Upcycled Thrifted Ice Bucket Christmas Tree Stand

I'm not sure about you, but I've had holiday decorating on the brain since November 1st! 

I love a great thrift store find especially when the holidays are right around the corner. Thrift store holiday decor is a good thing in my book!

What better way to get a festive look than with a fabulous unique DIY Christmas tree stand? 

Quite a few years back, I created a Christmas tree stand with a basket that received a simple paint treatment. It has lived for many years in our kitchen being bounced from location to location. 

When I came across this vintage ice bucket at the thrift store, I couldn't grab it fast enough. A few years back, I gave another ice bucket a fun makeover with decoupage. It fits right in with my love of all things blue and white. 

This ice bucket had a really nice shape that I thought would work well for a small Christmas tree for the holiday season. 

Artificial trees are so easily found these days in small sizes that I knew it would be a fun way to jazz up an otherwise plain tree. 

There are so many creative ways that you could jazz up small trees, but I love how this little mini-makeover took shape. 

Several months ago, I purchased Restor-A-Finish to use on an old secretary that I purchased a few years ago on Craigslist. I was a little nervous to give it a try on such a large piece for the first time. 

I thought this project would be a perfect small piece to experiment with first. 

The ice bucket is really giving me French-English rustic vibes. I knew that the rustic look was what I was after this go around with an ice bucket project. 

Supplies Used

• Ice Bucket
• Rags
• Restor-A-Finish
• Rub ‘n Buff in Antique Gold
• Cotton Swabs
• Artificial Tree
• Floral styrofoam
• Floral Picks
• Battery String Lights

How-To

The first thing that you want to do is really clean the ice bucket well. 

I cleaned it in the sink with dish soap and a scrub brush. This little scrub brush is great for projects. When I need to replace the kitchen one, I save the old one for projects. 

I then put it outside to dry in the sun. 

Other than the obvious scratches, it's in really great shape. 

Y'all Restor-A-Finish is a true winner and I can't wait to use it on the secretary in the living room. 

It was really easy! The only easier thing would have been to spray paint the entire surface.

Please read and follow the directions on the container. 

It is an easy way to give a dulled and scratched stained surface a fresh new look. 

You simply wet a rag or cloth with the product.  Then rub it on and wipe it off. 

One thing that you never want to do is pour the product directly onto your piece of furniture or accessory. 

It will cover scratches and even help get rid of white and heat rings. 

It dries rather quickly.

I then used Rub ‘n Buff in antique gold to freshen up the brass metal.

I did apply two coats of antique gold. In a few areas where I got a little gold on the stain, I just went back over those areas and used a small amount of the Restor-A-Finish to erase the mistakes of gold. 

I have not unpacked all of my Christmas decorations yet, but I was able to grab my old mini tree for the project. 

I honestly did not plan on using this tree. I took my ice bucket to Hobby Lobby with me to fit a new tree. I had no luck. They were either too small or too large. 

While in the store, I decided to just use the tree that I already had. It is a little sad looking these days, but I knew I could give it a little help.

Just like larger, artificial trees, you can fluff them up a bit with inexpensive floral picks. 

I picked a plain long-needle evergreen and a little white floral to add to the tree.

My tree has a removable plastic stand. I needed to remove these pieces so the trunk would fit in the tree. 

I used pieces of floral foam that I had from the basket tree basket project to fill in the space between the trunk and the ice bucket. 

I also wedged in the 3 stand pieces around the outer edge. These really helped to make the tree more secure in the ice bucket. It's not going anywhere. I also don't want to lose those pieces, so I try to keep them with the tree when using a different stand.

I decided to give battery-operated lights a try this year so I wouldn't have cords hanging off the island. I used one strand of microlights that I also picked up at Hobby Lobby.

I also added a few bows with this lovely velvet ribbon. This is a pretty look that isn't too over the top Christmas that can still work for fallmis! (haha)

I like it as is, but once I unpack my ornaments, I will probably add my red and white toile ceramic chicken ornaments. I think they will truly be the finishing touch. 

The little deft shoe was a recent trip purchase while in Amsterdam. I just got the set of gold bells in and they are fabulous!

I really like the neutral colors and simple design of the tree right now.  I find myself going a bit simpler each year. We will see…..

I absolutely love how it turned out for this little vignette area on our kitchen island.

Do you notice the new counters? There will be a blog post soon on the quartz counters, but for now, you can see the transition on Instagram. 

There are so many ideas for the base of your tree! You can use a traditional Christmas tree skirt and even pretty blankets.

The stand's shape is really important in containing your tree.

If you want to make it more permanent, you can always use Plaster of Paris or concrete. 

Ideas for Christmas Tree Stands

• wooden crates
• Christmas Tree Collar
• check yard sales and flea markets for unique containers
• champagne buckets
• minnow buckets
• baskets
• decorative buckets
• galvanized buckets
• decoupage buckets for a unique look

Here are the Before Projects!!!

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