5 Ways to Re-purpose a Sap Bucket
The sweet smell of spring is in the air here in Shipshewana, Indiana. With the arrival of spring comes the welcoming sight of Maple trees stippled across the countryside, adorned with little metal buckets. Yep, it's maple syrup season ya'll!
And with maple syrup season upon us, bucket loads of... well, sap buckets are showing up in hoards at the weekly Shipshewana Antique Auction!
Anna with the sap buckets she bought at the auction. Got them for $10 each!
For this Auction Challenge, Anna bid on and won a bundle of old sap buckets. Now to turn them into something pretty! I'm going to show you five different ways to re-purpose an old sap bucket.
1. Kid's Game
For our first re-purpose, I lined up the buckets in any old-school "toss game" fashion. I marked out math problems on scrap paper and clipped them on with clothes pins. The clothes pins allows you to easily change out math problems or switch over the sight words identification.
To play the game, ask kids to throw the ball into a bucket and have them solve the problem. Get it right and receive a point!
You could also clip up sight reading words instead of math problems. Then, ask the child to drop the ball into the bucket that has the specific sight word you are asking for. Get it right and receive a point!
2. Storage Bins
For our second re-purpose, I used chalkboard paint to make labeled bins for easy storage.
If you don't already have chalkboard paint, you need to get some! I love the versatility of this stuff!
I found a printable label shape online, printed it and cut it out. Using it as a stencil, I traced around the shape to make my label outline. Next, I painted the label shape using my chalkboard paint. After 2 coats of chalkboard paint, my labels were ready to go! Here, I'm using the bins to store mittens, scarves and hats!
3. Multi-Season Decor Container
Anytime I get a chance to paint something, I take it. With this re-purpose idea, you cover 2 seasons with 1 bucket, that's like killing 2 birds with 1 stone, amIright? Fall and winter, of course, have the best decor. There's nothing better than falling leaves, bright orange pumpkins, old red trucks & Christmas trees or stoic snowmen (literally, I can think of nothing better!).
On one side of the bucket, paint a "fall" scene. I painted a pumpkin. On the other side, paint a "winter" scene. Then fill the bucket with some cute greenery or decor to match which season you're in. Then just turn it around for the next season!
Front: Fall
Back: Winter!
4. Time-Out Stool
Got kids? I have two that could use this stool! This is such a cute little way to establish that much-needed area to "recoup". The three main materials I used for this project are:
- Bucket
- Stuffing
- Fabric
Fill the bottom of the bucket with whatever you have on-hand. I used bubble packing material (we have loads of it here!).
Next I used quilt batting (or you can use any type of stuffing) to fill in the cushion part. Next I laid fabric over all the stuffing and tucked in all the corners. I smoothed out any lumps and bumps.
You can also attach the fabric with hot glue to the inside of the bucket (I didn't because I know I'll seasonally change the fabric!)
Then, add a little message on the front with a permanent marker.
5. SAP BUCKET!
Of course if you're interested is something that's a little more utility-type, you could always use it as a sap bucket. It is, after all, maple syrup season! Yum!
Image by: diapicard from Pixabay
