My husband surprised me with one of the viral home improvement buckets a few weeks ago and said, “I thought you could do something with it.” Well I didn’t want to let him down so I came up with something cool to do with the bucket that isn’t using it as a planter, and plays on it’s glow in the dark capabilities!
- bucket
- styrofoam
- hot glue gun/sticks
- pink medium thick paper and scissors
- acrylic paint in pink or red mixed with white, glow in the dark paint
- sponge, paint brushes, preferably very small
- glow in the dark paint
- insulation foam
Cut the foam to fit snugly about an inch down from the top of the bucket. My foam made a popping sound, but it has held. This is so you don’t have to use a ton of foam filling up the bucket for your brain. Cut the pink paper to fit the inside of your bucket and cover the foam.
Now I got really complicated here and used strips of paper to create a “maze” for the foam so it would mimic the folds and turns of our brain. I don’t think it really made a difference, but I would suggest at least cutting a piece of paper to fit down the middle so it is clear there are two lobes, just like our brains have. (Science and crafting? oh my.) I’m not sure why it expanded so much this time versus my previous project, but once painted I was pleased with the look.
When the foam has dried, use a damp sponge dipped in light pink paint to lightly go over the brain. The idea is to only paint the highest parts of the brain, that way the shadows will naturally be highlighted for the next step. Using darker red paint and the small paintbrush, paint the ridges and holes. Blend the paint colors where they meet for realistic effect. Once dry, add glow in the dark paint to the crevices.
*I tried to get a good glow in the dark picture of the bucket, but I may not have the equipment to do so. Trust, it looked really cool.
Once I have set up my porch for Halloween I’ll post him again. It looks so cool in person!
The Dupery 