Once in a while I find an interesting item to repurpose and this week I came across 2 fish bowls on Freecycle. I grabbed them up, knowing that I wanted one of them to repurpose into a decoration for St. Patrick’s Day. I’ve been wanting to create a center piece that would make my children excited with the anticipation of a big, magical St. Patrick’s Day Bucket O’ Gold Candy right there on their own table. (Who isn’t excited by a big ol’ bucket of candy?!)
Are you familiar with Freecycle? It’s a community of people who share for free items they no longer need. The goal is to keep unwanted items out of the landfill and find them a new purpose. I enjoy window shopping through Freecycle and jumped on the offer of 2 free fish bowls last week. You should be able to find your own fish bowl or round vase to repurpose at a yard sale or thrift shop if you don’t use Freecycle. You may already have the rest of the supplies on hand.
Supplies
(some of mine were supplied by Plaid Crafts)
Fish bowl or round vase
Green multi-surface paint
Black multi-surface paint
Yellow card stock paper
Painter’s tape or masking tape
Tape off the area for the belt on the bowl. I used the width of the sponge brush to mark my belt with painter’s tape.
I painted the black belt first and let that dry well. Then I painted the rest of the bowl with the green paint. I found that the green paint went on streaky (see on the right side?). To eliminate the streakiness, I first added the paint with a normal brushstroke motion and then I went back over it with a pouncing motion (see the difference in the paint on the left?).
I let the paint dry overnight. The next day, I simply cut a buckle from a piece of yellow card stock and used double stick tape to add it to the belt.
Fill your bowl with gold wrapped candy, add a construction paper rainbow and voila! You’ve created an adorable St. Patrick’s Day centerpiece.
Do you have a party coming up? Make your own St. Patrick’s Day Bucket O’ Gold Candy and watch everyone’s eyes light up.
Check out even more St. Patrick’s Day idea on Pinterest. Follow Organized 31’s board Holidays – St. Patrick’s Day on Pinterest.
Cynthia says
This is such a fun idea. I bet kids would love to create one of these too. I love the idea of using it as a centerpiece.
susan says
Thanks, Cynthia It was so fun and easy to make.
susan says
Thanks, Cynthia. You should have seen the huge eyes and smiles when the kids first saw this center piece.
Mai T. says
This one looks creative and easy! I’ve gotta try it out with the kids.
susan says
It’s easy and fun to make (and fun to have filled with candy!) Enjoy.
Corinne says
Thanks for the tip on how to avoid the paint brush streaks. I think that is going to come in handy for lots of crafts. This pot of gold turned out amazing. That’s a lot of rolos!
marthalynn says
What a fun craft! My son has been talking about leprechauns and pots of gold lately. He would love to do this. Thanks for the idea!
susan says
Thanks, it was an easy and fun project. Enjoy crafting with your son.
courtney b says
I love this!!! did you find this idea on pinterest ? If you didn’t you gotta post it!
susan says
Thanks, Courtney. I came up with the idea when I snagged 2 fish bowls from Freecycle. You can find this on Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/pin/29695678769397526/ .