Crepe Paper Prickly Pear Cactus

This is one cactus you don’t have to worry about accidentally touching! Designed by Meagan, our crepe paper prickly pear cactus features tiny spines and vibrant flowers made out of frosted paper and crepe paper.

Since we are using many different materials to make this cactus and it has more steps than some of our other DIY crafts, we are calling this cactus an intermediate project. If you’d like to start with something easier, check out our papercut cacti — or we even have a simple frosted paper cacti kit.

So pricklin’ cute

One of the fun things about this project is you can use our tutorial to give your crepe paper prickly pear cactus its own unique look and shape. For example, you can play around with how many cotton spun eggs you use and how you arrange them. You can also decide how many paper flowers you want to make and craft them in different colors.

Don’t forget to share photos of your one-of-a-kind creation when you’re done — and let us know where it’s going! We personally think this crepe paper prickly pear cactus would look cute on a shelf in your home or on an office desk. Or you could even craft it as a housewarming gift.

Skill level: Intermediate

Crafting tips: Use pliers to push the toothpicks into the pre-poked holes. You can build your paper prickly pear cactus with any number of large medium and small eggs.

This content uses links from which we may earn a commission. Disclosure.

Tools

• Craft Scissors
• Cricut Maker or Silhouette Cameo 4 (optional)
• Needle-Nose Pliers/Wire Cutters
• Curling Tool
• High-Temp Hot Glue Gun
• Needle-Nose Tweezers
• Pastel Soft Art Sponge

Materials

• Lia Griffith Extra-Fine Crepe Paper – Chiffon
• Lia Griffith Heavy Crepe Paper – Juniper
• PanPastel Artist Pastel – Phthalo Green Tint 620.8
• Lia Griffith Frosted Craft Paper – Citrus Pack: Color 1
• Cotton Spun Eggs — 12 mm, 36 mm, and 58 mm
• Thick Paper Covered Stem Wire
• Tacky Glue or Art Glitter Glue
• Mod Podge – Matte
• Toothpicks
• Small Pot, Floral Foam, and Rocks 

How to Make a Crepe Paper Prickly Pear Cactus

1. Gather your craft tools and materials. Then download the pattern below.
2. Cut paper according to pattern using scissors or a cutting machine.
3. Flatten the medium and large cotton spun eggs.
4. Stretch the crepe paper circles.

Full tutorial available for members to download below.

Explore More

Love paper crafts? Check out all of our crepe paper flowers and frosted paper flowers. We also have other paper plants and different kinds of cacti you can make!