Planters
Spruce up your porch or patio by decorating it with buckets. By punching a few holes at the bottom of a 5-gallon bucket, you've got a planter suitable for growing a variety of house plants, herbs, vegetables or dwarf trees. Sand the outside of a bucket, paint it with acrylic or latex paint to make it more attractive, then apply a sealer to protect your work. Next time planting season rolls around, you'll be ready to fill the buckets.
Stools
Convert your 5-gallon bucket into a stool. Make a "skirt" for it with some fabric and elastic that fits around the top rim. Hot-glue a matching round seat cushion to the top of the bucket's plastic cover. Store your child's toys, your sewing kit or books in your stool.
Cubbies
Stack a few 5-gallon buckets on their sides in a pyramid form for decorative cubby shelves. Keep your toys, shoes, craft supplies, tools or other household storage needs in bucket storage cubbies. Use square or round buckets, depending on your preference. Remove the handles then decorate the buckets with contact shelf paper or by wrapping them with ribbons. Arrange the buckets in a pyramid formation and attach them by drilling holes through the sides and bolting them together. Alternately, bolt each bucket directly to the wall by drilling a screw through the bottom.
Waste Paper Baskets
Dress up a plastic bucket to match any room's decor with decoupage. Cut out images from magazines or old wrapping paper, spread white craft glue on the bucket and layer the images on the bucket. Overlap one after the other until every inch of the bucket is covered, inside and outside. Give it the entire project a couple of finishing coats of white craft glue, which dries clear. Seal it inside and out with a spray varnish or liquid sealer. Hot glue braided cord around the edge gives it a finishing touch. Place the bucket in your kitchen or by your desk.
End Tables
Cover your bucket up to convert it into a small end table or nightstand. Turn the bucket upside down for stability so the widest part becomes the base. Top it with a piece of glass or wood. Choose a round or square table top. Don't make it too wide or the table will be unstable. Cover it with a table cloth or fabric scrap. Put a lamp or clock on it, or rest your book and tea cup on it.