I just can’t wait until next year to share my cactus Halloween costume DIY from this year! I know I’m publishing this post a bit late to help you this year. But I only came up with this costume just yesterday! AND…I won “most creative” in my teacher costume contest at work today! This is such a sharp Halloween costume, and it also makes for a great Earth Day costume for kids or adults.
Would you believe that two days ago, I was determined that I would not participate in the Halloween costume contest this year because of time limitations since we are hosting our daughters’ double birthday party this weekend. But then I remember a super cute DIY cactus costume that my husband’s adorable cousin made last year, and my creative juices started flowing.
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Our cousin sent me the cactus costume DIY tutorial she had used for her costume. After reviewing it and deciding it might take more time than I had, I came up with an alternate idea. Her costume used cardboard boxes for the cactus pot. It involved lots of hot glue and crepe paper and such.
Instead, I decided to put my handy husband to work with a huge bucket, a can of spray paint, and a saw.
My Steps for a Cactus Halloween Costume DIY (or Earth Day Costume DIY)
- To make this costume, I first hunted for a 20-gallon bucket. I purchased this bright blue bucket from Lowe’s. It cost around $8.
- I bought a spray paint that would have a similar look to the terra cotta of a flower pot. The one we used was Krylon “Satin Brown Boots.”
- My helpful husband used a special saw to completely remove the bottom of the bucket (so that my legs could extend through the bucket).
- Next, my husband spray painted two coats of the spray paint onto the bucket.
- My husband removed the short ropes which came on the sides of the bucket. He replaced them with longer pieces of rope (from the garage) which hung over my shoulders like suspenders to hold up the bucket. We only had white rope. Green would have blended better with my shirt.
- I cut white pipe cleaner into halves and thirds before bending the pieces into V shapes. (I’ve linked it here, but you can often find pipe cleaner at Dollar Tree and similar places for $1 for 25 pieces.
- Using a hot glue gun, I randomly glued the Vs all over an olive green long-sleeve shirt. (I used a shirt I already had. This shirt will be ruined once you put on the cactus pricks so spend as little as possible on this shirt.)
- I found a pair of terra cotta colored leggings to match some terra cotta/camel colored booties I already had. These tan high-top sneakers would be cute if you have nothing else.
- I stole some greenery garlands from my fall mantle to drape around the top of my bucket, duct taping the garland in various places on the INSIDE of the bucket.
- I added an olive green beanie hat and pinned a few sprigs of the greenery to the hat.
- I created a cute “plant tag” and a cute plant pun sign and printed on card stock to attach to my pot. (Both printables are available below!)
And…wallah…a potted cactus Halloween costume! I have seen other versions of cactus costumes. Who knows, next year I may come up with a different version!
A Few Things to Know About This DIY Cactus Costume
Here are a few things you may want to know so you can decide if this cactus costume DIY is for you.
- I am a short person – only 5′ tall – and rather petite in stature. I was pretty sure I could fit into the bucket. People will need to evaluate how comfortable they are squeezing into a bucket for their cactus costumes.
- Speaking of comfortable, I was able to walk just fine in the bucket. But I could not sit down, bend over, or climb stairs very easily while wearing the bucket.
- The white pipe cleaner “prickles” on my shirt were a bit…well, prickly. I wasn’t too bothered by it, but they did poke me several times. A second option would be to use a white paint pen to draw on the cactus spines.
- It took a little finagling to get the “suspenders” (ropes) to hang comfortably from my shoulders. You will probably spend a little time adjusting the ropes to get the length right and such.
- I added the green garlands to look like “assorted foliage” dangling out of the pot. My body was the cactus. That is why I wore an olive shirt and hat. The bottom half of my body was part of the terra cotta pot. If you can’t find terra cotta colored pants and shoes, olive green would work also. It would just look like the cactus roots have grown out of the pot.
- The green garlands are duct taped to the inside of the pot for a reason. If the duct tape comes loose or if you need to remove it, it will likely rip off sections of the spray paint.
- Small terra cotta pots of plants to hold as props are a nice extra touch.
Free Printables for Your Own DIY Cactus Costumes
Feel free to print out my plant tag and my funny plant pun signs! Find just the one that matches your cactus vibes! You’ll be looking sharp no matter which one you use! (Wink, wink!)
If you are inspired by this potted cactus costume, be sure to catch some of my other favorite Halloween posts!
Whether you are planning this cactus costume to use at Halloween or as an Earth Day costume, I hope it works out perfectly for you!
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