Painted tinware, known as tole, was a popular material for household wares in Colonial times. Today, an antique tole wastebasket can cost hundreds of dollars -- but with tin or galvanized-aluminum buckets and sign painter's enamel, you can make contemporary versions that are just as charming.

Dotted Bucket (far left): Paint a 3-inch-wide yellow stripe around the top outside edge of the bucket. Let dry. Evenly space 1-inch round adhesive stickers along the stripe. Coat the bucket with brick-red paint, taking care not to brush under the stickers. When the paint dries, pull the stickers off to reveal the yellow dots.

Harlequin Bucket (near right): Paint the bucket off-white. With a utility knife, trim strips of drafting tape to form triangular points. Place strips of the trimmed tape pointy side down around the bucket, overlapping them slightly. Paint the uncovered surfaces blue. Let dry; remove tape.

Banded Basket (far right): Paint the bucket rust red. Wrap a band of 1/2-inch-wide electrical tape around it, two-thirds of the way down. Paint the top of the bucket (down to the tape) yellow. Let dry; remove tape. Just above and just below the line where the colors meet, wrap two more bands of tape. Paint the gap beige. Let dry; peel off tape.