It’s the last Monday of the month which means it’s time for the Int’l Bloggers Challenge. This month’s challenge is a little bit different from the others. We’re exposing some of our epic fails. Gasp!!! Something you don’t see often in a world where information is readily available and all you need to do is go to Pinterest to see pictures of stunning DIY projects and decorating ideas?
I don’t know about you, but sometimes it feels like it’s all a little bit over the top. I’ve seen some beautifully decorated homes and thought, who on earth dusts all that stuff. And all those DIY projects where something that’s perfectly functional has been turned into something that collapses in a heap the minute you’ve finished staging the photo. If you’ve got a minute or two to spare let me tell you the sad crazy story about one of my many epic fails. The day I decided to make my hubby a man curtain.
My “epic DIY fail” – a man curtain
Yup, you read that right – a man curtain of all things. Even the name is a little ridiculous, but that didn’t phase me. I figured it would make it easier to get to the number one spot on google if someone ever decided to type in “man curtain” ;-) And it all started with this contraption here.
That thing is apparently called a “Guy Wire Turnbuckle” and I have no idea how it ended up in our stash of arbitrary things. Nevertheless, it was there, and it looked like a very manly thing. Now I’ve never been one to shy away from playing with manly things ;-) so I gathered up a whole bunch of chains and some wire and started thinking about what I could do them. Things that would go viral and put our name up there with the other blogging greats.
That’s when inspiration struck. Why not wire the chains to that blah, blah, blah turnbuckle thingy to make a manly version of a beaded curtain. Can you picture it? I could. It would be all shiny and strong and Chuck Norris-y and fellow DIY-ers would bring the internet down looking for directions to make one. People would be fighting in the aisles to get their hands on a turnbuckle and they’d make a movie……. Uummmm right, what was I thinking???? :D
It would be the perfect décor in a man cave or even a garage. I could already see myself walking onto the stage to get my award for turning the DIY world around. And the best thing about the man curtain was that it could be used for storage too. Just add a few hooks and viola.
And that’s when the “epic fail” happened
That darn curtain became so heavy it stayed on the wall for all of maybe 15 minutes 32.543 seconds after I added the second tool. Not the dusty fishing reel in the photo, but Real.Metal.Man.Tools. And then it came crashing down in a heap and took a whole bunch of those real tools with it. It left a dent in the wall on its way to blogging oblivion, and a crater the size of Mount Vesuvius on the garage floor.
We were lucky to survive the fall with all of our appendages intact. This is a family-friendly blog so unfortunately, I can’t share the words hubby used. Suffice to say that quite a few hardened criminals would have been proud of my man. That’s the thing about DIY and life in general. Not everything works, but we move on and we learn something valuable in the process, even if it’s just the realization that old people can still maneuver really quickly when disaster strikes.
I’m glad to say we could salvage some bits and pieces, although my pride was in tatters for a few weeks. Those chains went to making this dreamy garden swing and my newfound appreciation for gravity helped me figure out how to defy it and make this HOME shelf. One of our most popular posts ever.
That “Guy Wire Turnbuckle” thing went right back into our stash of arbitrary things BTW. Well, that is until I figure out how to make a lightweight man curtain, so I can forever bask in blogging glory.
Some final thoughts on DIY fails
Every day somewhere, someone is doing something silly that could lead to an epic fail. That’s what makes us human. I honestly believe that failure is something we all need to celebrate instead of hiding, so we can learn and grow together.
Instead of seeing a “DIY fail” as something bad, see it as something that brought you one step closer to succeeding. Another stepping stone on the path to success. And don’t be afraid to try again or share your failure with others. It’s always good for a laugh and we all need more of that in our lives. Sharing failure also often brings us closer together. Talking about sharing, pop on over to my beautiful friends from the IBC to see their epic fail.
Until next time, thank you for popping in for a visit. Hope you have a happy week filled with lots of learning and successful DIY projects. And if it doesn’t work, keep smiling and keep trying.
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