DIY Cactus String Art Craft

What is it about a cactus that is so beautiful? It is uninviting and prickly! Lately unpretentious and low maintenance plants like cacti and other succulents have become extremely popular. People find them beautiful because they are a symbol of strength and sustainability. They are able to work hard to find the water they need to survive, they have their own way of keeping themselves safe from harm with their spikes, and they are able to adapt and store water as needed. Even through this struggle, they are able to find beauty by producing flowers. The juxtaposition is what makes a cactus so beautiful. It is tough and beautiful all at the same time!

I have been really loving cacti and other succulents for all of the reasons I just mentioned. It is so refreshing to have something else to look at besides flowers. Don't get me wrong, I love flowers, but the change is really nice and sophisticated. I was in Arizona recently for a wedding, and fell in love with all of the cacti there. Now I have spiraled into a cactus crafting frenzy...starting with DIY Cactus String Art!

String art, or yarn art, is very simple. It looks like an intense process, but all you really need is a flat piece of wood (or plywood), nails, a hammer, and some yarn. You can add some paint for different looks, but that is really all it takes.

DIY Cactus String Art Craft Supplies

yarn; any colors you like

nails; I used 1 inch wire nails

hammer

plywood; or any kind of wood really

paint; optional

pencil with eraser

scissors

Directions:

*Paint the wood any color you like; optional

*Use a pencil to LIGHTLY draw the desired shape of the cactus; if you have the ability to print one out to trace, that works as well; I simply freehanded it!

*Use a hammer to hammer in nails about an inch or so apart from each other along the line of the design; make sure they are secure, but don't go all the way through

*Once the design is made, use the eraser to erase the pencil marks

*Tie the yarn around one of the nails and tie two knots

*Loop the string around each nail to outline the design

*Once outlines loop the yarn crisscross the nails in the design to fill it out; you can do any kind of design you like, there are not rules to this part

*Once finished, cut the yarn, and double knot it again around one of the nails

*To make the "flower" wrap some of the yarn around your hand, cut it, then use a small piece of string to go through the center and tie it so that it looks like a circle (pictures below)

*Use scissors to cut the opposite side of where it is cut

*Use another small piece of yarn around the bottom of the piece of yarn (pictures below!!)

*Attach the flower by simply sticking it into one of the nails