Painted Garden Pail Easter Basket

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Overview

For a fresh take on the classic Easter basket, try painting a plain garden pail. The sturdy material and sweet, colorful style are a perfect match to welcome back spring year after year.

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Supplies

Pails can easily be reused from around the house or a secondhand shop. They can also be found in a craft, hardware, or dollar store. You will also need acrylic paint, brushes, and painter's or masking tape for these designs.

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Paint a Picket Fence

Place 1/2 inch wide strips of painter's tape one inch apart along the base of the pail. Wrap a piece of tape around the entire pail to create an even border line. Paint at least 2 coats of white paint below the tape line and allow it to dry completely before peeling off the tape.

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Add Fence Rails and Grass

Using a small line brush, paint 2 fence rails in white and tufts of green grass along the bottom of the pail.

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Paint Easter Eggs and Personalize

Paint large ovals, alternating your favorite spring colors. Choose a contrasting color to add speckles, dots and stripes to the Easter eggs and outline the shapes with white to help them stand out. Personalize it with a large brush or paint pen, outlining the letters as well.

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Paint a Solid Pail

Alternatively, try painting the pail a solid color. This is a great way to camouflage a reused pail. Paint several coats of green on the main portion. Leave the indention of the pail as is to create a shiny, contrasting border and paint the portion above a deeper shade of green.

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A Carrot Border and Bunny Face

Evenly space orange triangles around the darker section. Draw a simple bunny face in the lower, lighter green portion and fill the shape with at least 2 coats of white paint.

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Fill in the Details

Use a small brush or paint pen to add facial features to the bunny, as well as highlights and greenery to each carrot.

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Personalize

Finish the pail by adding a name. Outline bright yellow bubble letters in white or a contrasting color and use the same color to decorate them with a few small dots.

Image Credit: Heather Williams