Nope...everything I make is kind of a big deal...

Is that red chair supposed to be an example? I actually like it!

I got this really cool chair that folded into a step stool off Craigslist. It was bright shiny and dirty green, so I thought I'd strip it and either go natural wood or repaint. The stripping agent dried out way too fast in the hot summer heat on the balcony and the 4 layers of paint underneath would not come off. Also did not account for the impossibility of stripping paint off the vertical dowels on the back. Total disaster. It found it's way back on Craigslist (at a discount for the horrible unpaint job). Also got the green paint flecks all over the cement balcony with no luck removing them.

I tried to make a table out of a tree stump. I sanded and decided to stain it. I went with a dark stain to try and match my furniture. Big mistake! I learned to always try and keep it natural.

I tried to fully reupholster and repair an arm-less chair after only pretty much doing the "wrap and staple" seat upholstery projects. Also decided that I would use the decorative upholstery nails ALL OVER every seam on the chair! Needless to say it was quite frustrating when I poorly underestimated the amount of nails I would need, then determined that a regular hammer into hardwood and trying to drive them like a roofing nail does not work. AND doing every seam is time consuming! and the first time using them I thought I would be able to keep them in a straight line AND evenly spaced... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! So even though it looks okay I'm definitely not happy with it because nails keep falling out and seams and nail lines are extremely crooked in places etc etc etc.
All-in-all I bit off more than I could chew that time... but it was a great learning experience and now I have gotten the right tools and have gotten 2 more chairs to give it a go at that are still complicated but just a little simpler and smaller than the original one!

I bought organic soil for our first tomato plant, and put it on our (indoor) side porch to protect it from our criminal neighbors. Next thing I know we have millions of little green bugs everywhere. Living room, kitchen, cat water bowls. A friend told me that MiracleGro failed to dry out the soil properly and other people had the same problem. Fortunately all the bugs disappeared after we moved the tomato plant outside, but now we hesitate to grow any food because I don't ever want that kind of bug infestation again, and neither do our cats!

My big-time fails all seem to involve spray paint. I have sworn it off. I use actual paint with brushes or rollers, or I don't paint at all.

Mine usually comes with varnishes or clear coats on furniture- but ONLY when it's mine! I've helped friends refinish pieces and and it comes out beautifully. But mine, no matter how clean, how well sanded, I have a tough time getting smooth coats of polyurethane. Best that comes to mine was IN our old apartment (yes, I realize how dumb it was painting furniture inside!) I refinished the top of our coffee table and after 3 coats, it became evident that weird streaks and bubbles in the finish were forming. We shrugged it off and use the table everyday.

Everything I do turns out less than stellar, so I guess I'm too used to it by now that I consider nothing a complete disaster.

that chair reminds me of a ketchup flavoured chip!

Haha! The gel stain is drying on a giant wood-grained laminate bookcase. We're going to see if we could get rid of the scratched blonde finish and go with a darker, mahogany-looking one. So far, so good! First coat is on. Doing a second coat tomorrow. Then varnish. The color is so far very nice and it looks WAY classier than the old one. But we'll see if it all goes as planned....

My first furniture refinishing job - I forgot to wipe the piece down well enough after sanding it. I then stained it, and sawdust remains were visible. Stupid. Now I make sure to wipe down a piece REALLY WELL *before* staining.

But, to be honest, it was a very valuable lesson to learn. I love refinishing furniture and painting rooms and every project is a learning experience.

i would love to see photos of that ocean mural.

@e53, I'm with you. I'd wipe it down with some gray paint or some dark stain to get some depth into the crevices, but I like it.

My husband and I decided to strip the paint off of a HIDEOUS dresser we got for free when we had no furniture. He took it outside, and got to work. He came inside for a little break and within 10 minutes we got a surprise monsoon. Now the drawers don't fit!

I learned the hard way when staining a bookcase for my boyfriend's birthday that thicker doesn't mean darker. . .it means drippier! I was running out of time and wasn't letting it dry between coats either, and it ended up being a huge mess. Now I know to take my time with a project, and find something to occupy me during drying times.

I painted some dressers blue and the drawer fronts red. It kind of looked like a funky-contemporary hippie vibe. For about six months, until it became apparent that I have no idea how to do a paint job that lasts, and chips and primer showing through abounded. I finally got rid of them for free on Craigslist many years later after the Salvation Army came to pick them up and wouldn't take them! ha!

IMO, anything purposely distressed is extremely tacky.