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How to Make
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The original idea, as it is not on the market anywhere else so far as we can ascertain, is catching hold. Ducks are rolling off the home "assembly line" like mallards and pintails diving in on a blind. The public loves them—planted or unplanted.

The real secret of the enterprise is using authentic hunting type duck decoys . . . mallards, bluebills, pintails both in the hens and drakes. Men go for them in a big way where otherwise a planter wouldn't appeal to them. They look masculine in a den, an office, or a study, but women find them equally appealing on a dining room mantel.

But, let Mrs. Stark tell it in her own way—because she makes them:

"I was looking for an unusual gift for my husband's new den he has been building when I spotted some duck decoys in a near-by sports shop. I had been looking at brass planters just before this—and something rang a bell. I decided to make a man's type of planter out of the duck. At the time I didn't know whether I would use brass, glass or a plastic dish. As it turned out, considerations of size and shape called for glass and I made the planter in one night.

"It was so attractive and caused so much comments from our friends that I decided I might make some as a hobby and possibly for sale. It turned out to be a good guess. I soon found out there were other women like me looking vainly for that hard to get item for a man's room. I was in business.

"IF YOU'RE interested, this is how I go about it:

"I buy my duck decoys by the dozen direct from a large wholesale sporting goods firm in Kansas City, Missouri, which is near our home in Prairie Village, Kansas. My bluebills and pintails run $11.40 per dozen and the mallards $11.80. These come all packed in a large carton and are individually wrapped with paper to prevent scuffing.

"The colors of these ducks are very attractive for home use. The mallard has a bright green head, grey body and has blue and white slash markings on the wingtips. The pintails have a dark grey top and white underbody with a white breast. The blue bills are brown and have a white 'necklace' ring around their necks. The pintails and bluebills both hold their heads erect as though looking for danger over the water while the mallards bow their necks and dip their bills on their breasts like swans. The two when fully planted and placed in a knotty pine recreation room look very cozy in their surroundings.

"The fully completed duck, including plants, costs me $1.85 to make and I wholesale it to stores at $3.50. The shops usually charge $4.95 to $6.50 for the planter according to their mark-ups. My profit is $1.65 per duck for a few minutes time at a fascinating hobby I am glad I began.

"MATERIALS NEEDED besides the ducks are as follows: one yard (or less) of green felt or suitable soft material for bases; glass or plastic dish to hold plants; two indoor type plants; a sharp knife preferably one with a serrated edge like a steak knife; a pointed coping saw; small drill and a rasp file with a rounded and flat side. That's all you need.

"I make my stencil pattern on the duck's back with the glass dish inverted and tracing it with pencil. For some reason I get a truer fit this way than making a paper pattern. The paper pattern has a tendency to bend and curve inwards making an untrue fit, usually too tight. But, be careful not to get your opening too large at first as you can't fill in the gap between duck and dish. Sides should fit snugly, but not forced.

"After tracing the outline on the duck's back I take a small hand electric drill and make several small holes in which to start the knife, or the saw. And it is at this point the difference between the ducks comes in. The mallards are made of pressed papier-mache substance with a tar coated interior and the serrated knife is the only tool that will cut them out. The soft papier-mache and tar gum up any saw's edges. However, a steak knife works wonders and seems to keep clean.

"The others, pintails and bluebills, are made of a plaster compound that the saw rips through cleaner and easier than a knife. I tried electric rotary drills and all types of hand saws and drills before selecting the steak knife and the coping saw, which have proved to be great time savers. Care must be taken also not to mar the decoy around the line of cut. It would have to be touched up later if damaged.

"For the longer body decoys, pintails and bluebills, I use a glass icebox dish 7 inches long by 3½ inches wide and 2½ deep. This fits the decoy neatly and only the top lip protrudes while the base rests on bottom. The fatter-size mallards take nicely to a glass icebox dish 5 inches long by 4½ wide and 2¾ deep. This fits just snugly when planted. (Tops I save as ashtrays and for mixing paints.)

"The fit, as mentioned before, should be trim clear around. I make my preliminary cuts along the penciled line and then, after the piece has been cut out, place the dish in and mark the corners that need the most trimming. Here is where the file comes into use. I use the round edge on corners and the flat on the sides, always being careful not to damage the exterior markings and color of the decoy. Clean the file with a steel brush occasionally.

"AFTER THE dish 'drops in' and can be removed with only a little pressure of the fingers on the front or rear portion (because your eventual buyer may want to remove the dish to clean or change plants), I gently smooth off all inside rough edges with sandpaper.

If there are any roughed-up spots on the duck's 'feathers' I have some touch-up ceramic glossy oil paints which I use to cover the spots. Also some decoys come with a fishing swivel arrangement on the front for tying in the water. I clip this off.

"On the base I use heavy green felt (which is rather expensive at $3.50 per yard). Other soft materials can be substituted. I trace the pattern of the duck's 5-by-9 inch oval base onto paper and use this for cutting out the felt. I keep it a little smaller to avoid trimming and apply with rubber cement. The felt is only for the protection of the furniture anyway as most planters sit on good living room furniture or television sets.

"My plants I buy at a local greenhouse. Any indoor kind that are small enough can be used. I use pepperonium and philodendron a lot and sometimes in the pintails I use the tall 'devil's backbone' or pedalanthus with fittonia. I am able to buy a pair of these for about 30 cents apiece at the greenhouse while in the florist shops they ask 75 cents to $1 for similar plants.

"The waxy pepperonium plant and others I usually place up front in the duck near the head, with the philodendron at the rear where it can trail or be curled around the dish. Many interesting arrangements can be made this way and anyone has free rein on unusual planting ideas.

"Sometimes I sell my ducks at $3 without plants and allow the greenhouses and florists to do their own planting arrangements. I have had some priced as high as $7.95 retail with three separate plants combined in the dish, and they sold!

"The beauty of the planter is that it can be redone time and again, either as plants die or the owner wants a change. Besides appealing alike to men and women for their fireplace mantels, dens, libraries and office desks it makes a wonderful gift to give a man who is in the hospital instead of a dozen roses or carnations. It has eye-appeal-and he can take it home!

"AS TO selling, I find a picture or two, one a color slide plus a larger 8-by-10 black and white print, do my selling for me without making it necessary to carry heavy ducks around in my hand. Stores that can easily sell decoy duck planters are sporting goods stores, television shops, florists, greenhouses, furniture stores, some large jewelry stores that carry knickknacks, five and ten cent and dollar stores, hardware and others that might carry a novelty item.

"My cost breakdown is as follows: duck 96 cents; felt 14 cents; dish 15 cents and two plants 60 cents. Both felt and dish may be reduced. I buy my dishes from an economy chain drugstore, but plastic or glass dishes might be purchased cheaper from some wholesale outlet in this field. However, the right size and shape was my biggest problem and when I licked it I didn't dicker.

"With my pictures in hand I show the store owner my ducks and tell him I can deliver some to him (via my husband) and he usually buys. Some I leave on consignment (they pay me when they sell them), while most like the idea so much they are willing to pay cash. You can suit yourself on this. I haven't attempted to set a basic price for their retail sales as each store varies in mark-up. Let each store set its own retail price and scatter your ducks over a large area.

"I also try to protect merchants in each shopping center. For example, I might sell some unplanted ducks to the furniture store and some planted ones to the florist in the same block (he may do his own planting). Thus if there is a price difference, it is by the nature of the finished, or unfinished, duck. If there were two furniture stores in a certain area, I think I would favor one and give him exclusive on the line. (This applies in outlying or community shopping areas only.)

"THIS IS a fascinating hobby that works well nighttimes for me and keeps me out of my husband's hair when he is writing. My days are full taking care of a house and three children. I haven't really pushed production on 'Ducks Unlimited' but am now beginning to do so because I think the fall market will be my best time to sell—during the hunting season.

"In any event I have had a lot of fun doing it and made some money too. There are two fields though I haven't explored yet where they should sell faster than I can make them. And that is as store window decorations . . . and as television lamps.