We’re all about decorating buckets! For Halloween, birthdays, Valentine’s Day, teacher gifts, Christmas, Easter, etc. Give us a holiday or reason to celebrate, and we’ll make a bucket for it!
Why? Well, because it’s a quick, fun, easy way to create a unique and ADORABLE gift for whatever season. Try one, and see for yourself!
Of course, central to this whole fabulous project is getting your hands on some clear plastic paint buckets (cans). Luckily, they’re easy to come by—just check at your local craft store or online (search “clear plastic paint can”). Prices range from as little as $0.60 to about $5.50 a piece. They come in lots of sizes, from teeny-tiny to about the size of a gallon (like the one used in this example.)
As for design, it’s easiest to start with one of the many bucket templates in our gallery. Simply personalize with the names, greetings, etc., of your choice, and then publish. Choose the “pearl paper” option at check out if you want to give extra depth and a slight sheen to your page.
Bucket templates are created and printed on 12 x 12 Scrap Pages, often containing enough pieces to make two buckets from just one page. You'll just cut out the pieces and glue them in place on the can. Unless otherwise indicated, our bucket templates are designed to work with medium to large-sized paint cans.
The template for the project shown here, “Happy Easter Bucket,” template 104746 by Cynthia Coulon, has enough pieces to decorate two cans. The circular lid piece is about 4 ¾ inches in diameter, so make sure your can lid is at least that big.
As for adhesive, we recommend using a sturdy, double-sided tape for gluing the paper pieces to the can. Liquid glue tends to warp the paper, and we don’t want that! Spray adhesive is also a workable choice, but be careful to use it in a well-ventilated area and heed all the product warnings.
It’s super fun to add some great finishing touches to your bucket, like small pieces of ribbon tied across the handle. You can also glue on buttons, flowers or other embellishments to add dimension. For this, our motto is “use what you have,” and let’s face it, most of us have plenty of miscellaneous ribbon and buttons in our craft stashes.
The final four steps for the decorated bucket project are:
1) Fill
2) Give away
4) Enjoy
3) Repeat
Remember to check out the Template Gallery for even more fun bucket ideas. Just write "bucket" in the search box!
