Getting My Hands Dirty with Ceramic Plant Stands
Okay, so I got tired of looking at the same old plant stands everywhere. You know the ones, either super flimsy metal things or wooden ones that cost way too much. I thought, hey, I’ve got some time, why not try making my own? Ceramic ones sounded cool, maybe a bit sturdy, something unique.
First off, I had to get the stuff. Went down to the local craft place and picked up a block of air-dry clay. Didn’t want to mess with kilns right away, seemed like a whole other level of complicated. Grabbed some basic sculpting tools too – just little plastic things, nothing fancy. And some sandpaper for smoothing later.
The Actual Making Part
So I cleared off the kitchen table (covered it first, obviously – messy business, clay). I started simple. Tried making a basic, low, three-legged stand. Sounds easy, right? Wrong. Getting those legs the same size and shape, and making them strong enough to actually hold a pot without wobbling… that took a few tries. My first attempt looked like something a toddler made. Seriously lopsided.
- Rolled out the clay for the top plate. Tried to keep it even.
- Made three chunky leg shapes. Tried rolling them like sausages.
- Attached the legs. Used that slip stuff (just watered-down clay) and scored the parts like I saw online somewhere.
- Spent ages trying to get it level. Propped it up with bits of cardboard while it dried a bit.
Made a couple more designs too. One was just a solid block with a dip in the top for the pot base. Easier, but kinda heavy.
Waiting Game and Finishing Up
Then came the waiting. Air-dry clay takes ages. Left them sitting in the spare room for like, three days? Maybe four. Had to resist poking them every five minutes to see if they were hard yet.
Once they felt properly solid, I took that sandpaper and went to work. Smoothed out the rough edges, tried to fix some of the wonky bits. It’s dusty work, wear a mask if you do this.
I didn’t glaze these first ones. Wanted to see how the plain clay looked. Plus, glazing seemed like another step I wasn’t ready for yet. Just painted one with some basic acrylic paint I had lying around. Left the others plain terracotta-ish color.
So, How’d They Turn Out?
Well, they’re definitely… handmade. You can tell I made them. The three-legged one is still a tiny bit wobbly if you push it, but it holds my spider plant just fine. The solid block one is sturdy as heck, but yeah, heavy. The painted one looks okay from a distance.
Was it worth it? Yeah, I think so. It was fun getting my hands dirty, trying something new. They’re not perfect, but they’re mine, you know? Adds a bit of character. Might even try the kiln thing next time, see if I can make something a bit more polished. Or maybe not. We’ll see.
