Just Chillin'

I’ll admit it.  I’m behind on my holiday decorating, but I have a good excuse.   When I saw this cute beverage tub and wine bucket that my friend Wanda made, I knew I had to make one for myself and extras to give. I had so much fun with this project, that I couldn’t wait to share the how-to.

You'll need to purchase or gather the following materials before getting started.

a large galvanized tub (or smaller bucket for wine cooler)

a drill with a bit that is appropriate for drilling holes in metal (I used a 1/8" bit)

two sizes of wire (I used 14 gauge and 20 gauge)

needle nose pliers for bending the wire

an assortment of wooden and glass beads

a pencil or something similar for curling the wire

Begin by marking the location for the holes evenly spaced around the rim of your galvanized container. I used an oval tub that I purchased from Lowes and spaced the holes about 2 1/2" apart. You can drill the holes using an electric drill, but if you don't have one handy, Wanda reports that a hammer and nail will do. It just takes a whole lot longer.

Start with the heavier wire (14 gauge), and loop it randomly around the edge of the tub, adding a few beads on each side of the holes. I worked with pieces of wire that were long enough to go through two or three holes. The needle nose pliers are handy for bending the ends of the wire to secure it to the tub. Don't be concerned about adding too many beads at this point, since you will get most of your color when you start working with the smaller wire.

Once you have formed this foundation, you can begin adding random loops of the smaller wire (20 gauge), strung with a variety of colored glass and wooden beads. I bought large packages of both wooden beads and glass beads at Walmart. I checked both Michael's and Hobby Lobby, and Walmart definitely had the best deal. I also purchased the two sizes of wire at Walmart.

As you loop the smaller wire, you might want to curl some of it around a pencil for a corkscrew effect. You can also make tighter curls by winding the wire around a large nail.

My finished beverage chiller looked like this. Yours will probably look a little different, as no two will be the same. That's the beauty of this project. Just get started and go with the flow.

Be sure to go visit Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for more amazing transformations on this Metamorphosis Monday. This week you’ll find so many ideas for holiday decorating, that you'll be saying, "So many projects; so little time."  I’m certainly going to be looking for inspiration to get started on my own Christmas decor.