Decorating Guides

Uses for Plastic Ice Cream Buckets

Plastic ice cream buckets give durable storage for toys and art supplies, or utilize them as forms for concrete plant pots and outdoor accessories. Upcycle the buckets by painting them or covering them in fabric or cosmetic tape to mask their initial purpose.

Molds for Homemade Planters

Create your own decorative concrete planters using plastic ice cream buckets as the moulds or forms for your handiwork. Cover the inside of the ice cream bucket with plastic wrap, followed by oil jelly, and pour mixed concrete into the bottom 1/2 inch of the bucket. Wrap the outside of a slightly smaller plastic ice cream bucket or food container with plastic wrap, again coating it in oil jelly; then rest it atop the wet cement. A weight inside the smaller container keeps the container from going as more cement is added about it. Fill the area around it using additional wet cement, allowing the entire assembly to dry for many days, or as recommended on the concrete bundle. Once dry, then remove the inner bucket; then flip on the outer bucket over to discharge the concrete planter. Utilize the buckets to earn a concrete base for a birdbath or pedestal plant stand by filling several straight-sided lubricated buckets using concrete, then stacking the concrete concrete cylinders together. A thin layer of cement between every layer and about the seams holds the cylinders together.

Toy and Craft-Supply Storage

Help keep toys away from the ground and loose craft supplies neatly organized by turning plastic ice cream buckets into decorative storage containers. Paint the containers with plastic spray paint, painting the lids separately, in a well-ventilated area such as outside atop a plastic tarp or newspaper. Rather than painting, wrap them in a funky duct-tape print such as zebra stripes or skulls to get a tween’s bedroom, or even a chevron or floral print for storage. Paint the lid or a small area on one side of the container using chalkboard paint to create a tag for craft supplies or toy storage.

Household Helpers

Store the cleaning equipment you use from one room to another, such as sponges, rubber gloves, scrub brushes and household cleaner, inside a bucket and place it under the sink for easy access. Cart the bucket from room to room as you tidy. At the garage, keep the car clean soap and sponge from the bucket, then using the bucket to hold water when it is time to clean the vehicle. Decorate a bucket using duct tape, paint or touch paper, and fill it using a few standard cleaning or laundry equipment to create a housewarming present for a young adult’s very first flat.

Halloween Decor

Turn empty ice cream buckets into ghosts, jack-o’-lanterns or glowing ghouls to line the porch rail or stairs leading up to your home. Paint the buckets using a plastic primer, then decorate them using glow-in-the-dark paints or fluorescent paints to appear like the heads of cute or unusual creatures. If you use fluorescent paints, an outdoor black lighting in a porch fixture makes the creatures glow. Utilize a painted bucket mind as the top to get a spooky scarecrow resting on a seat. A series of buckets, each placed beneath a plant pot, gives your outside porch- or patio-bound plants in their Halloween costumes.

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