It’s a curious fact, but the longer daylight lasts during the spring and summer months, the shorter time seems to be for getting things done.
With that in mind, we offer a craft project that takes very little time but leaves you with a personalized gift suitable for all ages.
To make a designer beach bucket for an adult or child, you’ll need to begin with a metal or plastic bucket the size of your choosing.
Keep in mind that if you plan to fill it with kids’ beach toys, you’ll need to get a larger bucket; but if the bucket is for an adult, and will hold smaller items such as suntan lotion, sunglasses and a paperback book, a smaller bucket will do.
Once you have bucket in hand, pick out a fun fabric with which to cover your creation. With the wide selection of prints available these days, you can design a bucket for just about anyone you know.
For our samples, we chose a Native American pottery theme for an adult and a whimsical puppy dog print with a Fourth of July flavor for a child.
You can select any kind of fabric – cotton, polyester, blends, whatever – as long as it’s suitable for decoupage.
Most fabrics are OK for the decoupage procedure, but it might be a good idea to do a test if you choose something really unusual. Buy a small amount of fabric and run it through the decoupage process on an old bucket that you don’t care about, but be sure to use the kind of bucket (metal or plastic) you plan to use for your designer creation.
If your fabric passes the test, purchase a yard of the cloth, which will probably be way too much, but it’s always good to have extra for backup in case of problems. And you can always use the leftover yardage to make a bandana or hair scrunchie to match the bucket.
Cut the fabric in small pieces with pinking shears and apply at random on the bucket, securing in place with decoupage medium. Let the first layer dry completely and add one or two more layers as desired.
Add a final layer of glitter decoupage medium to give your bucket an extra sparkle.
When the bucket is completely dry, it might be a good idea to add a coating of Scotch Guard or other water repellent if you plan to take the bucket to a real beach.
Once all of the fabric coatings are dry, you’re ready to add some embellishments to finish off the top edge of the bucket.
We chose a beaded fringe for our adult bucket and pompom fringe for the kids’ version.
Apply the fringe using a hot glue gun, as you need something that will hold the fringe in place quickly. It has been our experience that while quick-dry tacky glue works well for smaller tasks, it generally doesn’t hold well enough – quickly enough – for this type of project.
That’s all there is to making the bucket, and you’re ready to fill it with fun stuff.
For children, check out beach toys, water-game items, swim rings and water wings; for adults, choose freeze mugs, books, magazines and beach towels. And don’t forget the sunscreen for all ages.
You can e-mail Jonetta Coffin at jrocoffin@aol.com.
What you’ll need
* Metal or plastic bucket
* Fabric
* Fringe or other embellishments
* Decoupage medium
* Sponge brush
* Scissors
* Scotch Guard or other water spray-on water repellent
* Hot glue gun
* Seasonal items to fill bucket
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