How to make a Faux Blooming Cactus with Foil!

When I saw how beautiful and rich the Emerald/Gold Glossy Foiled Paper was, I just 'knew' I needed to make a cactus of some sort.

Supplies:

• Emerald/Gold Glossy Foiled paper
• Petaloo Flowers
• Floral Craft Cube
• Small terra cotta pot
• Sewing pins, both standard and decorative.
• Scissors
• Green spray ink

1. Carefully carve your cube into a mushroom like shape with a knife over a trash can. It will get messy!
2. Roll the top part of the carved piece onto a hard surface. This will 'round' out the edges and make them smoother.
3. Place you carved piece on a paper plate and spritz until it is evenly coated. Place this outside in a sunny spot to dry.

4. While your piece is drying, you can start to texturize the foil. To do this, place your foil green side down onto a foam mat or the underside of a mouse pad. For the 'tool', I cut a small rectangle from clear plastic. Can you see it in the top left photo? I made quick indentations going one way, then rotated the foil and made more indentations, criss-crossing until I had 'spine-like' designs.

5. Next I cut about (15)  1" x 4" strips of the foil with a few to spare.
6. As shown in the photo above, I pinned them in place, leaving the center open. Then I flipped it over and pinned the rest of the strips at the base of the cactus. I added more strips as needed to fill any gaps.

7.  I assembled the flowers, securing them at the top of the cactus with the decorative pins.

I love the color contrast, just like a real blooming cactus but with out any prickly fuss!

Please visit  Rinea Inspires for more foil idea's!