DIY Faux Porcelain Cactus Ring Holder

Sometimes the idea for a project just pops up and then you seek out the materials, but other times the materials themselves inspire a project. The latter was definitely the case for this project - I must have looked at these plastic cacti in Michaels ten times wondering what I could make with them. Then I remembered seeing a beautiful porcelain cactus ring holder online a while back and thought it would be super cool if I could try to recreate it. With a little bit of experimentation I figured out how to make these faux porcelain cactus ring holders with the help of a little plaster and white and gold paint! Best part is, you can make your own, too!

Here's what you'll need:

• Plastic cacti. These came 3 to a package at Michael's
• Wood disks. Mine were 1 3/4" diameter
• Hot glue
• Plaster (not pictured). Simple craft plaster is fine
• Paper cup
• Stir stick
• White spray paint
• Oil-based gold Sharpie

Hot glue the cactus to the center of the wood disk.

Mix up the plaster in the paper cup according to the directions (mine was 1 part cold water to 2 parts plaster). Stir it up well with the chopstick. It will start setting up quickly so be ready! When it's about the consistency of a milkshake, hold the wood disk and dip the cactus into the plaster until the plastic is all coated. If parts of the base aren't covered, spread the plaster around with a toothpick to get all of the nooks and crannies. I got the best results when I tipped the cup to the side and dipped one side of the cactus and then the other. Let dry upright. If a second dip is needed, let dry overnight and repeat.


Let dry completely and then spray paint, 2-3 coats. Draw some gold accents around the base and on the cacti themselves if you'd like. I added a few prickles and dashed lines on some and left others plain.


So cute, right? They make a sweet little addition to a dressing table, and for a perpetual jewelry stasher like myself, they're perfect for keeping rings organized. They look like porcelain and you'd never be able to guess that there's a cheap-o plastic cactus inside. Ha!


P.S. I'm heading out to Craftcation tonight! I've been looking forward to this since last years' conference, so I'm super pumped! Let me know if you're going to be there! Follow me on Instagram to keep up with all the action. :) Have a great weekend!