So, I’ve been meaning to share this one for a while. It’s my little adventure in making a peacock plant stand. My prize fern was just sitting on an old crate, looking a bit sad, and I thought, no, this plant deserves some real pizzazz. And what’s more pizzazzy than a peacock, right?
Getting Started – The Idea Strikes
It all started a few weeks back. I was staring at that fern, and then I remembered seeing some fancy metalwork peacocks in a garden center once – way out of my budget, of course. But it got the cogs turning. I thought, “Hey, I can probably make something like that, but for indoors, and, you know, actually useful as a stand.”
You know, it’s funny, I haven’t always been one for these kinds of projects. My DIY journey started out pretty rough. I remember this one time, years ago, I tried to build a simple birdhouse. Simple! It ended up so lopsided, I don’t think any self-respecting bird would have gone near it. My neighbor, bless his soul, just squinted at it and said, “Well, it’s got character.” That disaster actually spurred me on. I figured, I can’t be that bad at everything, right? So I started smaller, read a bit, watched some folks online, and just kept trying. Lots of wonky shelves and wobbly tables later, here I am, tackling peacocks.
Gathering the Bits and Pieces
First things first, I needed materials. I didn’t want anything too complicated.
- Some scrap plywood I had lying around in the garage – perfect for the body and the base.
- A few dowel rods for the legs and neck support.
- The trickiest part was the tail. I pondered this for a bit. Then, inspiration! I found some relatively thin, bendy pieces of hobby wood and also thought about using some kind of sturdy card or even thin metal if I could find it cheap. Ended up going with layers of thinner plywood cut into feather shapes.
- Wood glue, screws, and of course, paint. Lots of paint for those peacock colors.
Putting it All Together – The Fun Part!
The Body and Base: I started by sketching out a very, very rough peacock body shape onto the plywood. Nothing too detailed, just something that hinted at a bird. Cut that out with my jigsaw. Took a couple of tries to get a shape I didn’t hate. Then I cut a sturdy circular piece for the base where the plant pot would sit, and a smaller one for the actual stand’s footing on the floor. Connected these with a thicker dowel.
The Legs and Neck: For the legs, I just used some smaller dowels, angled them a bit so it looked like it was standing proudly. Getting the angles right so it didn’t topple over was a bit of trial and error. Lots of propping and looking. The neck was another piece of dowel, slightly curved. I attached the body shape to this.
The Tail – Oh, That Tail: This was the make-or-break part. I cut out a bunch of elongated, teardrop-shaped “feathers” from the thin plywood. The idea was to layer them. I made a simple fan-shaped support structure out of more scrap wood that attached to the back of the peacock body. Then, I started gluing and nailing the “feathers” onto this support, overlapping them to give that full, fanned-out look. This took the most time, arranging them so they looked somewhat natural and not just like a pile of wood scraps. I kept stepping back, squinting, and rearranging.
Painting and Finishing Touches
Once everything was assembled and the glue was dry, it was time for paint. This is where it really started to look like a peacock! I got out my blues, greens, and a touch of gold. I’m no artist, mind you. My painting technique is best described as ‘enthusiastic amateur’. I painted the body a deep blue, then worked on the feathers with greens and blues, adding those characteristic ‘eyes’ with gold and a darker blue. It was messy, but super satisfying to see it come to life.
I let it dry for a good 24 hours, then gave it a quick coat of clear varnish I had leftover from another project, just to protect it a bit.
The Grand Reveal (to myself and the fern)
And there it was! My very own peacock plant stand. It’s not perfect, not by a long shot. If you look closely, some feathers are a bit crooked, and the paint job isn’t going to win any awards. But you know what? I made it. That fern now sits proudly on its peacock throne, and I get a little kick every time I look at it. It’s definitely a conversation starter, mostly people asking “What IS that?” until they get a bit closer. But hey, it’s unique, and it was a fun way to spend a few afternoons. Plus, it didn’t collapse, so that’s a win in my book after that birdhouse incident!
