Prickly Beauties

There’s something about the cactus that seems to draw people to it. My daughter and two nieces love them. I wasn’t crazy about them. Just loved them as part of nature. But my 16-year old niece changed all that.

She’s really obsessed with cactuses and makes beautiful drawings of them. You can ask any family member what she likes and they’ll tell you, “cactuses”.

When I went to the UK last January I’d planned to get each family member a little gift. Guess what I listed for her. Yes! Something cactus. And the hunt began!

It actually wasn’t difficult at all. You won’t believe how popular the cactus is. There’s cactus everything everywhere! From candles, to mugs, to power banks, to pillows, to key chains, and the list goes on! I wanted to buy everything! But with such a big family and a very very small budget I bought her a candle which, I’m happy to report, she loves! 😊

One day last year as I was dropping her home I stopped by a nursery near her house to get some soil. We both ended up buying some cactuses and succulents! Not just from there but from Ikea too!

Since then I’ve been following cactus lovers on Instagram. Inspired by them I made a whole bunch of cactuses from felt material (there are many more! 😱). I kept looking for different shades of green and sewed from morning to night! Everyone asked me if I was selling them and I said that it would be nice if I could (Marketing and sales are not my forte. They are still with me except for a few which I gave away as birthday gifts 😅). I had to stop myself or we’d be drowning in cactuses! Ouch! 🌵🌵🌵

This year we celebrated my niece’s 16th birthday and surprised her with a cactus themed party. Boy, was she surprised! I copied the design from an Instagramer and sewed her a string of cactuses which she loves (notice the present tense? 😉)