Friday, July 8, 2011

Dollar Pail Project

Confession:  I started this post like two months ago but never got around to finishing it... so here we go!

Okay... who doesn't love the Target dollar aisle?  I mean, as long as you can ignore the cheesy dog clothes and awful toys... there are some good finds every once in awhile!  A few months ago, I was paroosing said aisle when I spotted these beauties:


Little galvanized pails for $1 each!  I bought 5... but wish I had gotten more!  They are so very useful for many different things.  My first thought upon seeing them was that they would be perfect to plant herbs in.  Last year we had gotten a basil and rosemary plant to keep out on our porch and I LOVED being able to walk out and grab a few fresh ingredients for our dinners.

So with this in mind, I decided to add a strip of blackboard paint to each pail so that I could label them with the herb they contained.  This was a pretty simple project and only took a Saturday afternoon to complete

Step one was to tape off the area I wanted to paint since I like straight, perfect lines... no eyeballing it for me!


Once all the pails were taped I gave them each a light sanding over the exposed area to make sure the paint would adhere properly.  I'm a big advocate of always sanding when painting... it gives the paint something to grip to so that it will adhere better.  I figure that if I'm going to go through the effort of painting something then I want to make sure it's done right and will last!  Unfortunately sanding is probably the least enjoyable part of any project... even if it's just a little pail.

My next step was to prime the pails.  For this I chose to use a spray primer that I already had in my stash.  Using a spray primer meant I needed to add plastic bags around each pail to protect the part that was not to be primed:


Lined up like this the pails were so easy to prime.  I did two very light coats and then let them dry for about ten minutes before moving on to the blackboard paint.  (It was a warm and sunny day so I didn't need to wait long for the paint to dry between coats.)  For the blackboard paint I used a flat, soft bristled watercolor brush that I had on hand so that I would leave as few brush strokes as possible.  The smoother the paint is the better it will be for the chalk writing when finished because it will be easier to read.  It took three thin coats to fully cover the primer on each pail...

Coat one:


Coat two:


Coat three:
 
 

As you can see I got excited after the final coat had dried and started peeling off the tape before remembering to take a photo :-)  Here they are with all the tape removed:



After they were all painted I had to do something that was oh-so-difficult for me... I had to WAIT 72 HOURS before I could write on the chalkboard paint!!!  GAH!  So loooooooong!  But wait I did (like a good little instructions-follower) and finally after trying to forget about the pails for a few days I was able to break out the chalk!

With chalkboard paint you need to prime the painted area with chalk before you write on it... this just means you rub the side of a piece of chalk all over the painted area like so:


Then wipe off the chalk with a dry cloth and it's ready to be written on:



Before I labeled my pails I quickly drilled a hole in the bottom of each so that water could drain out:



Ready to see the finished product???  Here they are:



Right now I have three planted with basil, rosemary and chamomile... good thing the labels weren't permanent since I hadn't planned on getting chamomile!

And now it's time for a weekend full of family!  My newly married sister and her husband are coming into town to see our newly born nephew... and there's a carnival just down the street from our house so we'll just HAVE to go to that I guess :-)

Have a good weekend everyone!!!


Thank you SO much to those who featured this project:


I've linked this post to the following: 


84 comments:

  1. Love chalk board paint! These are adorable!
    Jen
    Scissors & Spatulas

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  2. wow that is an AWESOME idea! Wish I would have read this when they were still on sale totally would have made them too :0)

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  3. I love this idea! THanks for sharing

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  4. These are so cute, a great way to grow your herbs!

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  5. Those are adorable! :) I love having fresh herbs. It really does make a difference in cooking!

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  6. How cool is that! And only $1 each!
    http://suburbsmama.blogspot.com/

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  7. What a wonderful idea! These turned out very nice!! What a perfect way to plant herbs!

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  8. this is awesome. they look great, i cant believe they were a dollar~also your phottos are beautiful. I love your blog, thanks for sharing!
    http://jaysonandashley.blogspot.com/

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  9. Love this idea!!! I'm so excited that my herbs in my garden are finally getting ready to use. I like your idea even better because you'll be able to bring it inside. Pinning this right now!

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  10. Love this idea and your photo of the pails with your gorgeous handwriting is lovely!

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  11. What a great idea! Your little buckets came out beautifully. Wish we had a Target near by. I've seen buckets like this but they have been much more expensive. Now I'll be on the look out for something I can substitute.

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  12. Love these! I just did some, but on terra cotta pots! Great job and super cute lining your stairs

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  13. I love this idea. I bought some similar at Target. Though mine have stars as a border around the top. I've been trying to think of something I want to do with them. Thanks for sharing.

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  14. great idea! so pretty and practical!

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  15. Love these! Great idea. and so inexpensive!! Thanks for sharing.

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  16. Ahhh!!! These are awesome! Soooo many possibilities here. Looks like I'll be checking out the dollar isle a little more often now :D

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  17. Those are just wonderful - wish I would have stocked up with about 20 of those wonderful pails - they are just the best little $ store item ever.

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  18. Great project!! It's even better that it's only 1 dollar!! Thanks for sharing!...oh, and you take GREAT pictures by the way! :)

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  19. I absolutely love this idea, functional and beautiful! Please stop by www.laughloveandcraft.com and link up to my Share the Wealth Wednesday Link Party! I'm your newest follower!

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  20. adorable! thanks for the inspiration!

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  21. So cute! Love them!
    Stacey of Embracing Change

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  22. These are darling!! Love them! I am visiting from The Girl Creative and I am your newest follower!!
    Hope you have a great week and that I see you at my blog sometime!
    Michelle
    www.delicateconstruction.blogspot.com

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  23. I love these!!! I have just one of those pails and I'm wondering if they still have them. Fabulous job! {And you are soooo patient for waiting 72 hours... not sure if I could do that!}
    Laurie @ Gallamore West

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  24. These look so cool! What a great redo of the buckets. Thanks for sharing!

    I found you through the Tip Me Tuesday link party and am your newest follower. Come check me out, too, if you're interested @ Carissa's Creativity Space

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  25. Hi :-)
    I stopped over via your link-up at 'costal charm'.

    I hope your plants thrive in their cute containers.

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  26. i love the dollar store aisle at target!! great project!

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  27. Adorable! The pails in the dollar bins are my favorite things! I buy them whenever I can and I ALWAYS find a use for them. Great job on these!

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  28. Love your pails! I haven't been to Target for some time. If I had I would've sure nabbed some of these. Such a cute idea. I am following you now.

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  29. Cute, reusable and inexpensive--I love them!

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  30. OMG Love this! I did a similiar project like this last year, only I used my little tin to hold pencils. I'm so pinning this...thank you so much for the inspiration :)

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  31. What great project and you have wonderful penmanship, its not easy to to write in script with chalk! Thanks for sharing.

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  32. These pails are just so chic! And to think they once sat in a dollar bin. You did a masterful job and your directions are wonderful.
    LOVE LOVE LOVE this project! This project is on my must make list!
    Yvonne

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  33. Wow--what an amazing project! Great tutorial--just love this idea. I'll have to see if my Target has some of these! Thanks for linking up to Share the Love Wednesday--
    Mary

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  34. SO CUTE! I saw those pails on sale too and was itching to grab some but since I had no plans I didn't. GRRRR! Wish I had now! And yet... prolly still good that I didn't. I'm terrible at fun little projects like this. Never end up that cute. HEHEHE

    Thanks for step-by-step instructions though! Sure makes it simple to see what needs to be done!

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  35. Fabulous Ideas, can't wait to watch them grow...

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  36. Hi: I love the idea. Too Cute! Have a great week. Blessings, Martha

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  37. wow! I LOVE this idea!! such gorgeous cans...will definitely have to give this a go...chalk board paint is the best

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  38. KA-YUUUUUUUUUUTE! Love this! And I felt your agony while waiting 72 hours before you could write on them! I'm your newest follower; found you via Kim!

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  39. Hi Christi!!
    This is so awesome!! LOVE Target!! I am pretty impatient when it comes to paint drying, lol!! I guess that's why I have 50 projects going on at one time :))
    I would love for you to link up with a new party I'm starting on my blog!! It's called
    Show Me How!!! ~ Friday ~ Tips, Tricks, and Tutorials
    I think your tutorial would be PERFECT!!!
    Please come visit and check it out :))
    Have a wonderful day!!
    Oh yeah, it starts this Friday but I did an intro post for it.
    LOVE FROM TEXAS!!
    ~~Michella~~
    www.michellamarie.com
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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  40. These turned out great! Happy White Wednesday!

    Waving from Our Back Porch,
    Rebecca

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  41. What a great find at Target. They look wonderful with the chalkboard labels. I love growing herbs myself.

    Nice to visit with you.

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  42. WOW!!!! I absolutlely love this!!!! I actually might try it! I'm not so crafty but I would love a little herb garden like this! Thank you so much for sharing this and linking up

    xoxoHanna

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  43. Cute application for an inexpensive item. I love the $1.00 section @ Target!

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  44. So cute. I love the little patch of chalkboard paint with the name of each herb, such a small addition, but it really made this project!

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  45. This looks awesome! I am impressed.

    P.S. I am having a giveaway on my blog. There are amazing organizational charts and tools for moms and kids. I hope you will enter!

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  46. I can't believe those cute pails were only $1 each!! What a bargain! And I love what you did with them! Great idea!

    Thanks for linking to the Creating Success Worldwide blog hop!! I'm following you now!
    Hope you'll come back again next week!
    Jill @ Creating my way to Success
    http://www.jembellish.blogspot.com/

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  47. That is such a great idea. Hope your herb garden turn out well. Thanks for linking to Beach Cottage Good Life Wednesdays.

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  48. Wow love this project. what a way to identify seedlings. thanks for sharing
    I am your newest follower, hope you can pop on by my blog?
    Caroline

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  49. Okay, these are great! you win the award for best dollar purchase make over! lol

    glimpsesofglory-karen.blogspot.com/

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  50. Love your blog! What a great DIY project. Love how it turned out.
    I'm a new follower. Pop over for a visit sometime!
    xoxo,
    Kim

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  51. What a great idea and you did a wonderful tutorial. Found and follwed you from White Wednesday. Love to have you visit.

    Laura
    http://www.imsovintage.blogspot.com/

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  52. Well aren't they just the cutest! They would also be so cute with your house address numbers on them and lined up on the steps of the front porch. xo

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  53. Loving this buckets & the tutorial! Thanks for sharing at Fishtail Cottage's Garden party this week! xoxo, tracie

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  54. I scored some of those very buckets and wish I had bought more too! I did something similar with mine, but put flowers in them. Next time I will be sure to stock up!

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  55. LOVE IT!
    I have these same buckets in my craft room (only in the pink, yellow, and metallic)
    NOW I want to do the chalkboard paint to label "markers" "colored pencils" "tools" etc
    THANK YOU FOR THE INSPIRATION!!!!
    Wonderful project :)

    Found you via Whipperberry!
    http://www.releasemecreate.blogspot.com

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  56. Wow! such a great idea and they look so lovely all lined up..and your tutorial is awesome very detailed, thanks for sharing with us. And their price is amazing.... $1 each, can't go wrong with that. Dropping in from Michella's Show Me How party. Have a nice day!~Poppy

    http://withadashofcolor.blogspot.com/

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  57. Love them! I bought some cute pink and green buckets for a party and need to paint them the same way. The paint is in the garage waiting for me to use it!

    I'm your newest follower. Come follow me back at

    www.alivedinhome.blogspot.com

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  58. Love these! You did such a great and thorough job with all the steps, I envy your patience :) Enjoy the herbs!

    Hope you'll stop by and enter my Home Goods GC giveaway!

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  59. These are adorable!

    I would love to make something like that for children's art supplies someday. Great idea!

    I am now following you :) Come visit my blog here:http://lasteve1.blogspot.com/

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  60. Cute idea! I have those buckets too and I also wish I had gotten more - I think I only bought 3. What was I thinking??

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  61. This is s super cute project esp. for the pail lover that I am! I so need to plant herbs AND go to Target!!!!

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  62. Love it! Those are so cute. I love inexpensive projects. I am a new follower.
    Stephanie
    mylilpumpkinpatch.blogspot.com

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  63. I Love these! What a great idea, That's always how it goes, find a great deal and then wish you had bought more :)

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  64. What a great idea. I wish I had seen these.

    Ruth

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  65. I love this idea! Thank you so much for sharing!

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  66. They look great! I bought the same pails but I only bought three. I haven't decided what to do with them yet, but this is a great idea. I'm a new follower, so glad to have found your blog.

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  67. Those sweet little pails only $1 Wonderful find! Love the chalkboard and they are perfect for herbs!
    Kathy

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  68. They look fantastic! I love how many different ways you can use little pails like that. Too cute! :)

    Thanks for joining my Weekend Bloggy Reading party, and also for linking back. :)

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  69. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!
    Thank you so much for linking up to my very first party!!
    Show Me How!!! ~ FRIDAY ~
    Tips, Tricks, and Tutorials.
    I hope it will be the first of many!!
    Looking forward to this Friday!!!
    Hope to see you there :))

    LOVE FROM TEXAS!!!
    ~~Michella~~
    www.michellamarie.com
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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  70. You're featured today at my Share the Love Link party!
    Mary

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  71. So cute! They do make terrific planters for herbs, and by using chalk paint they can be used over and over. ;)

    Thanks for linking to the party last week. I hope you'll join us again this week.

    Liz @ the Brambleberry Cottage
    http://thebrambleberrycottage.blogspot.com/

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  72. Great JOB! I featured this today at my Delightfully Inspiring Thursday Party. Feel free to grab a button for your blog

    http://delightfulorder.blogspot.com/2011/07/delightfully-inspiring-thursday-party_20.html

    DaNita

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  73. You can buy these pails at Ikea in all sizes from .50 to $1.50!!! Hopefully you will be able to create more projects out of them :)

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  74. bookmarked!!, I love your website!

    My site - wiki.urospace.de

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