Everyone once in a while, we’re seized by that dangerous sort of inspiration that will have us undertaking projects we are by no means prepared for. Normally, we’re saved by the practical realities (and costs) of going to the store and buying the supplies or tools needed. But that doesn’t stop everyone.
So we’ve gathered examples of some of the most creative, yet cursed DIY projects people have posted online for your viewing enjoyment. Get comfortable as you scroll through, upvote your favorites and be sure to share your thoughts on what they were trying to accomplish in the comments section down below.
#1 Why Have I Done This
At home with a back injury, out of boredom I combined an old lava lamp with an old wall lamp. Yes I know it’s horrible, but I also kinda like it.
Image source: Appropriate-Bank-883
#2 Had An Urge To Make ‘Taxidermy’
I think I’m sorry?
Image source: zeldakhalo
#3 Someone Made A $450 “MacBook Trash Can”
I need to know:
Is this the ultimate, high-effort solution for people who refuse to let a basic plastic bin ruin their aesthetic?
Image source: Bullseye_29
We have all been there at some point in our lives. You are standing in the middle of a massive home improvement store surrounded by stacks of fresh lumber and rows of gleaming power tools. You might have zero experience with a circular saw or a soldering iron but suddenly you are convinced that building a mahogany deck or replumbing the master bathroom is a perfectly reasonable Saturday morning activity.
This sudden burst of unearned confidence is a fascinating part of the human experience that combines deep seated psychology with the influence of modern digital culture. It is a peculiar phenomenon where the lack of expertise actually creates the very confidence needed to dive headfirst into a potential disaster.
#4 Was Told My Carrot Hand Belonged Here
Spent around an hour doing this and while I don’t have regrets, no I don’t know why.
Image source: L0rdDino
#5 Needed A Lamp. Spent $60 To Make One Out Of A Spare Thermos
Image source: lumbirdjack
#6 VW Bug Bed
Someone is actually trying to sell this in my area.
Image source: chicoquadcore
One of the primary drivers of this behavior is something known as the Dunning-Kruger effect which is a cognitive bias where people with low ability at a task significantly overestimate their own competence. Because you do not know enough about the complexities of electrical wiring or structural engineering you do not actually realize how much you are missing.
#7 Rip The Antique Globe Underneath All This
Image source: guessimkindaemo
#8 Cinderella
Image source: pheexio
#9 Found In A Hotel In Erfurt… I Don’t Even Know What To Think Of This
Image source: DomWaits
You see a beautiful tile backsplash on a screen and your brain skips over the hours of meticulous leveling and messy grouting and instead focuses entirely on the polished finished product. In your mind the path from point A to point B is a straight line because you are currently unaware of the dozens of zigzags and pitfalls that professional contractors spend years learning to navigate.
#10 Squishmallow Mask
My 9 year old made from a sacrificial squishmallow she used to stuff pillows she made on her sewing machine.
Image source: AndroidNim
#11 This Beautiful Paintjob
I don’t know a thing about painting cars but I’m pretty sure you don’t use spray paint.
Image source: WatchOutRadioactiveM
#12 Found In The Wild
Behold my Furbubu. I know it’s been done before but I had to make my own. He’s made from a toy bunny, a MacDonald’s furby and ball jointed doll limbs!
Image source: spookietrex
This psychological blind spot is often fueled by the relentless stream of social media content that makes complex home renovations look like a thirty second montage set to upbeat music. We live in an era of digital perfection where a kitchen can be gutted and rebuilt in the time it takes to scroll through a few posts.
#13 Oyster Shell Chandelier Or Ed Gein’s Skin Lamp?
Image source: Ok_Cause_869
#14 External Hard Drive Encased In A Cement Brick
Description:
Cement brick with a USB hard drive inside. It was made by a guy I’ve never met and it has a bunch of random files and photos of people who went to a college I didn’t go to. I guess you could say it’s a bit of a time capsule. I’ve had it for years and it’s hard to see it go but it’s time…
Free to a good home but please note that it is a literal cement brick so it’s heavy! But it has a handle.
Image source: gcz1214
#15 Uhhh I Guess It’s Unique?
Image source: MikePach
When you watch a professional or a high energy influencer tackle a project they make every movement look fluid and effortless. This creates a false sense of security that psychologists often refer to as the optimism bias which is our natural tendency to believe that we are less likely to experience negative events than others. You tell yourself that while someone else might flood their basement trying to fix a pipe you will be the exception because you watched a very thorough video tutorial twice.
#16 This Is My Debut As An Appliance Installer
I think I mounted it correctly.
Image source: nikjahw
#17 Gaming Chair
Image source: Le4xy
#18 Anyone Wants Sneakers For Their Shirt Collar?
Image source: anikkundu1998
There is also a significant emotional component involved in the desire to do it yourself. This is frequently called the IKEA effect which describes how we place a disproportionately high value on products we partially created ourselves. The labor itself leads to love for the object.
#19 Worth Every Penny
Image source: reddit.com
#20 Poodle Made From Seashells, Found For Sale In A Charity Shop In The UK For £2.50
Image source: JSHU16
#21 Gator Dolls
Found these on Facebook marketplace in Portland, OR.
Image source: abethhh
Even if the bookshelf is slightly crooked or the paint job has a few visible drips, the fact that your own hands did the work provides a sense of pride that a store bought item simply cannot replicate. This emotional payoff is a powerful motivator that pushes people to take on tasks that are objectively outside of their current skill level. We want to be the masters of our own domain and we want to feel the satisfaction of saying that we built this with our own two hands.
#22 Bedazzled Great Value Toilet Bowl Bleach (Empty)
Image source: motapumi
#23 Found On Facebook Market Place
Image source: vacuityofnil
#24 An Attempt Was Made
An attempt was made by me no less at making a ‘stitch biting hat’, the end result did not match the picture I had imagined it to look like.
Quite why I carried this on to completion is anyone’s guess.
Image source: Weird_Surprise6221
Furthermore we are often victims of the planning fallacy which is our habit of underestimating how much time and money a project will actually require. We go into the hardware store thinking a project will cost fifty dollars and take two hours but we end up returning four times for different parts while the sun goes down and the project remains unfinished.
#25 Singular Cotton Swab Holder
Image source: sergemeister
#26 I Modified A Pillow To Make It Bendy
Image source: Aaronnoraator
#27 Where’s The Remote?
Image source: 420Eski-Grim
This optimism is what gets us started but it is often the grit and the refusal to give up that eventually sees us through to the end. While the results of a first time DIY project might not always be magazine quality the journey itself is how we eventually move from being a confident amateur to a truly skilled hobbyist. We might start with a misplaced belief in our own abilities but through trial and error and perhaps a few minor plumbing leaks we eventually gain the real knowledge we thought we had at the beginning.
#28 Landlord Replaced My Door And I Noticed It Was Creaking
Landlord used screws instead of the correct pin.
Image source: LateRespond1184
#29 Cowboy Hat Conversion
Image source: Machinefun
#30 Holy Edgy
Image source: reddit.com
#31 Was A Tissue Holder But I Quit Smoking And I’m A Sucker For Punishment Apparently
Image source: alfy2pointohno
#32 The ‘Spoiler’ On This Car Is Made Of License Plates
Image source: Raistlin76
#33 Free Couch, Comfort Not Included
Image source: tllwlyk
#34 I Made Surround Sound Headphones
Helmet with 5 adjustable rods. Each rod contains 1 speaker. Not pictured is the USB-to-3.5mm surround decoder (about $29 on Amazon).
Image source: pudjam667
#35 Epoxy Resin Mantel Clock Embedded Full Of Crushed Stone
Image source: RawChickenButt
#36 They Could’ve At Least Cleaned The Keys First
I saw this listed on Facebook marketplace for $35.
Image source: tman2damax11
#37 Impressive Not Gonna Lie
Image source: ActBest217
#38 One Panel Of Privacy Fence To Hide The Front Of Trash Bins But Nothing On Sides Or Behind
Image source: Stlthrowaway696969
#39 Bought Spare Remotes Then My 4 Year Old Found Electrical Tape And Made This So We’d Never Lose Another Remote
Image source: Little_Ad2790
#40 What Is The Purpose Of This
Image source: reddit.com
#41 Facebook Table Wall
Image source: LokiDokiPanda
#42 Decorative Spine
Image source: TheSkyCrusader
#43 My Neighbor’s New Walkway. They Are Doing Their Own Renovations Before Trying To Sell
Image source: aggierogue3
#44 £3 Mirror And I Had A Vision
Image source: zeldakhalo
#45 Guerrilla Coffee Dripper
Too lazy to buy a $5 coffee pour over but not too lazy to buy coffee filters, so I make this instead.
Image source: CPLCraft
#46 Here Child, Have This Abomination
Image source: fisheystick
#47 Our Thanksgiving Yoda Gingerbread Cookie Turned Out Better Than Expected
Image source: MalDuzArt
#48 I Make Weird Food Purses Out Of Clay And Resin
Image source: WittyMaintenance3042
#49 Intriguing, But Why?
Image source: AmbivertMusic
#50 Found These Handbuilt Beauties On Marketplace
Image source: The_Aesthetician
#51 Don’t Ask Me About It
“Don’t message just to talk about it” 20 hours of welding the most uncomfortable and heavy chair made from timing chains.
Description:
ITS UP FOR SALE, NOT CONVERSATION. PLEASE DONT MESSAGE ME JUST TO TALK ABOUT IT. NOWHERE IN THIS LISTING DOES IT SAY SEEKING ATTENTION OR CONVERSATION OR RANDOM SMART COMENTS. THANK YOU. 5′ long 32″ tall 34.5″ wide. 23″ wide seat 28″ high backrest. Made from mixed timing chain, roller chain, pipe, unistrut and turnbuckles. About 20 hrs in fitting and welding. 4 lbs of wire holdin it together. Stainless steel cupholders big enough for tallboys and Yeti mugs. Bring help loading. Is heavy but has functioning wheels.
Image source: 12hrnights
#52 My MIL Made This On Her Woodworking Class
Image source: ezelufer
#53 This Was In A High End Resort Where All Other Woodworking Was Done Pretty Well
Image source: Mesoposty
#54 The Glitter Is Not Sealed. It’s A Sink Made Of Sandpaper
Image source: FaeTheWolf
#55 Redditors Covers Piece Of Bread With Rhinestones
Image source: Empathetic_Artist
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