cleaner onto the circle by twisting its end around the circle and then back on itself.

DIY Pipe Cleaner Cacti

Step 3
Link the other end of that pipe cleaner to the opposite side of the circle, forming an arch.

DIY Pipe Cleaner Cacti

Step 4
Add another pipe cleaner in the same way.

DIY Pipe Cleaner Cacti

Step 5
And add another pipe cleaner too – your sculpture should now look like a simple, domed cactus. You can adapt these steps to make cacti in different shapes – make the base circle smaller or larger, make the cacti taller by using two pipe cleaners connected at the ends for the arches, make a zig-zag base instead of a circle, add arms onto the sides … get creative! You can use dots of hot glue to secure more complex cacti if needed.

DIY Pipe Cleaner Cacti

Step 6
Time to make the pompom flowers! Use yarn to make a DIY pompom (this technique, but mini!) and leave the tails long to tie onto the cactus.

DIY Pipe Cleaner Cacti

Step 7
Tie the tails of the pompom around the top of the pipe cleaner cactus and then trim the excess. Or, use a store-bought pompom and glue it in place.

DIY Pipe Cleaner Cacti DIY Pipe Cleaner Cacti

Happy crafting!