Epic Hits and Epic Fails – Int’l Bloggers Club

It’s that time of the month again when I get to participate in the International…

It’s that time of the month again when I get to participate in the International Blogger’s Club Challenge.  For any of you who don’t know, we are a group of friends who get together once a month to participate in a challenge and to talk about our countries, since we are international. 

Last month we did a challenge on Spring crafts and we have also done spring before. So this time around we chose an entirely new to us project.  We are going to show you our epic hits and epic fails, chosen from our past projects as bloggers. Some of these are not very popular so you may be seeing them for the first time. 
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The Epic Hits

These projects are not the most popular but they hold special meanings for me for a variety of reasons.  I thought it’d be fun to revisit them and discuss why I love them so!
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1. The Chalkboard Wall (Seeing Black)

This little sliver of a chalkboard wall is right next to our front door.  We don’t really have an entryway so this is it.  I had painted it to solve the problem of the dirty finger prints.  But it has become so much more for me.  It is a fun area and whenever I look at it, it makes me smile!  Whether it has a Christmas drawing or it is just full of messages, it draws my attention and puts a feeling of joy in my heart.  

Sometimes I’ll draw a pretty theme like the one for spring below, and the kids will come along and write strange words on it…never a dull moment!  Ahh what else can a mom ask for?  Now I know you all think I’m corny, but it’s these little things that mean so much in my life. 
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The chalkboard wall is a hit, Epic Hits and Epic Fails, Int'l Bloggers Club Challenge www.theboondocksblog.com

2. The Accidental Tri-Colored Table

This table has had a long history – at least 70 years. It has been a work horse in my house, what with four kids jumping up and down on it (you know what I’m talking about).  When I transformed it last year from overpowering orange to this surprising tri-color I never expected to find that honey blond wood on the top.  

I really love that blond wood and it serves as much more than just a table.  I also use it to photograph on because of the warm wood grain and pretty color. So it is serving double duty for me. What more can I ask for.  A beautiful, solid wood table that also acts as backdrop!  
The Tri-colored table is a hit, Epic Hits and Epic Fails, Int'l Bloggers Club Challenge www.theboondocksblog.com

3. The Wall Organizer (The Twine Lady Returns)

I created this wall display/organizer from two racks that I found on one of those store shelf displayers.  You know, the ones that hold bags of potato chips and snacks. It was a very easy project if a bit tedious to do. All I did was wrap the two racks together with twine.  Of course the wrapping was not as bad as the marathon wrap session I did with the red storage unit.

I’ve had this placed over my desk for a while now and it has turned out to be so practical.

  I cannot overstate this.  I just used mini clothespins and attached my notes up there.  Whenever I need something for the blog, I just have to look up.  You can see my reality photo below.  It looks like a mess but I know exactly what is what and at a moment’s glance.  So aside from being light, airy and pretty it is above all else super practical. And it’s next to my babies!
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The wall organizer/displayer is a hit, Epic Hits and Epic Fails, Int'l Bloggers Club Challenge www.theboondocksblog.com

4. The Showcase Table

This project is very close to my heart and so I’ve chosen it for sentimental reasons.  It is comprised of a part of my past, in the form of the cassette tape holder and a part of my husband’s, in the form of the director’s chair that belonged to my father-in-law.  Put them together and you have this table. 

The cassette holder is a display for my seashell collection.  A collection which my husband along with the kids found at the beach.  So you see, this table is a project of love bringing many special family moments together.

The Showcase Table is a hit, Epic Hits and Epic Fails, Int'l Bloggers Club Challenge www.theboondocksblog.com

The Epic Fails​

And now onto the fun stuff!  Yes, I know you were eagerly scrolling down to see my epic fails!  As the title says, these projects went horribly wrong.  Let’s find out why and what I did about them. 
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1. The Toilet Paper Roll Thingy  (My Irrational Obsession with Paper Rolls)

This one speaks for itself. It was an irrational obsession and in time it passed. I had made some nice projects with paper rolls such as these gift bracelet holders and this  ear plug organizer.

At the height of my obsession I created this monstrosity and placed it above the sliding doors in the living room. To find out why I was driven to this read here. And what happened to this thingy?  It later ended up in the fireplace!!
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The Paper Roll Wreath is a fail, Epic Hits and Epic Fails, Int'l Bloggers Club Challenge www.theboondocksblog.com

2. The Scarf Hanger 

This one is tricky. It was a homemade gift for my youngest who went through an intense period of wearing scarves.  Hence the gift.  In theory, it was a good idea but it was not really practical for scarves.  

I see it as an epic fail but my girl likes it.  I think the hooks are too close together to be good for scarves.  She doesn’t care, she says it is good for belts. I guess that’s how you turn an epic fail into a pass!   Of course that smudge on the top still needs to be taken care of!


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The Scarf Holder was a fail and a hit depending on who you ask, Epic Hits and Epic Fails, Int'l Bloggers Club Challenge www.theboondocksblog.com

3. A Tray Becomes a Frame

Once upon a time this was a tray.  You can see how it originally looked like here. But I was not happy with it so I repurposed it into this frame below.  It hung on the wall for a few months looking awkward and not doing much.  In fact the only happiness it gave was the drawing inside that was my son’s.
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The Tray that became a Frame and then became a Tray again was a hit after being a fail, Epic Hits and Epic Fails, Int'l Bloggers Club Challenge www.theboondocksblog.com
I hated that awkward look so much I took it down and re-repurposed it into a tray!  And no that is not a typo!  It stayed like this for a while on top of the Black and White Dresser (more on that below).  But it was time for a refresh!
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What the tray looked like after a while, Epic Hits and Epic Fails, Int'l Bloggers Club Challenge www.theboondocksblog.com
I’ve removed the drawing, and replaced it with the Ikea napkins I used in the plastic bottle decoupage fiasco!  And now it is a bit more appropriate for a young lady’s room and it is full of pretty scents. There was nothing wrong with the drawing but this look is a bit more in keeping with my daughter’s taste at this time. Oh and did I mention that she loves Blue!

It just goes to show you that you can re-repurpose anything! And there is nothing wrong with changing your mind more than once … or twice!
The Tray now, Epic Hits and Epic Fails, Int'l Bloggers Club Challenge www.theboondocksblog.com

4. The Story of a Dresser

Oooh I spun a good story on this post, a 25 years old dresser (more like 27 now), and it made the move from the US to Greece.  But the reality is that the dresser unraveled after a few months of being painted. I had used homemade chalk paint on it after my stash of the real stuff ran out. I had also varnished it on top.
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The black and white dresser when first finished was a hit but became a fail soon afterwards, Epic Hits and Epic Fails, Int'l Bloggers Club Challenge www.theboondocksblog.com
But it looked awful. And it was a nightmare to dust. So I tried to repair it by painting the top with my favorite chalk paint.  And revarnishing it!
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Failed top finish, Epic Hits and Epic Fails, Int'l Bloggers Club Challenge www.theboondocksblog.com
And it looked gorgeous!
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Finished dresser top, Epic Hits and Epic Fails, Int'l Bloggers Club Challenge www.theboondocksblog.com
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And believe it or not the decoupage on the sides and the back has held up remarkably well, even for this decoupage challenged gal!
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decoupaged sides, Epic Hits and Epic Fails, Int'l Bloggers Club Challenge www.theboondocksblog.com
Is it Pinterest worthy now?
pinworthy or not? dresser that has been repainted and revarnished. Epic Hits and Epic Fails, Int'l Bloggers Club Challenge www.theboondocksblog.com
Here it is in my girl’s blue room.  But look at the front on the left hand side, there’s a circle mark. This happened when I wiped it down using a green cloth. I was racking my brain trying to figure out what went wrong!  I repainted and revarnished!  This should have disappreared!
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Dresser with circle mark on the side after refresh, Epic Hits and Epic Fails, Int'l Bloggers Club Challenge www.theboondocksblog.com
My girl later told me that it was a stain from the nail polish remover. Hmmm… What do I do now? 

​Cover it up!!  End of story!!

Some things are just meant to be fails forever…
Epic fail, covering up the stain, Epic Hits and Epic Fails, Int'l Bloggers Club Challenge www.theboondocksblog.com
After all these projects you can see how attached I have become to some of them, so much so, that I go to great lengths to try and repair them or come up with another way to use them.

​These have been my epic hits and epic fails. Some of them were mendable, others not so much.  Do you have any epic fails? Let me know so I can feel better!
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The Boondocks Blog, projects that have withstood time and others that have been utter fails, Epic Hits and Epic Fails, Int'l Bloggers Club Challenge www.theboondocksblog.com

If you like what you see, share it with your friends, or save it on Pinterest.  Above is a Pinterest worthy image!

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​And now hop on over to visit my four friends who are also sharing their epic hits and epic fails.  Simply click on the images below my name.  If you’d like to see more past challenges click here.
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The Int’l Bloggers Club:  Epic Hits and Fails
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68 Comments

  1. Mary, I am so glad you shared an updated post on all your amazing creations!! Love them…especially the the case and the chair combo table…great eye!!! The twine wrapped around that red rack made a huge difference…what patience to get that one completed! 🙂 Thank you sharing!!

    1. Michelle these are all labours of love. You know what I’m talking about. And if something goes wrong we always want to fix what we have created. All good except for that pitiful wreath.

  2. Oh Mary, this is such a lovely post. I think you shouldn`t consider anything as a failure, as long as you learned something from there 🙂

    1. That’s the spirit Cristina. As long as we are learning and improving we are good. After all Rome wasn’t built in a day.

  3. Mary you are the genius when it comes to repurposing. I love how instead of throwing out the failures you just work your magic in creating something else amazing. Now that toilet paper wreath I do believe that was one that was better off in the fireplace.LOL
    I love you chalkboard wall, that looks so fun! And your tri colored table turned out beautiful. And for the little tray frame, I love the new life that you gave it, back to being a pretty little tray.
    Thanks for sharing your post, I loved see your epic hits and fails.

    1. Thank you Linda. I really had a hard time picking out what I wanted to highlight here. We all have our moments of utter failure. But that wreath took the cake.

  4. Maybe you had a few problems but in the end you saved the day and created wonderful projects. I think we all have “epic fails” but we figure out how to save it. I love how this was the topic because this does happen to us all.

    1. Sometimes it’s nice to see the reality of things. Too often we see these perfect things on blogs and you know, I balk when I see some of these things. My sceptisism kicks in. So it’s always good to be upfront with our readers about what works and what doesn’t.
      Debra I could easily write another post about this topic, it is so interesting. Now what am I gonna do about that stain on the dresser?

    1. Yes, we do and we should share them, if only so that our readers will see that we cannot do everything. But Wendi I think you can!

  6. Your fails aren’t that bad at all! Lol! I love the tray-turned-frame-turned tray the most. 🙂
    I have a blog post about my repurposed dressing table, which was once a school desk. It looked pretty good until my daughter spilled acetone nail polish remover ALL OVER IT! Ha! I feel your pain. It now has that “crackle” look…but I’m getting used to it!

    1. Oh Martie you feel me! I had no idea what it was till after I finished painting it and she told me. She could have saved me the worry by telling me before.

  7. Mary,
    Fun post. Fails or hits, doesn’t really matter too much. What really matters is the creativity and the enjoyable read you put out week after week. Create it Mary, and they will come 🙂 Have a great week!
    ~Laurie

    1. Thank you so much for that sweet comment Laurie. I try my best and get so much enjoyment from all this. Including the fails.

  8. There are few things I enjoy doing more on my morning off than sitting with a cuppa reading a good fail post or too. You have some real treats for me today Mary and I thank you!
    The tray that finally became a tray is a particular highlight for me, that and the inventive yet practical way you sorted out the nail polish remover ring. I think I love you!

    1. Julie, the tray that became a tray. Very well put indeed! Thank you for acknowledging my ingenious method at solving my fails. <3
      #bestcommentever

  9. Mary, thank you for the post! It was so much fun to read, especially epic fail – because this is not what every blogger would share! lol! I love your tri-color coffee table! I have a similar story with our buffet. When I sanded I actually loved the effect, so I just applied a clear coat 🙂 you can actually see it here http://www.dodesignyourself.com/home/dining-room (somewhere in the middle)

    1. Nadia our projects are always full of surprises. Sometimes they work and sometimes not. So why not share all of that and admit that we are all the same.
      Your buffet is awesome and just like my table. Where you reveal something great hiding under the stain.

    1. That dresser is not only full of fails but full of fun surprises. Thank you Trudy!

  11. Love the chalk board wall and the decoupage dresser! It’s really something that I can do at home as well..so inspiring! Thank you for sharing that and cheers from NYC..

    1. Indah a chalkboard wall would look great in an apartment and it serves double purpose too.

  12. Anyone who tries to find a use for toilet paper rolls really is a crafting queen! Loved this post. I saw the cutest bottles on FB today. They had chalk paint on the front and were turned into little seed starting jars for herbs. This I might have to try … for some reason I have empty jars! Have a fun-filled week!

    1. Oh goodie! I love chalk paint so much I put it on everything! And it hasn’t failed me yet… except in the case of the dresser!

  13. Fun post, Mary–you are so brave to share your “fails” with us. I enjoyed your successes as well since I hadn’t seen a few of them yet, especially the tri-colored table. Love partying with you and your posts at Vintage Charm 🙂

    1. Diana sometimes the fails can actually be more interesting than the hits. They push you on to find a solution! Thanks for visiting.

  14. The tri-colored table is my favorite!
    I kind of love the wreath minus the toilet paper rolls. I think if you had added flowers to it or something like that (ribbons maybe?), it could have been really cute. 🙂
    I also loved reading about the tray turned frame turned tray. haha! 🙂

    1. Mandy that table will outlive me. It is so sturdy that no amount of abuse from my kids did it in.

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