What to Do with that Empty Kentucky Fried Chicken Bucket

Who doesn't love Kentucky Fried Chicken? It's quick, it's local and it's delicious! How many KFC buckets do you think you've thrown away over the years? Dozens? Hundreds? Well, never again! Did you know you can create fabulous flower pots out of the paper buckets? They're easy to make and look spectacular when you're done.

Use a damp paper towel to wipe out the inside of the bucket. Lay down some newspaper, paper towels or a plastic trash bag, and set the bucket on top. Look in your local craft store for a product called dimensional or textured paints. The paints dispense from a tube and give a textured look to most any surface.

Squirt a glob of the texture paint onto the bucket. Use a foam brush, or even a wide artists' brush, to spread the paint around. Don't use strokes, like you might if you were using ordinary paints, but instead, use a dabbing or tapping motion to transfer the paint to other areas of the bucket.

It's a good idea to let the first layer of paint dry then add a second coat. The paints, when dry, have a look something like stucco. No one will ever know it used to be a paper bucket! The dimensional paints come in a huge variety of colors allowing you to match any decor.

When the paints have dried you can use stencils to create the pattern you want on the bucket. Other options include embedding jewels or rhinestones in the paint while it's wet, gluing on beads, stones, metal or wooden pieces, or adding other embellishments. Tie a ribbon around the top, and attach a nice bow on the front, or just paint the bucket and use it as soon as it's dry.

You can paint the inside of the bucket with dimensional paints or ordinary paints. You can also leave it as-is. Choose a houseplant - already in a pot - to place inside the decorative planter. Never plant a flower directly in the bucket. When you water the plant it will ruin the bucket. Remove the inner pot to water the plant then replace it when it has finished dripping. Or, fold paper towels into the bottom of the bucket and you can water it while it's in the KFC planter.