Every so often we like to show you guys what happens to the DIY projects we make after we publish the post to let you know how they held up and what items we still use the most! I’ve definitely made a lot of items in my day (like, A LOT), so here are some updates on a few of them!
I painted this black and white pattern on our back porch two years ago and it’s holding up surprisingly well! There are a few rust spots on the white from metal furniture legs and it has come up a little in one or two small spots, but overall we just scrub it at the beginning of the season with a bristle brush and it’s good to go! I did find out though that the black areas do get hotter than the white so when it’s crazy hot you have to be a little careful if you are in your bare feet!
I’ve done three sets of custom doors in our home since we have quite a few of the accordion-style closet doors, and they are all looking just as good as the day we made them! We have something like a simple textural design in our bedroom, a starburst shape in the nursery, and a more geometric look in the den.
The table we have in our dining room is going on five years strong and has had a makeover in that time as well with a coat of paint on the table and legs (you can see what it looked like before here). I built mine to be a smaller version of what Elsie had made since I was so impressed with how good hers looked, and it’s been a trooper ever since! It’s probably due for another coat of paint since it’s been a few years, but otherwise, we still love it.
I have a ton of these oversized frames made with this method in our house and it’s still my favorite way to get a large custom frame built at a fraction of the cost (you can get the link to that one in our nursery tour). They can warp a bit as time goes on, so they don’t sit totally flush against the wall, but I just use these in a few spots and it keeps the frame from warping and sitting flat.
These hanging planters look just as good as the day I made them (although the plants in them right now are mostly dead—ha!) and I even made more for other places in the house!
This earring holder is one of my favorite small DIYs that I did last year! While the removeable wallpaper that I chose to cover the base with is peeling off, it wasn’t that sticky to begin with, so a better vinyl or paper/mod podge combo would probably have stuck better on the wood. I just dabbed a few spots with super glue and it hasn’t given me any trouble since.
Speaking of earrings, those gold statement earrings I made are usually what I grab first when I want a bolder earring for the night. And while I was a little worried they would fall apart or the glue wouldn’t hold, I’m happy to say they are still in one piece and no regluing has been necessary so far!
I still use that makeup organizer every day to hold my brushes and eye pencils. I changed out the leather cord color and I found some gold tumblers a while back to switch the copper ones with, but functionally it’s exactly the same and gives me more counter space, which I love too.
I had to do something about the awkwardly placed window in our bedroom, so building this shelf to mirror the shape of the window next to it was a genius idea (if I do say so myself). I definitely have some wall anchors in there since it’s a heavy shelf and we sleep under it, but it balances out the window so well and I can just switch out items to change the decor whenever I want to.
And just to throw one baby item in for good measure, while we’ve only been using this sequin confetti splash mat for three months, it gets used three times a day and is constantly being wiped and folded and it’s holding up really well. I was wondering if the plastic would stain at all with items like spaghetti sauce that can leave a temporary stain on her high chair and bibs, but so far no staining at all! Super happy with how durable (and pretty) this item has been so far.
I did have a partial fail with my patio lights after I put them up. I was using those gutter clips I linked in the post, which were working OK until we had a super windy storm come through that lifted up the patio umbrella and crashed it through the lights, bringing just about every strand down with it. That was not a fun mess to clean up and I was almost nine months pregnant at the time, so I was extra annoyed about it. Anyway, we eventually got the lights back up but used these to secure them to the gutters for a stronger hold.
So there you go! Some DIYs live out their life looking the same as they always did while others get tweaks as our decor tastes change. Hope this was a fun little look into what happens to some projects after the post! xo. Laura
19 Comments
I loved this post, really shows which DIYs you guys love the most and find the most useful! Thank you for sharing! 🙂
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
I really love the giant shelf above the bed!
I love seeing these update posts!
These posts are some of favorites – thanks for sharing!
Love the earrings and earring holder! The porch is awesome too!
Debs @ https://tiger-mint.com
I may be making a replica of those lights soon!!! So nice to hear real time feedback!
Thank you for following up! It’s good to know which DIYs have worked long term for you. I feel like they can be finicky on a lot of blogs, but you always make things really well in the first place!
Eva | http://www.shessobright.com
It would’ve been interesting to actually see some current pictures, rather than just hearing that everything held up…
Yeah, that’s what I was thinking too. :/
Yeah, that would actually be more helpful! Even if they don’t look perfect…
Brilliant, particularly love the dining table DIY! Xxx
I love that you show us how your projects are holding up, that’s really a sign of quality for your projects!
https://www.makeandmess.com/
This kind of long-term analysis is very useful.
BTW to get spaghetti stains out of plastic, soak with denture tablets. For your splash mat, you might have to use a few tablets in the sink….I also use them to clean our wine carafe.
Lol. I had the same thing happen with my patio lights. We actually used the hooks and added a wire strand for support. We get some big storms. And..yes, cleaning up a bunch of broken glass is not fun even when you are not pregnant. ????
I love these follow-up posts so much! It’s super helpful for me to see what is worth the time/money/energy investment. Thank you for putting your time in on the projects themselves and on these posts telling us how they hold up!
Thank you for these! It makes everyone else who does some DIY projects not feel so bad when patching up their projects LOL
We’ve made several of those large frames in our home and they’ve been awesome at filling wall space for super cheap!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
I LOVE these kind of check-in posts where we get to see how things are holding up. I’ve definitely done my fair share of projects that didn’t hold up over time and love how you guys give updates. Plus, I’ve never seen a lot of these tutorials so it’s cool to discover some fresh ideas. Thanks!
I love the DIYs on a Beautiful Mess, and I love this follow up. I made those planters (with the Target bowl) about a year ago. I have 2 in my kitchen, and they look fantastic. I was surprised how easy they were to make with your clear instructions; I was especially surprised at how well that drill bit works! (It’s so nice to learn about something like that.) I had been looking high and low for planters and seeing some high prices. All told, including the drill bit & everything, these cost me around $17 each. It’s hard to beat that price! I couldn’t be happier with them.