40 DIY Craft Projects That Were Not Well Thought Through
By Abigail T
DIY fixes and arts and crafts are great ways to save money. Plus, it’s a more sustainable option as opposed to buying new items. Whether you’re looking for repairs or just entertainment to satisfy your creative side, there are plenty of resources online to show you how to DIY a bunch of things. And there are many DIY communities online showcasing their work. However, these crafts can sometimes get out of hand. Instead of impressive or useful, they are often ineffective, or even creepy! The r/DiWhy subreddit exists to pool in some of these DIY fails. From demonic-looking dolls to bedazzled kitchen utensils, here are just some results of DIY that prove that sometimes, it’s better not to do it yourselves.
Going for the bull’s eye
You would think that the term “bull’s eye” would only be used in darts, archery, or when speaking metaphorically, of course. You would also think that darts would be stored on a dartboard when not in use, but this person had other ideas.
Yes, that is a wifi modem and router tied together with zip ties, attached to a lanyard, and then pinned precariously to the wall with a single dart. We’re getting anxious just looking at this image! Maybe it’s best to get a corner table and save you all the risks.
All remotes in one
With the number of electronic devices we own nowadays, it’s easy to lose track of where all the remotes in the house are. You’ve got the TV remote, the smart remote, the AC remote. Wouldn’t it be nice if all those things were tied together?
This guy really thought he found a gap in the market for a business idea. But if you’ve got all your remotes glued together, wouldn’t that mean that if you lose one, you lose them all? And what happens when the battery dies?
Extra protection
Dinnerware and fine china are definitely things you’d want to keep safe. Some people have special cupboards for their precious plates, mugs, and cups. But even in these cupboards, they’re prone to accidents. One bump into the cabinet can send everything crashing down.
This solution may not be aesthetically pleasing, but it does have some potential. This person took a cutter and foam padding to create a protective “shelf” for all his dinnerware. Genius, but we wouldn’t want this eyesore in the middle of the room!
Reworked door
What do you do when you just redid the whole house and are left with a couple of doors? Some people would just get rid of them. But not this person. They thought they could still make use of the old material, and turn it into something else.
Yup, it’s a dinner table with the doors as the surface. We understand not wanting to let anything go to waste, but isn’t a table surface supposed to be level? With all the indents, plates and cups are sure to shake and even fall over.
Two in one table swing
Whoever had the idea to install these table swings at the public park was not thinking straight. This person took a regular swing set and replaced them with full-sized picnic benches. They might have thought it would have provided some fun, but nobody can enjoy this facility now.
Trying to eat at this table would be uncomfortable because you’re just suspended and swaying a little. But people also can’t use this as a swing because it would be way too heavy to push. Nobody wins here, so maybe bring back the normal swings!
‘Tis the season
Many families have a tradition of decorating their Christmas tree with handmade or custom baubles. These are usually collected throughout the years, and the tree is eventually a display of how the children in the house have grown. It’s a more personal touch than just your generic store-bought baubles.
This ornament is also personalized…to a degree. If you love pasta, or anything Italian, then this could be the perfect ornament. We do appreciate that the vendor specified that they’re sealed. Just be careful not to break them, or you’ll have moldy pasta to clean up this Christmas.
Demon baby dolls
Crochet is another popular pastime. Not only is it calming and a great way to wind down, but you are also creating something. There’s a reward at the end of it, because you get to hold something tangible from your efforts spent. Some people even sell their works.
Lola here had made 600 crochet baby dolls. In theory, this sounds really sweet. It even sounds like something some people would want to buy. But one look at the dolls and we’re out. They are so insanely creepy, we wouldn’t want these things sitting on our beds.
DIY planter
House plants are a great way to keep yourself occupied and decorate your space. How you place your plants around the house or apartment depends on your own style and taste. But remember that friends and family will probably come by every now and then.
When you’re having people over, you wouldn’t want to freak them out by putting out planters made out of plastic baby dolls with their faces carved off. This is truly nightmarish and definitely not the aesthetics anyone wants to see.
Bedazzled utensils
What’s more stereotypically girly than a set of blush pink cooking utensils? Bedazzled blush pink cooking utensils, of course. We don’t know about you, but even without the pearls and stones, we’d already be hesitant to use these spoons and spatulas.
They just look too pretty to be dipped in hot oil or butter. With the bedazzles though, it’s almost like they’re just meant to sit there on display. Also, can we talk about the fact that this person is selling these for $55? What a rip off!
“Cardening”
You know those indents on the dashboard of your car? Most people use it to store a box of tissues or sometimes a phone stand. But not this person. They’ve decided to start a little garden in their car. A “carden” if you will.
This is a cute little DIY project, but the aesthetics are definitely not for everyone. We can see how some people can find this cute though. As it is with all things DIY, it all depends on preference. Just as long as those cacti won’t get propelled into your face as the airbag launches.
Creepy doll straws
Single use plastic is killing the environment, and various manufacturers are trying to do their part in limiting the use of these harmful materials. Reusable straws made of metal, rubber, and even straw, are becoming popular. Some are decked out to look more interesting.
We can’t see why anyone would willingly purchase these straws with doll heads on them, unless it’s for a joke. We don’t know about you, but we’d rather not be drinking out of straws while looking at these creepy faces!
Reworked dentures
While this next craft might not look as creepy as the crochet babies from earlier, it is equally as disturbing. This is a Harry Potter figurine, but instead of plastic or metal for his iconic glasses, it’s actual human teeth.
We’re not sure why anyone would make or purchase this. Teeth aren’t even a big part of the Harry Potter narrative, save for that one time with the basilisk fang. But even then, it’s not human teeth! For £25, we’d rather go out to dinner than own this.
Nail pen
The more we explore this subreddit, the more disturbed we are. We thought we’d seen the last of the unnerving, creepy stuff. But apparently, these DIY-ers were just getting started. Take a look at this unique pen. What do you think it’s made of?
Give up? Those things inside the pen are a dog’s nail clippings. This person saved all their dog’s nail clippings and preserved them in resin to create a pen. We can think of several less gross ways to keep the memory of one’s dog. Like, get a tattoo of them, maybe? Anything but this.
Toilet cover
Crochets and knits make another appearance in this DIY project list, and this leaves us wondering why people can’t just knit sweaters or socks. They just have to do something out of the ordinary that ends up being atrocious! Just take a look at this toilet cover.
There are so many colors and patterns going on here. If this person had just stuck to a couple of the same colors, maybe this would have made for a better toilet cover. But alas, this just looks like ten people worked on it.
Glove angel
Forget creating snow angels. You can only make these when it’s snowing outside. You can make angels out of other things, including items such as surgical gloves. Sure, you don’t find these lying around the house. But you can get them at your nearest pharmacy.
The layering in the skirt and the inflated wings are really a stroke of genius. However, we can’t help but think of all the dust that this thing is going to catch if it just sits on that desk on display. You’re better off buying an actual angel figurine.
Spray foam mirror
This Facebook ad for a $65 DIY mirror has us laughing. At first, we weren’t sure what this mirror was even made out of. Then we found out it’s actually just spray foam that had dried. This may be for some people, but not for us.
The spray foam lining takes up so much of the actual mirror. We’re not sure we can even see our whole outfit in it! Also, the “shabby cheek” aesthetic this person is promoting isn’t really translating in the actual product.
Egg cake
Some people were just born to bake, and others were meant to sit and enjoy the goodies made by others. Guess which group of people Twitter user @shoyoslove falls under. One day they decided to bake a cake with 12 ingredients.
Well, technically, 12 of the same ingredient — eggs. So basically, they baked 12 eggs. One can hardly call this a cake! We’re not sure if this was even seasoned. If it’s just baked eggs, we can’t imagine anyone would want a taste.
Floating condiments
Now, here’s a dinner table that may be entertaining guests in a whole different way. Someone decided to turn a log into a dining table with a little creek smack dab down the middle. This took some serious skill to make!
It’s really innovative, that’s for sure. Rather than asking someone to “pass the salt,” guests can just put it on a tray to float downstream. It’s annoying to pass stuff back up, though. And whoever has this in their home better have some flood insurance.
Jell-O lampshade
Lamp are responsible for giving a room the perfect mood lighting. The right lamp[shade] will set the vibe of the room, not just in the shape in which it covers the lightbulb but also in its design. Take a look at this design.
Is this Jello-O or resin? Either way, a gelatin styled light is just wrong. Not only that, but what kind of food is that? Gelatin, carrots, grapes — or are those olives? — are just a weird dessert combo. This seems more like a fire hazard than anything else.
Converse corset
Who knew that there’s more than one use for a pair of Converse shoes? This brand is known all over the world for its iconic design. A pair of Converses is a staple in any wardrobe to complete an outfit. But what if the shoes were the outfit?
This teen fashioned a corset out of her pink and red Converse high tops. You wouldn’t think there was enough material in two shoes to create a corset, but here it is. It’s pretty impressive that she could do this, although the aesthetics may not be for everyone.
Precious floor design
You’d think that the most expensive floor design would be tiles with rare marble, or inlaid with gold, but we’re not so sure anymore. After seeing this photo, we have a different idea of what pricey bathroom floors look like.
This person decided to lay out his entire card collection on the bathroom floor. These pieces of paper might not seem pricey, but a mint condition card can sell for hundreds of dollars. Why they decided to use it as trampling ground in the bathroom is beyond us. The ones near the toilet already have water damage, too.
Ear earring
Pieces of jewelry are meant to elevate the look of the person wearing them. They’re supposed to tie the entire outfit together and add a little bit of pizzazz to an otherwise plain look. What they’re not supposed to do is duplicate body parts.
This person decided to create DIY earrings, which is a fun activity; it’s just that creativity has its limits. They literally recreated their entire ear! There is a whole ear dangling on their ear. If you asked us, we think the actual ears are already decked out enough.
The floor is lava
Remember that game you used to play as a kid where you pretended the floor was lava? You’d climb up every piece of furniture just to avoid touching the floor. There was no danger, but with an active enough imagination, you could almost feel the heat coming up at you.
This parent’s DIY project was to upgrade their kid’s nursery. They installed a carpet that looks as entrancing and scary as lava. Maybe they weren’t planning on it, but we can bet that this helps the kid stay in the crib if you just told them they were playing The Floor is Lava 24/7.
Paint shortage
Painting a whole room is more costly than you’d expect. You’d be surprised at how many cans of paint are required to spruce up a long hallway, like those in hotels and apartments. What happens when building management can’t afford to paint entire walls?
Well, looks like they tried to make do with the minimal amount of brown paint they had. By the way, brown is not a great color against this shade of beige. These squiggles on the wall are a sad excuse for design and style. They put in zero effort, and it shows.
The noisiest couch on Earth
We’re looking at this couch, and we can’t wrap our heads around what drove the designer to do something like this. They basically gutted a couch, taking the upholstery and stacking plastic water bottles to replace the missing insides. And they did the same for the coffee table!
First of all, these bottles seem to be empty, so would this even be enough to support the weight of at least two people on this “couch”? Also, even if this seat was ergonomically satisfactory, it still would be the noisiest couch to sit on.
Spider lashes
Eyelashes are a big point of fixation these days. Mascaras claim to either lengthen or volumize your lashes in a natural way. One trend is to have spidery long lashes, which usually require an especially clumpy tube of mascara. Spidery, of course, is metaphorical.
But this person took the term literally. These lashes are incredibly creepy. In order to create this “product,” they had to kill, collect, and maim the innocent roaches running around their home. How cruel of them? Also, of course they’re itchy. They’re bugs’ legs! They’re not supposed to be anywhere near your eyes.
DIY patty flipper
Sometimes these DIY enthusiasts create things that aren’t necessary because there are already patented tools for that purpose. This particular DIY product is supposed to flip burger patties on the grill. But did this person just forget about the fact that spatulas exist?
Imagine the amount of effort it took to literally saw off half of this frying pan to create this “patty flipper.” They didn’t gain a new utensil; they only lost one! Now they don’t have a frying pan. Sure, you can flip patties, but can you cook eggs? We don’t think so!
Sewing machine lamp
Bespoke items are all the rage these days, and most of these products are handcrafted, often upcycled antiques. Creative people have the brightest imaginations sometimes. They can see an antique, 30-year-old sewing machine and think, “What if this was a lamp instead?”
This guy fashioned a lamp out of a sewing machine simply by screwing in a lightbulb on top. This device looks underwhelming, to be honest. The only way it can impress us is if the lightbulb is powered by the sewing machine instead of an individual electrical socket.
Lint shirt
Friends, this is what happens when you don’t clean out the lint in your dryer after every load. Well, that, and the risk of a house fire. You gather so much dust and lint that you have enough material to fashion your own shirt out of them!
Looking at the style and aesthetics of this lint shirt, we wouldn’t be surprised if one day a luxury brand came up with something similar and charged thousands of dollars. The distressed look is very in these days. Never forget that you saw the original here first!
Anti-homeless benches
Local governments around the world have been updating the benches they have in public parks in order to not accommodate homeless people. Here’s an example of one particularly badly-DIY’ed park bench, fashioned with bicycle seats to make it extra uncomfortable to sleep on.
You can see the original stone bench that used to be there before this “upgrade.” It seems like this government is low on budget…and compassion. Now the local homeless people won’t be able to sleep comfortably on a bench at night.
Branded blasphemy
When you own an item of branded clothing or accessory, the best way to take care of it is to wear it sparingly and store it in its proper bag whenever you’re not using it. The last thing you should do is take your DIY scissors and rework the thing.
Branded items will sell for five times your buying price once it’s a vintage. If you take care of it properly, you can make a fantastic profit. But if you do what this person did and embellish your Louis Vuitton bag with plastic decorations, you can kiss that money goodbye.
Preventing damage
Renters always complain about savage landlords, but landlords also deal with insufferable tenants sometimes. Whenever something goes wrong in the house, whether it’s with heating, plumbing, or electricity, the landlord is the one who gets called. This landlord has clearly had enough.
Curtain rods and railings are almost always fragile. The hooks can break at the slightest pull, and rowdy tenants have been known to damage them on a particularly wild night. So this landlord nailed the curtains shut! Now the only time there will be sunlight is when he gets a call to fix the rails again.
Cutting corners
Books are synonymous with intelligence, so we’re not surprised when we see packed bookshelves in someone’s home. Bookworms love showing off their favorite reads, and some people just like to show off. Not to mention, they’re a great conversation starter.
The next time you’re at someone’s home and they’ve got a full bookshelf, try pulling out the books just for fun. You’ll discover that sometimes these aren’t even books! In truth, the host doesn’t read at all. They just want it to look like they read.
Bag clip
Who doesn’t love opening up a big bag of chips and snacking on a crunchy treat? Of course, if you get full too quickly, you can be left with a half-eaten bag of chips. If you have a rubber band or paper clip, you can close it up. Otherwise, you’re stuck with stale chips the next day.
Nowadays, there are clips specifically for closing up bags of food at times like this. But if you don’t have one, then you’ll have to make do with what you have, even if it’s the case for your glasses! Just don’t lose your glasses when you try this.
DIY decal
Sometimes, car owners will add decals to their cars. These are normally little additions, like a stripe down the side, or something on the bumper. Decals are normally just accents to add a little umph to the design of the car.
This is only the case when the person who owns the car has taste. Otherwise, they would try to DIY the decal and end up with this funky-looking car. Why this person chose a ton of bricks to cover his entire car is beyond us!
Somebody explain this
Have you ever wished that you could use one item of clothing for multiple purposes? Well, this thought was probably what inspired this guy to DIY this atrocious ensemble. He took one of his jeans and an old sweater, and he fashioned this weird combo.
He made a balaclava and attached it to one of the legs of the jeans. What this will possibly be used for, we have no idea. It probably looks pretty normal if he’s just wearing these as pants. But when he’s wearing it as a balaclava, he just has a whole jean pant coming down his head!
Overhead lighting
People pay very expensive prices for overhead lighting. Whether it’s a fancy ornate chandelier or one of those modern interpretations, good overhead lighting can really set the mood of the place. What would you think if you walked into this house and saw this hanging over you?
This design makes it look like the ceiling is about to fall on you at any moment. Having this overhead lighting above the dining table probably isn’t the best idea. Guests will probably be sitting in anxiety praying that fixture doesn’t fall!
Mutant transport
This Reddit user had an old car that he couldn’t get off his hands. He couldn’t decide what to do with it. Instead of just selling it for parts, he decided to create the funkiest looking mode of transport we’ve ever seen.
He sort of married the car to this boat. We’re not sure how you’d drive the boat now, but wouldn’t it be cool if you could direct it using the car’s steering wheel? This would definitely confuse a lot of people.
Faux headphones
In the age of Bluetooth, walking around with wired earphones or headphones is considered to be out of fashion. But some people still like to go for that retro aesthetic. This DIY tutorial shows you how to fool people into thinking you’re wearing headphones, even when it’s actually wireless earbuds.
Using any colored yarn and some cardboard, you can easily fashion faux headphones to wear while you listen to music from your Airpods. Why anyone would do this rather than buying actual headphones, we’ll never know. At least she looks happy with her craft project.
Borderline robot DIY
People who wear glasses will know the pains of having to slide their glasses up their nose every once in a while. Sometimes your nose is too oily or sweaty, your frames aren’t fitted right, or the nose bed is loose. Well, here’s the DIY hack to fix that issue.
According to this hack, the trick is to literally drill these hooks onto the bridge of your nose. The glasses will rest on the hooks so that there’s a 100% guarantee it won’t slide off. Would anyone want to be the first to try this?