4 Men 1 Lady

a lifestyle blog about the persuit of bringing beauty to a house full of men.

DIY galvanized steel tub + $100 giftcard giveaway.

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For the first time ever we bought a real Christmas tree this year.  I’ve been talking about doing it for years but this was the year we finally did it.  The Mr. didn’t understand why we needed to drive to a tree lot, make all the kids illegally sit on the floor of the mini-van home because we had to put all the seats down so the tree would fit, buy MORE Christmas lights, get pine needles all over the car and living room floor and pay money for a tree when we already had a perfectly good artificial one.  Hey I get it…but there’s something really special about the smell, look and process of setting up a real tree.

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I was so in love with our REAL Christmas tree that I went and bought another one for the front porch the next day.

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I knew I was in for a major eye roll as soon as the Mr. got home from work and saw the tree…Scrooge.  My reasoning was that we could skip getting the ladder out and putting lights on the house and just have our special outside tree be lit instead.  (“No ladder?…Me Likee” so said he).   I also found this nostalgic sled at ACE which is the perfect Christmas prop.

Thanks to ACE Hardware I got all my outside Christmas decorating done.  You remember the paint stir stick sign I made yesterday?

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I also found the galvanized steel bucket and tub at ACE Hardware.  The bucket is great for putting salt (to melt sidewalk ice) and a scoop in and the tub is perfect for a Christmas tree base.

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I wasn’t in love with the bright, shiny metal so I experimented with some Amy Howard Zinc to see if I could give it a more aged look.

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I worked really fast.  In fact I put some of the Zinc solution on a rag and with one swipe, it was perfectly aged.

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From our house to yours…Merry Christmas!

And of course ACE is always so generous, I’m giving away a gift card for $100. to ACE Hardware!  Giveaway runs until December 23rd.  Good luck!

I am a part of the ACE Hardware Blogger panel.  I was sponsored to write this post but all opinions are 100% my own.

Comments

  4. We are going to make over our bedroom in lovely light blue and white and grey. I’ve been hoarding items and pinning inspiration and I can’t wait to put it all together.

  6. Oh, so many projects for 2016…first of all tackle the hot tub re-tile job. Thanks for the giveaway!

  7. Your porch looks lovely. Nicely done! And thank you for supporting the real Christmas tree industry.

  9. What a great idea to use the galvanized tub for the tree! I have a tub and an old sled so I’m going to replicate your look on my front porch, I love the look!

  17. Replace the furnace/AC unit, alas…tons of $$ and no eye candy! But the AC sounded like a Boeing taking off in the living room all last summer…

  21. I have a little puppy this year who is eating everything from coffee table height down. I’ve lost a brand new string of Christmas lights that were plugged in (I think he got a shock from that) but he didn’t learn his lesson, because he chewed a thick orange extension cord end off as well. We have a fake tree that I haven’t set up yet because I can imagine what he will do to the bottom branches. I am thinking a big metal tub like yours would deter him from getting at it. I can put it up on something but, because the tree is tall by itself I can’t stack too many things up for it to sit upon or it will hit the ceiling. So I would purchase several odds and ends to replace the items we have lost, and purchase a few things to block further damage.
    Connie

  24. My list of projects is never ending! The main one I am focusing on is a little curb appeal — our front garden needs all the help it can get!

  28. Love the sled. We have my husband’s grandpas sled from when he was a bow. I asked my husband, last week, if we could put it on the porch. He said, “no.” I am thinking I might need to go to Ace!

  40. I’m going to make every single one of your ideas on this blog post for our Christmas 2016!

  41. While the whole house needs attention, I dream of getting my bedroom all tidy and cozy and pretty.

  45. I think the best answer would be, what project are we NOT going to do next year! But we are working to finish our basement and front landscaping in the house we just bought this year!

  46. “Six” stockings on the fireplace????? Is there something you’re not telling us?

    Also, I love your front porch. I actually have a old tub like that with “real” patina on it (stolen from my mother). I plant flowers in it but it would make a great tree base at Christmas.

  47. Neat trick. Didn’t know you could do that with those tubs – I’m a fan of having a few of different sizes around the house year round. We even have little ones for kids snacks like popcorn.

    My big project for next year is building a large hall closet to contain our ever growing pile of coats, shoes and boots that currently make our entryway look like a windstorm swept through all the time.

  50. I love your Christmas trees! We never get a real tree because some family members are allergic to them. I think I could get away with a real one on the front porch though. Yay!

  59. I have to tackle getting my sons dresser painted, his clothes have been in a laundry basket long enough! 😉

  69. I plan to overhaul my pantry but in February I plan to tackle the new grandchild project as we have a granddaughter arriving.

  74. We have so many projects– re doing our closests.. an entire kitchen remodel.. as well as a ton of yard work in the back – we are planting trees.

  75. We really should have done this before it got cold, but I have a little wood-burning stove I want to install on our glassed in patio so I can enjoy all the wonderful sunlight in the winter 🙂

  76. We have lots of little projects planned for this year (as in its time to actually finish all of the projects we started last year)

  77. 2016 is the year we tackle the exterior of our house…after spending the last 8 years on the interior!

  81. I have some old windows that I plan on turning into a display of photos but they need some work on them.

  87. We need to update our kitchen cabinets. We want to paint them white and change the hardware

  92. We have several painting projects planned, the most important of which is converting an extra bedroom into a playroom.

  95. I plan on redoing our pantry organization and kitchen since both places are a mess. I also want to redo my craft room.

It is nice to meet you!

Hey there! I’m Michelle; I’m an Passionate DIY’er and in constant pursuit of how to bring beauty to my house full of men (3 boys + 1 hubby). Stick around and see what I’ve got up my hard-working sleaves!

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