Grab some cheap tubs & create the hottest accessory that everyone will want to copy

What’s a barbecue without a bevy of ice-cold beverages? This drink station delivers perfectly chilled cans of cola or sparkling water, along with any utensil or extra supplies your guests desire. Best of all, you don’t have to be a skilled metalsmith to make one of your own. Some epoxy and threaded pipes are all you need to transform a galvanized bucket into a multifunctional drink station just in time for summer.

What makes this beverage caddy so convenient are the eight arms for holding buckets full of supplies. Gather cups, straws and napkins for serving up drinks with ease, while a bucket of markers lets your guests mark their cups, therefore cutting down on waste. For the final touch, decorate the buckets with the same chalk paint you use to paint the base of the drink station. Then, crack open a can and say cheers to the arrival of sunny weather!

Materials
- Galvanized metal bucket
- Painter’s tape
- Folk Art Home Decor Chalk Paint in “Sage”
- Round paintbrush
- High-temperature glue gun
- Hot glue sticks
- Scissors
- Macrame cord or decorative rope
- Folk Art Home Decor Chalk Paint in “Bavarian”
- Permatex Steel Weld
- Craft stick
- Scrap piece of cardboard
- Black iron floor flange, 1 piece with a 1/2-inch diameter
- Threaded black pipe, 1 piece that is 24 inches long with a 1/2-inch diameter
- Black 6-way pipe fitting, 2 pieces with a 1/2-inch diameter
- Threaded black pipe, 9 pieces that are each 12 inches long with a 1/2-inch diameter
- Black nipple fitting, 1 piece with a 1/2-inch diameter
- Black iron cap, 9 pieces with a 1/2-inch diameter
- Labeled bucket, 5

Instructions
1. With painter’s tape, create a 1- to 2-inch wide stripe just above the bottom of the bucket. Paint the stripe with "Sage” or light green chalk paint, then allow it to dry completely. Once dry, remove the painter’s tape.

2. With the round paintbrush, paint circles around the bucket with the Sage or light green chalk paint that you used in step 1. Allow the paint to dry.

3. Put a small dot of hot glue at the end of one of the handles. Wrap the end of the macrame cord or rope around the glue. Trim the end of the cord. Wrap the cord tightly around the rest of the handle. When you reach the other end of the handle, trim and hot-glue the end of the cord in place. Repeat for the second handle.

4. With the round paintbrush, paint circles around the bucket with the “Bavarian” or light yellow chalk paint. You may want the circles to slightly overlap some of the circles you painted in step 2. Allow the paint to dry.

5. Squeeze a large dollop of Permatex Steel Weld onto a piece of cardboard. Mix the two components together with a craft stick. Spread the mixture onto the bottom of the floor flange. Place the flange onto the center of the inside of the bucket. Allow the epoxy to dry overnight.

6. Screw the 24-inch long pipe into the flange. Screw a 6-way fitting into the top of the pipe.

7. Screw a 12-inch long pipe into the top of the 6-way fitting. Screw the second 6-way fitting into the top of the pipe.

8. Screw the remaining 12-inch long pipes into each of the eight horizontal openings of the 6-way fittings.

9. Screw the nipple fitting into the top of the second 6-way fitting. Screw a cap onto the nipple fitting and onto the ends of the eight horizontal pipes.

10. Fill the bucket with ice and canned drinks, then hang the labeled buckets from the pipes above. With that, your drink station is complete!