It’s summer time, which means lots of sun, long warm nights, and time spent outdoors. And what do you need when you are barbequing or relaxing poolside? Drinks, of course! So why not paint yourself a fun drink tub and ice bucket to quench your thirst in style?

Items Needed:

• Americana Decor Outdoor Living Paint 8oz - Picket Fence
• Americana Decor Outdoor Living Paint 8oz - Iron Gate
• Americana Decor Outdoor Living Paint 8oz - Succulent
• Americana Decor Outdoor Living Paint 8oz - Lemonade
• Americana Decor Outdoor Living Paint 8oz - Wildflower
• Americana Decor Outdoor Living Paint 8oz - Lily Pad
• A Metal Tub And/or Ice Bucket
• Plastic Bags
• Assorted Brushes

Instructions:

I have had this old metal tub and ice bucket hanging around my house for ages, and they seemed like the perfect things to spruce up with Americana Decor Outdoor Living, which doesn’t need a sealer and holds up well to water and sun.

I have been playing around with a fun plastic bag printmaking technique I learned from Alisa Burke, and I thought it would be fun to try this technique on a surface besides just paper. Time to pretty up some tubs!

I started by choosing my color palette. Outdoor Living comes in some great shades, but I decided to go with Picket Fence, Iron Gate, Succulent, Lemonade, Wildflower, and Lily Pad. Aren’t they pretty together?

I started by painting both the tub and the ice bucket white. The ice bucket was already white but had a few dings and scratches so I decided to paint it too. It took two coats to get good solid coverage.

Next, I added the greens, yellow, and pink as splotches of background color. To apply the color, I first painted patches of color onto a plastic bag and then rubbed the bag onto the tub to transfer the paint. I got two prints off of each inking.

Once this bright, colored background was dry, I added on some leaf designs using black paint. I first painted my leaf designs onto the plastic bag, used the end of the brush to remove some paint and add in some details, and finally press the bag onto the tub to transfer the image. 

Finally, in the space between flowers I used black paint to add in some dashes and dots to complete the design. I also painted the handles and rims black.

And that’s it! One they were dry, my new tub and ice bucket were ready for all kinds of summer parties! 

What do you think? They were so much fun to paint and I love that they are so unique!