Cactus Christmas Tree

This is a really fun weekend project that adds some different holiday vibe to your home decoration.

The best part of this little project is that you don't need any fancy tools or expensive props, I used some recycled material and props from dollar store and the result turned out very well.

Pool noodle, pot, metal wire (I used old metal clothes hanger), wooden stick, scrap wood, foil tinsel, pom poms and all other decorations you want for a Christmas Tree!

Pool noodles are great for a lot of projects, and you can use multiple ones to make bigger cactus. This one I made is from 1 single noodle.

1. Cut the noodle from the middle (roughly, you don't have to be so precise as it's a tree)

2. Take half of the noodle and cut that into 2 parts as well. 1 part can be slightly longer than the other one for more organic look

1. Get a thick metal wire -- Or if you're like me that you don't want to spend extra on metal wire, and just happen to have an old metal clothes hanger, please feel free to use it which is perfect for the job anyways.

2. Use a wire cutter to trim the wire of the length of the noodle. Make sure you leave about 10 cm extra to both sides to bend it easier and to stick into the main one.

3. Use both end of the wire, bend the pool noodle. Now you will have 1 long straight cactus body and 2 bended cactus arms.

1. Get a thin wood stick to support the body for cactus. Here I used a recycled support stick for my garden plant.

2. Put the body upright, then use the metal wire to stick the arms into the body. You can insert them at an angle for a steadier result.

3. Now the shape starts to look great! I put it in the old pot I have and I'm happy with the size and shape.

To prevent the arm twisting or turning down, I used some masking tape to tape the joint. You don't really need strong tape for this step, as the tree will be very light in the end and the metal wire sticked in the body was quite strong already.

There're many ways to stable the base. You can even use real sand or stone to stable the noodle.

As I want to carry my cactus tree around so I made a lighter wooden base. Again you don't need a strong and perfect wooden base as the noodle is very light. I just found some scrap wood I had in the garage.

1. Measure the diameter of the pot and mark a slightly smaller square on the wood. Then measure another even smaller square to fit on the bottom of the pot.

2. Cut down the scrap wood with a saw. Use a file tool to trim off the corners.

3. Now you will have 2 pieces of wood that will fit perfectly in the pot with the corners stuck on the side of the pot.

1. Drill a hole at the center on both wood pieces. The hole should have the same diameter of your wooden stick. Make sure the holes are aligned with each other.

2. Stick the wood stick through both holes, and stuck it back to the pot.

3. Now your cactus tree is sitting tightly in the pot and will not move at all. If you want to add extra security you can put stones at the bottom or in between the wood as well.

4. When you make sure the cactus is all good to go, trim off the extra wood stick, and extra metal wire. I put a masking tape on top to prevent sharp metal edges expose outside.

Now it's time for some creative minds...

I just sticky taped some foil tinsel around the cactus tree, and around the wooden base, put on some pom poms. For the arm I did the same thing and hanged more pom poms.

However you can also hang your Christmas baubles, lights, other decorations to decorate your tree. As shown in the cover photo, I also put on a Christmas hat for the tree, and put more foil pom poms on the side of the arms.

I hope you enjoyed this easy and fast Instructable, it is great for a family activity or a quick office/home decoration. I'm happy with the result and the tree looked really festive and unique. It's very satisfying and rewarding for beginners like me. I hope you give it a try and Merry Christmas!