while i am away on vacation i've asked a group of talented ladies to share something with you inspired by a little end of summer vacay! i hope you enjoy and maybe even find a few new creative girls to keep tabs on. pop on over to their blogs too and say hi! - lauren

One of my favorite plants is the cactus. It comes in a variety of shapes and sizes, and is an overall versatile decor item. The cactus has a reputation for being low-maintenence, but despite the lack of care, I somehow managed to drop the ball when it came to the one cactus I owned.

For those who can relate (and even those who might not), a more realistic option to consider is fake greens. Insert these adorable faux potted cacti. They're perfect for decorating your home or office with, and can also be doubled as place cards. Read on for a tutorial

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Materials: oval shaped pebbles (the taller the better!), dark green + white acrylic paint, a paintbrush, toothpick, and 3" terra cotta pots.

PEBBLE PREP

1. Gather long, oval-shaped pebbles. Rinse them clean and let dry.

2. Apply 1-2 coats of green acrylic paint to each pebble. Mix in white paint to create different shades of green.

3. Using the toothpick and white acrylic paint, create small white lines on each pebble, and let dry. These will be your "spikes". Refer to photo #5 for pattern ideas.

FINISHING TOUCHES

4. Scoop potting soil into each pot, leaving ~1cm of space at the top.

5. Arrange pebbles as desired. Pebbles should be 1-1.5" deep into the dirt to ensure sturdiness. Don't be afraid to play around with different arrangements.

OPTIONAL: ATTACHING NAMES

3 ways to attach names to each cacti pot:

A. As seen in these photos, take a rectangular strip of paper, and cut a triangle out of one end, creating a bunting ribbon effect. Write your desired message/name, and glue to the bottom of each pot.

B. Attach a small strip of paper to a toothpick, write your desired message/name and insert in dirt.

C. Directly write your message/name on to the front of the pot.

Find more of Crystal here // 

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