Simple Dollar Tree Bucket Makeover

Hey Friends!

This is my favorite dollar tree project I’ve done to date. It was so easy, and it turned out better than I had imagined it would.

I was in need of a cute basket to hold some magazines in our half bath. I didn’t have anything on hand that would work, but what I did have was this bucket from the dollar tree! All it took was, some paint, dark wax, jute, hot glue, and some imagination.

I started with cleaning the bucket really well with a clorox wipe. Then I took some chalk paint that I already had, and put a light coat around the inside and outside of the bucket. The paint I had worked fine, but I’d recommend making your own chalk paint by using our recipe.

It definitely took a second coat of paint to get a good solid finish. I chose to age the paint a little using the waverly dark wax from Walmart, and some generic baby wipes. This is my go to stuff and I use it on everything. It worked great with this project too.

I used the dark wax by putting several spots all over the bucket, and then blending it out with the baby wipe. This is a simple technique to make sure the finish is pretty smooth and even. I was going for “antiqued” not splotchy.

Now it’s time to rustic it up with some jute. I used jute that I already had, but you can also get it at the dollar tree when you pick up your bucket. The thicker the jute the better. I started with wrapping it around the bucket gluing it pretty frequently so it stayed in tact.

When I got to the handles I stopped. I found that using pieces to finish out the handles was easier than trying to continue on my long strand of jute.

Once I finished with the outside of the handles I turned the bucket over and started working on the inside. I added jute until I couldn’t see the paint on the handles, and then I continued on the inside of the bucket until I covered the same amount of the space as I did on the outside. This step is optional, but I just thought it looked better continuing the rope on the inside.

Once I had it wrapped as much as I wanted, I secured the end with hot glue. There ya have it. A really simple Dollar Tree bucket makeover. I think the finished product turned out just adorable!