As the semester pushes onward, our free time begins to run out. Between classes, homework and clubs, apartment décor is often the last thing on a busy collegiate’s mind. Unfortunately, more often than not, this lack of time causes the cute little plants we bought at the beginning of the year to meet their demise. Rather than becoming a serial cacti killer, try out this adorable, easy and quick DIY tutorial for your own painted rock garden. In 7 easy steps, you’ll be the cacti queen.
What you’ll need:
– Acrylic paint (I used green, yellow, black and white)
– Paper towels
– Rounded rocks
– Paintbrushes
– Sand/small pebbles
– Small flowerpot
All of these products can be found at your local craft store!
1. After picking out your rocks, which should be rounded in shape to replicate small cacti, begin creating your colors. I mixed my green and yellow together into 3 different shades – one dark green, one medium green and one light yellow-green. For the darkest green, I added a tiny amount of black paint.
2. Using your largest paintbrush, begin painting your rocks. Each rock should be painted in one of the greens, but avoid painting too many one shade. Variation in color helps each rock stand out individually once finished.
3. After painting over your rocks with about 3 coats each, let them sit and dry for 30 minutes. I had to paint the yellow-green rocks a bit more heavily for the color to pop, but acrylic paint dries quickly so more than 30 minutes shouldn’t be necessary.
4. Once the rocks are dry, use white paint and your smallest paintbrush to add unique details to the cacti. The dotting technique, shown on the left, is most easily done with the back end of a paintbrush. Just dip it lightly in paint each time before dotting it on.
5. Let your cacti dry for about 15 minutes. Aren’t they just adorable?
6. Once dry, individually push your new-and-improved cacti into the sand/pebbles in your flowerpot. The way you arrange them is totally up to you.
7. And there you have it! Your own personal, permanent and invincible cacti garden.