How to make a design magazine-worthy stool/table with $5 and an hour of your time

With $5 dollars in materials, a 5 year old and a 5 gallon bucket you can make this cool stool.

Written by Rob:

We wanted a small table/plant stand for our small balcony.  Our style is somewhat minimalist and we found options like this $250 side table from CB2 and this $250 Marcel Wanders stool as we shopped around online.  Then, we wondered if could make something cool ourselves.  We stumbled upon the "bucket stool" diy project online and the stool fit the bill.  We like the stool, which can be used indoors or outdoors and is compact.  Here's how to make it with our tips and lessons learned.

STEP 1:  Get the materials from any hardware store
-1 five gallon cylindrical bucket
-3, 16-inch long wooden dowels (~ø1.5")
-3 plumbing caps to fit dowels (optional)
-1 wire coat hanger
-1 bag of cement

Top 10 Things to Do in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with Small Kids

I love the spirit of Brazil.  Before I was married, I lived on an island near Rio called Ilha Grande for just long enough to travel around a lot of the country, but not long enough to understand or be affected by the country's politics, economy, etc. My husband and I visited Brazil before we had kids.  Today, my son learns capoeira and learns Brazilian Portuguese, so we all enjoy Brazilian culture in our lives.  We took the kids (ages 2.5 years and almost 5 years at the time) and visited the country during spring break this year, about a hundred days before the Olympics started.



Here is my quick Top 11 list of things to do with kids during a 4-day trip to Rio de Janeiro.  We stayed in two fantastic airbnb apartments, one a block away from the beach in Ipanema and the other in the hillside neighborhood of Santa Teresa.  The neighborhoods have completely different vibes and I think it's worth staying in both.