20 of the most disastrous DIY attempts ever made

Pinterest is filled with stunning DIY projects—beautifully decorated cakes and clever home hacks that inspire us to give it a shot ourselves. The important word here is “try.” Despite our best efforts, our results rarely match those flawless Pinterest images.

Keep going to check out some examples of people who probably should have called in a professional—what we like to call “DIFT.”

I’m Sure It Still Tastes Fine

This perfectly captures the classic expectations versus reality struggle. It’s meant to be a cinnamon pear cake, ideally looking like the beautiful photo on top. Sadly, the batter and the oven didn’t get the memo.

That said, I’m sure it still tastes great—after all, cake is cake.

DIY Mickey Mouse Costume

This wild Mickey Mouse costume clearly took a ton of effort to make—maybe even too much, if you ask me. With all that cutting, gluing, and putting together, you’d expect the final result to look better than this… adorably awkward.

That little face is hilarious. Now I’m curious to see what a Minnie Mouse costume like this would look like!

Custom Shower Curtain Rings

Want your shower to have that eerie, Psycho-style crime scene vibe? Just add some zip tie shower rings, and you’ll never feel completely safe in the bathroom again.

Sure, it sort of does the job—but honestly, just stick with regular shower rings. This one’s definitely not winning any style points.

This Is Art

Melted crayon art has been a Pinterest favorite for years. The idea sounds straightforward—line up crayons on a canvas and use a hairdryer to melt them, creating a vibrant drip effect.

But in reality, it’s trickier than it looks.

That Doesn’t Look Very Safe

This seems like a recipe for disaster. It looks like a hospital visit just waiting to happen. Why slide into a pool when you can simply climb down the ladder safely, one person at a time like responsible adults?

It might be less exciting, but at least no one will walk away with a concussion.

Super Secure Diary Lock

So the thing about elastic bands is, elastic bands are stretchy. So anybody could just slip the bands over the journal, making the lock totally useless.

Why is anybody writing secret things in a paper journal anyway? The Notes app on your phone is password protected, and it looks nicer.

This Rake Turned Snow Shovel

This rake attached to a piece of wood might not win any beauty contests, but it’s doing the job as a snow shovel. It may not be the most elegant solution, but it’s functional.

That said, investing in a proper snow shovel might actually be the more cost-effective choice in the long run.

A Perfect Fit (Almost)

This shelving unit is definitely too large for this space. Talk about a tight squeeze! This is exactly why measuring before you start is crucial.

I’m curious how long it’ll take before the weight of whatever’s placed on that shelf causes the molding to break. My bet’s on a few months.

When Sandpaper Takes Too Long

This guy needed to trim an inch off his door but didn’t have many tools, and sandpaper was just too slow.

Now the door fits, and all it took was one trip around the block. Looks like it worked out in the end. Keep reading for a DIY that didn’t go quite as well.

I Think This Is Supposed To Be A Hedgehog

Someone tried to make their daughter an adorable hedgehog cake for her birthday. It is cake, so I would definitely eat it, but those gummy teeth are super frightening.

Without the teeth, this would almost be cute. Maybe opt for a store-bought cake next year.

An Unfortunate Mistake

There are lots of possible solutions to this problem. They could take the door off and just use that top cupboard as a shelf. They could take the lightbulb out and replace it with a recessed light.

However they go about fixing it, maybe get a professional to help this time.

A New Kind Of Traffic Light

This traffic cone “lamp” looks like electric candy corn. This is the very definition of trashy. Lampshades are not that expensive. Please leave the traffic cones on the road where they belong.

A Trashy Garbage Chute

Yeah, this is convenient. But is the convenience worth a hole in the side of your house and a trail of garbage cans sticking out the side of it? This isn’t doing much for the house’s curb appeal.

Makeshift Rainfall Shower

Hey, look at that, with just a coat hanger and a piece of duct tape, you could have your very own rainfall showerhead. This seems like a “desperate times call for desperate measures” situation.

Someone needed a shower asap.

Electric Mixer On The Fly

Scissors attached to a power tool can’t be a good idea. At times like these, it’s best to roll up your sleeves and get mixing with a wooden spoon. A well-whipped cake is not worth a trip to the emergency room.

Also, licking a spoon is way better than liking some scissor handles.

This Is A Disaster Wating To Happen

I think we need a camera on this monstrosity so we can capture the moment when it inevitably breaks and falls. Let’s just hope no people are in it when that happens.

This is not relaxing. A hot tub is supposed to be relaxing.

Credit Card Bottle Opener

Who has that many unused credit cards lying around? Also, who is that desperate to open a bottle? This is actually not a bad idea if it involves recycling old cards.

Don’t do it with cards you actually need, though. Or just get a real bottle opener.

The DIY Mantra

This one was probably done on purpose. Still, it’s a good thing to keep in mind whenever you’re attempting to DIY.

The people in this article could have used this advice before they started making their wonderful creations. Remember DIYers, when in doubt, pay someone else to do it for you.

Improvisation At Its Finest

I don’t know about you, but that does not look like a functional seal to me. I don’t know if this is good advertising for Pampers or horrible product placement.

Either way, it’s nice to know that those packages can be recycled. Get baby wipes and a car part for the price of… baby wipes.

A Lawnmower For The Kids

This might actually be a decent idea if the lawnmower attachment were on an adult bike and properly secured, not held together with zip ties.

I get that we want our kids to pitch in more around the house, but this is risky on so many levels.