Add Country Flair To Your Countertop With A Dollar Tree Bread Pan DIY

Desperately seeking tips for creating the perfect country style kitchen? You can skip the renovation by adding a few strategically placed, aesthetically on-point decor items you've made yourself. And what could be more authentically rural cookhouse than a well-worn metal and wire basket? Thankfully, you won't have to hop on a plane to rummage through Tuscan flea markets for such a piece. You can DIY for literally just a few dollars and some basic craft skills and tools. Drill or piercing a few holes in each side of a Dollar Store bread pan, paint on some rust-like patina, and thread on a handle made from a curved piece of wire cut from a wreath frame.

It's the rust effect on the outside of the pan that really makes this project exude those cottagecore vibes. A shiny new metal pan is transformed into a believable antique using a simple cinnamon hack for adding a vintage look. (If you're worried about the cinnamon attracting pests or falling off and staining your countertops, fret not. You'll seal the painted surface with varnish.) Once you've completed the craft and your basket is ready to use, you're really only limited to how you put it to use in your kitchen. Store eggs in an easy-to-reach spot near the sink or fruit bowl. Use it as a cute replacement for your junk drawer you actually want on full display. Plant it with succulents for a portable mini indoor garden or fill it with goodies for a personalized gift basket that someone else can use on their countertop.

Grab an 8.5 x 4.5 inch Cooking Concepts Loaf Pan and a 14.25 inch Floral Garden Metal Wreath Form from the shelf at Dollar Tree. Optional adornments include Paracord Planet 1 Inch Wooden Beads with a 3/8 Inch Hole, about $15 for a pack of 50, to glue on as feet and a hollow turned wood dowel to thread onto the wire for a comfortable handle. A set of 10 goes for $3.20 at Clayton's Craft Wood. To create a believably rusty exterior, get black and brown acrylic craft paint and some regular ol' cinnamon. A wee 2.5 ounce jar of Great Value Kosher Ground Cinnamon goes for just $1.30 at Walmart. If the idea of using cinnamon for crafting instead of as a tasty dusting for your latte doesn't appeal, there are specialist rust effect paints, like the PRIMA MARKETING INC Art Extravagance 3 Piece Rust Paste Set for a hair over $14.

There's also nothing stopping you from upcycling an old, naturally rusted loaf pan. Just make sure you spray or paint the entire piece thoroughly with a matte poly-acrylic sealer — like Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch 2X Ultra Cover Matte Clear Spray Paint, about $10 at Walmart — to protect anything that comes into contact with it from orange stains. In fact, buy this to use on your cinnamon-ed finish if you go that route, too. Tools-wise, gather a rotary hole punch or electric drill with metal piercing bits, wire cutters, needle nose pliers, a glue gun and glue sticks, and a few paintbrushes.

Pierce or drill a pair of holes in each side of your bread pan and cut the largest outer ring from the wreath form. Snip it in half and bend the ends at a right angle to match the length of your pliers' jaws. Loop them back on themselves to form a hook. Now's the time to add your wooden handle adornment if you're doing so. Thread each hook through the holes in the pan, spiraling the wires ends around the handle. Use your glue gun to secure the joins.

To create the rust effect, paint brown and black patches in exposed areas of the pan where rust would naturally occur — think corners, edges, and folds. Dust the cinnamon onto the wet paint using a dry paintbrush or shake some out onto a paper towel and dab it on. Shake off any excess. If you're using special effect rust paints, follow the manufacturer's instructions for application since formulations differ across brands. Once the paint is dry to the touch, spray the entire piece with a few coats of sealer to lock in the look.

If you love a country aesthetic, but the rust look isn't your thing, consider other ways to decorate the surface of your loaf tin turned basket. This DIY offers a creative way to use decoupage in your home. You could paint the exterior with chalk paint and scratch patterns through it. Wrap the pan in burlap, plaster on country-themed transfer labels, or try your hand at creating an aged copper patina in place of rust.