DIY Cactus Pumpkins

I'm loving the succulent trend right now and can't seem to get enough. I just so happened to be at my favorite outdoor farmer's market and I found some pumpkins and gourds that to me looked like they were just dying to be something else. They no longer looked like gourds in a bin, they looked like a cactus you would see in the desert. And so, my DIY cactus pumpkin vision was born. This is a fun twist on the traditional Halloween or fall decor and it's so very easy to make. Let me show you how!

I started by picking up a few round sugar pumpkins that to me, looked like a barrel cactus. I removed the stem and let that area dry up overnight {it will create a sort of scab} before I spray painted my pumpkins green.  I also selected a few gourds that I thought had a cool cactus like shape to them. They already had a cool color, so there was no need to spray paint them.

I bought a box of toothpicks and cut about 50 of them in half with scissors. Once my pumpkins were dry, I followed the natural lines and pushed my toothpicks in creating a pattern. That's it! It's super easy to create these DIY cactus pumpkins.

I bought the .79 cent pots from Ikea. These would look good in terra cotta pots too or really, anything you might have on hand. I added some newspaper in the bottom and for the pumpkins that didn't fill up the whole pot space, I sprinkled leftover rocks around the base.

I can't get over how much I love them!

This was a great, easy, no carve DIY pumpkin idea that I just love! Give it a try and let me know what you think.
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