Last October we shared an update on how well some of the DIY projects we've shared on this site held up over time. You can see that post here. We thought we'd update you on a few more projects that we've lived with for a while.
First up is this feather pendant light. It has seen over a year of use now, and it's still going strong! It looks and functions exactly the same as the day we hung it. Hooray!
We're still very much in love with this white and copper dining room table that Josh built about this time last year. I think we all assumed that structurally it would hold up great (and it has!), but what about that white surface? Would it get stained over time with use? Although I don't think this table sees quite as many meals as others, it is sort of used as our studio house break room/lunch table at times. We also hosted our annual Friendsgiving on this table this year, and the white has held up like a champ.
OK, so this bedside bench turned out not to last as long as I thought. Structurally nothing was wrong with it, it probably would have lasted for years (it was mostly decorative, so not a lot of sitting happened on it). But, the rug I chose had some black and darker tones in the pattern and this showed my dog's blonde hair A LOT. I would use my vacuum attachment from time to time to clean it, but it never looked anywhere near as good as the day I made it, no matter how much I vacuumed and lint rolled! So, for that reason I ended up not loving it as much as I thought I would.
Recently I repurposed the legs for our coffee table. Never waste good furniture legs! Reuse them if the opportunity comes up as it can save you a pretty penny and reusing is always good in my book.
Last year Trey and I built this simple standing desk around our "home office" room. Really, we use the room as a home office, music room (for him), and sewing/craft room (for me). So the desk gets used pretty often for all sorts of tasks. And it has held up great!
These super easy no-sew curtains that we have in our office bathroom are a great example of a project that is both simple and durable. I think a lot of times people think, "If you don't do it the hard way, it won't last and isn't worth doing." And I think that can sometimes be true. If you're cutting corners to be lazy (which I've done!!!), then you may regret it. BUT, that doesn't mean that doing things the "easy way" can't be beautiful and durable too. These curtains have been hanging up for almost a year, and they are showing no signs of wear yet. 🙂
I think we all wondered how well these pretty felt pillows were going to hold up over time. Felt isn't always considered to be the most durable fabric. But these decorative throw pillows are still looking vibrant and beautiful to this day!
Still in love with my macrame curtain in our home office! The taped ends haven't frayed at all, and I still love the texture that it adds to the space without being overwhelming.
Our DIY floating shelves have help up great too! We store plants, books, and all sorts of knick knacks on them, and they have held up like a total champ this year.
Loved learning how to grow crystals inside egg shells. Too cool! I encased mine inside plaster for a fun paperweight project. It's been about six months, and I still have two of the three weights I made. I lost the red one. Boo! I guess it just up and walked off my desk one day. But the blue and purple are still sitting on my desk as I type this. The color in the crystals has faded some. They look a little more cloudy than the day I made them. But other than that, the crystals seem to be holding up OK.
And last, a little update on my mineral photo display. I wondered if wires might sag or get bent overtime, but they have held up fine this year. I have moved this display around our house some, mostly from the fireplace mantel to the bookshelf. I have had a few of the photos fall out before, especially when it was on the mantel since it was right by our back door and a gust of air would sometimes blow a few of the photos off. I used my jewelry pliers to pinch the hooks more secure, and it's been fine since then. Maybe in another year I'll update the photos, we'll see. 🙂
Thanks for letting us share!!! xo. Emma
Credits // Author: Emma Chapman, Photography: Check the original posts (linked throughout) for the photographer. Photos edited with A Beautiful Mess actions.
52 Comments
I so appreciate your honesty about what projects have stood the test of time! It’s too bad your bedside bench didn’t work out well with the dog hair, because it’s so adorable. I always need to plan fabrics in my house around my white cat and my brown dog, haha.
Cat
http://oddlylovely.com
Great post,you made so many amazing DIY-s.It’s great to hear that you still use some of them 🙂
Valentina from http://fashionwithvalentina.blogspot.com
I love these posts! It’s always fun to see some of the projects that I missed, and also good to know because you give an honest response.
Man, I love my pets so much but sometimes when I go to other people’s houses that don’t have animals, there’s always that moment of, “Oh, so this is what things look like when there’s not hair everywhere.”
x Kathryn
http://www.throughthethicket.ca
A great notion that all diy blogs should utilise!
http://Www.whimsicalzoo.blogspot.com
Such an inspiring post!
xx OXANAMUA || New Inspirational Lifestyle Post!
It’s really awesome and important that you guys do these posts, thanks so much! I make a whole lot of the diys on the site, but very rarely do I make them right away. I usually read them and lock them away in the Pinterest of my mind until a later date, so it makes a big difference to me to hear updates. Thank you!
This is so genius! Often times I’ve wondered if investing time and money on diy-ing things is worth it – this makes it easier to choose your diy projects wisely. Thanks for sharing!
equaluprise.com
gold & mint is the perfect color combo.
I really would like to attempt this in the near future 🙂
Me too—the animal hair struggle is real thing. I try to avoid dark/black comforters and rugs (unless it’s for the guest room which doesn’t get used as much) because I just end up regretting it otherwise. Too much blonde pug hair everywhere. 😉
-Emma
Very cool. If you’re ever planning to make one you’re also welcome to email us if you want to know how it’s held up but you haven’t seen a post on it yet. support@abeautifulmess.com
Thanks!
-Emma
I love the standing desk
I love that you do these posts! It’s always so helpful to know how DIY projects hold up over time!
I’m almost in disbelief that the feather lamp was so well reviewed here, because I imagine you’d have to dust it ALL THE TIME! Am I crazy? Is it not a dust/cobweb magnet??
I love hearing an update on your projects. I totally didn’t remember your constellations on your bathroom wall. love them! I actually just made constellation curtains this week on my blog! http://www.snugglebuguniversity.com/2015/03/diy-constellation-curtains.html
I can’t wait to try your crystal project…they look so cool!
This is so helpful! I especially love that some of the quick projects held up as well as the projects that took a lot of time!
Thanks for this post. I’m curious if you remember the total cost of the door cover? Looks like the cost of all that rope could add up! 🙂
I don’t know if it’s the room it’s in or what but it’s looking great for us. I haven’t taken it down and shook it out since we hung it, so maybe it’s just really good at hiding dust? Could be possible I think.
-Emma
You’re right! I don’t remember the exact amount but I do remember all the rope (and wood rod it hangs on) being somewhere over $100. It’s not a super cheap DIY (or at least, not to me) but I like the look so it was fine with me. I wish we had been pushing the costs more often back when we posted that one as I bet it would be helpful to anyone thinking about making it. Anyway-good question. I see you know a thing or two about buying rope. 🙂
-Emma
top 3: mineral photo display, felt pillow, and easy no-sew curtains. thanks for the review and update!
I’ve still got to make those felt pillows. They are so bright and pretty, but I completely forgot about them. It’s amazing that y’all are letting us know how these projects held up, and it’s a great way to rediscover those projects we meant to do and forgot about <3
http://conkscanister.blogspot.com
They look great, love this!
http://www.mintnotion.com
It’s so incredible that all the diy projects are still in tact and timeless, too! Thank you for sharing, it’s so inspiring to see all your beautiful work!
Juju Sprinkles
http://www.jujusprinkles.con
It’s great to see that most of these DIYs have held up well over time! It makes all of the hard work and effort worth it!
M.
Hi, can I please know what base coat and white paint you used for the white table?
I just repainted an old bright green shelf to white with 1 coat of oil base paint and 3 coats of white oil based paint. It’s merely 3 months and it has turned YELLOW and some corners that wasn’t covered well are looking green. @.@ It is more of a display shelf, which is very under-used. I wonder where I did wrong in the paint process.
I would like to repaint it to have a lasting bright white.
Hope you can advise me how you achieve such a white & lasting surface! Thanks!
I love that you did this- it’s so helpful to share and I’m so much more likely to try these DIY’s that held up really well! I had been on the fence about the felt pillows, but I think I’m going to run out for the supplies later this week!
xo Mary
Mostly Salty Blog
also the blanket please?? on the mattress and next to the bedside bench. so versatile! remember where you got it?
I loved that macrame project! SO glad it still looks good! Thanks for the honesty!
Such an inspirational post! Love your style by the way, eclectic and colorful!
xx Ciana
Its completely gorgeous!!
gorgeous house.
http://nurielfashion.blogspot.co.il/2015/03/prints-are-backo.html
Wow! Most of the projects are standing the test of time! I still love the vibrancy of the felt pillows, as well as the functionality of the standing desk. Thanks for the update and Happy Wednesday 🙂
You guys are so cool! I think its lovely that you d an honest post about the projects that stood the test of time!
Just checked your link of no sew curtains – you are right just because its easy does not mean its not durable…can’t wait to try it out!
Love this walk-through your projects:-)
This stuff is so cute. Thanks for sharing!
great photos, love the design
http://loving-evelyn.blogspot.ro
This is just amazing! I’m not following your blog for that long yet, but I’m loving your creativity.
Great that the things held up this long overall!
Thank you for letting us know how your projects held up. I love those colorful felt pillows and may need to make them.
Thanks also for the live stream. I was not able to watch them live but I still enjoyed watching. You two are fun and inspiring to watch.
Felt cushions are fabulous, usually overlook them but you have paired them well on a beautiful sofa and I adore the lamp, very trendy! If you’re having trouble with your footstool try decur.co.uk brought one a while back still in nifty condition 🙂
Emma, Elsie, I’d like to introduce you to the end of your pet hair on furniture problems: The Lilly Brush. I bought one of these because they’re supposed to remove pills on sweaters (I knit a lot of sweaters and don’t like them to look pilly, and who likes pilly cashmere, nobody…) They make one called SOS that is hand-held and it is also AMAZING at getting lint and pet hair off any clothes you’re wearing (except for grabby knit leggings.) They make one called the BFF that removes pet hair off of all your furniture too. I own like 4 of them. I keep one in my purse. It does wonders on vintage furniture too to remove dirt and pet hair… just fantastic.
Your blog is such an inspiration for what i want to decorate my house with in the future! Reading ABM makes me want to just go get a house and decorate it!
I love those mineral photo stands – its something i can do to decorate my room 😉
X, Carina
http://runningwhitehorses.blogspot.com
Thanks for the follow-up…DIY is so much trial & error, and sometimes the errors take a little bit to make themselves known. So glad so many of your projects held up! They look awesome!
http://www.boxesandjars.com
I love these posts! It’s so great to hear how projects turn out and hold up after a period of time. Thanks for the info!
The Animal hair struggle is for real! I have two cats and am constantly battling their hair on furniture. Its amazing how much hair two little cats lose.
This is one of my favorite series! The honesty and the reminder of all the stuff you ladies made is awesome. I feel like we have not seen many updates on the studio house in a while. Would love to see more of it. What a dream that space seems to be.
~megan
http://www.booksteaandnyc.com
I love the idea of this post but would really like to see photos of the projects in their current state. It would be more informative and believable. Saying the crystal faded a bit for example would be nice to see. Thanks for posting though!
The color on the first picture is unbelievable. But it works so well with all the light coming from the right side!
Where did you get the mirror behind the mineral photo stands? I just love it! Is it a DIY? I looked for it but didn’t see it on your website.
Hi Pam! You can find it here: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Martha-Stewart-Living-Wales-30-in-x-30-in-Metal-Antique-Gold-Framed-Mirror-72930/203024519?N=5yc1vZar8xZ4tg 🙂 -Jacki
Super post! I very like your DIY projects!
Would you tell me were are the carpets from? They catch my eyes. Thanks, Zsófia
I really love the idea of a standing desk. It looks fabulous and is totally functional (and healthy).
I am also in love with the DIY floating shelves!! Definitely going to add that to my to do list. 😉
I love that you guys give the updates! As a maker who often sees DIYs on various sites that are completely impractical, it’s refreshing to see an honest assessment a few months later. Love it!
I didn’t really get to plan the colours of my pets, since three are rescues and the fourth came with my boyfriend, but we have one black and white cat, one grey and white, a black pug, and a ginger/orangey whippet cross, so we literally have pretty much every shade of animal hair it is possible to have. Blending in is not an option! Hoover with ‘pet attachment’ a serious necessity round our way! 🙂
Love this post–now I actually will make that feather light!! I’m not sure you will want to answer my next question, but it doesn’t hurt to ask, right? I am deeply in love with the carpet in the dining room of the copper/white diy table! Any chance you will share it’s origins/source? I live in Canada and have less choice for these things than you Yanks, and it really gets mind-numbing to search endlessly online! I continue to love this blog and am always inspired by you two!! Thank you!!
Laurie