I’m guessing that not too many people see a crusty old metal bucket and immediately think “that will be perfect for Christmas!”

I get it.  I guess it is a little weird.

But I think a small evergreen in a rusty bucket is perfect for a simple holiday vignette.

In the past I’ve typically used non-holiday themed buckets to hold some small trees.

But a couple of years ago I decided to paint up a bucket and add an I.O.D. paint inlay from their Gloria set to it.

I tried selling it with a small tree last year , but it didn’t go.  Maybe that’s because it isn’t overtly Christmas-y.  If you spoke Dutch and thus knew that it says something like “peace on earth and goodwill to all” then it would be more obvious.

I’ve debated going back to the drawing board and painting over it, but I kind of love it myself.  This style is right up my alley.  So maybe I’ll just continue to use it in my own home.

But that brings me to a couple of buckets I’ve created for this holiday season.

First up is this vintage enamelware bucket that I picked up at a garage sale a few weeks back.

This was a super simple job, I just washed it up and added a transfer from the I.O.D. Stag Tavern set.

The transfer was a perfect fit.  I had originally thought about painting the wooden handle on the bucket, but after I had the transfer in place I decided that the wood tone was just right with that stag.

The next bucket started out as a simple vintage galvanized bucket.  I don’t seem to have a ‘before’ photo of it, but it was similar to those in the photo at the beginning of this post.

After giving it a quick scrub, I gave it two coats of Dixie Belle’s Ecru.  FYI, if you aren’t already aware, the chalk style paint from Dixie Belle sticks perfectly to old metal items like this.

Next I applied an image from The North Pole Co. paint inlay from I.O.D.

So cute!

After protecting the paint inlay from smearing by giving it a quick spray with Rust-Oleum clear matte sealer, I lightly sanded the bucket to smooth out the finish.  Then I applied a coat of Dixie Belle’s clear wax.

So, what do you think?  Have I inspired you to add some crusty ol’ buckets to your holiday decor?  Leave me a comment and let me know.