Giving a plastic pumpkin bucket a glow up is a fun Halloween craft idea and makes the perfect boo basket or DIY trick or treat bucket. Zhush them up even more by adding a friendship “bracelet” made out of wooden shapes. This DIY project is not only fun and easy, but it also allows you to unleash your creativity while getting into the Halloween spirit.
Materials You’ll Need for Your Plastic Pumpkin Makeover:
- A plastic pumpkin bucket – I picked mine up at Walmart
- Spray paint (in your choice of color (I used pink and lavender)
- Spray paint clear sealer
- Acrylic paints. I used black, white, orange, purple and glitter
- Paintbrush
- Wooden shapes – I used:
- Wooden discs – I used 1.5 inch
- Glue dots or hot glue gun and glue sticks
- Scissors
- Optional: ribbon for a bow accent or alternatively you can swap out the plastic handle for a ribbon handle
Steps to Transform a Pumpkin Bucket
- Step 1: Spray Paint the Pumpkin Bucket – Begin your project by giving your pumpkin bucket a fresh coat of paint. I applied three light coats, allowing 20 minutes dry time between coats. I then added a coat of clear sealer to protect the finish.
- Step 2: Paint the Pumpkin Buckets Eyes, Nose and Mouth – Once your bucket is dry, you can paint the eyes black like I did or get creative and use another pop of color. You could also use sequins or gems to fill in the eyes, nose and mouth.
- Step 3: Create a Friendship Bracelet Look with Wooden Shapes – Now for the fun part—adding a unique touch to your Boo Basket with wooden shapes! This step will give your basket a personalized look, reminiscent of friendship bracelets.
- Paint your wooden shapes.
- Paint the wooden discs white just like friendship bracelet letter beads.
- Once dry, add letters to your white wooden discs. You could spell boo, spooky, or add a name.
- Lay out your letters and beads to play around with the pattern and shape until you get the look you want.
- Attaching to the Pumpkin Bucket: Once you’re happy with your layout of wooden shapes, use glue dots or a hot glue gun to securely attach each bead to the boo bucket.
- Optional: Add Some Extra Flair – To really make your Boo Basket stand out, consider incorporating additional elements:
- Glitter: Add a sprinkle of glitter on the painted surface for a magical touch.
- Ribbons: Tie some colorful ribbons to or around the handle. Alternatively you can replace the plastic handle with a ribbon for an over the shoulder trick or treat pumpkin bucket purse.
Click here for our Youtube short with video snippets of the process.
This is such a cute DIY plastic pumpkin bucket craft. With just a bit of creativity and some simple materials, you’ve turned a basic plastic pumpkin bucket into a custom Boo Basket or personalized trick or treat bucket.
We can’t wait to see how you glow up your pumpkin buckets. Please tag us on social media or send us pics so we can see your creation. Happy Halloween DIYing!
