Wooden Cactus Decor from Post Caps

On my recent Junkin’ Journey trip to Charlotte, NC, I swung by a Habitat Restore and spotted a bin filled with post caps for fences and decks. I studied them for a bit as I mulled an idea around in my head. Could I upcycle them into wooden cactus decor?

You might be wondering *why* I needed to make some fake cactus and the answer is simple. I was still wrapping up my Thrift the Look: Boho Decor post at the time, and was in desperate need for some artificial plants.

Specifically, I needed some faux cactus plants, and those post caps at Habitat ReStore sparked an idea to life in my mind. And since the wooden finials were cheap, it was worth the DIY risk. 

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Upcycling the Post Caps as DIY Cactus Decor

The first step in my upcycling experiment was to paint the post caps. I didn’t want to be able to see wood grain through my cactus green paint, so I needed to start with primer. LOTS and lots of primer.

I made make-shift stands by scoring the tops of small cardboard boxes, sticking the bolt end through the score, and began to primer the deck post caps.

Pro tip: I should have sanded these down first with a fine-grit sandpaper to help close the grain. But I was short on time with non-rainy weather, so I simply had to start adding primer right away.

Many coats later (it dries fast), I began to paint them with regular old latex paint.

I ended up using two different greens – one more Kelly green, and one more olive green.

Once the faux cactus were sufficiently green, I needed to add “spines”. I used fine and very fine tip paint pens to add little spike marks all over the wooden cactus decor.

I have next to zero talent when it comes to free hand drawing, but I was satisfied enough!

Finishing Touches on Wooden Cactus Decor

To pot my faux cactus, I stuck the bolts through floral foam, placed them in terracotta flower pots, and used hot glue to set the foam inside the pots.

I filled in the gaps with shredded paper from our shredder before topping them with dried beans.

Sure, I could have used rocks/pebbles, but dried beans are a lot cheaper and I already had them in my pantry!

And look at them now! I have little Boho plants with faux cactus. But you know what?

They needed something else…something to really make them pop.

Bright cactus flowers! That’s exactly what they needed.

I still had the artificial flowers I had used in my terracotta spray paint project, so I harvested some of the blossoms to use on my cactus decor. Then, I simply attached them to the top of each faux cactus with my hot glue gun.

There…isn’t that the cherry on top? Well, not literally, but you know what I mean!

Wooden Cactus Decor from Post Caps

Perfect wooden cactus decor to use in my Boho decor blog post! Would you ever have guessed that they were made by upcycling those post caps?

I *know* they don’t truly replace the real thing, but they’re awfully cute and a cinch to maintain.

Besides, real cactus plants are a no-go in our house with such a curious cat as Cottonball. So, faux cactus is the only way to go!

Don’t be surprised if you see these pop up in my photos from time to time! They’re too cute not to keep around.

I just LOVE how these faux cactus plants turned out. Guess you could say I love fake plants in general, because check out the felt succulents I recently created!

Interested in even more upcycling ideas for Boho Decor? Check out this collection of ideas for modern Bohemian decor!

Craft on!

S

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