This post is sponsored by U.S. Bank. All opinions, as always, are my own.
As MJ and I contemplate home improvement projects in our new home and while I am excited and eager to move forward, I have a niggling anxiety about our final decisions. What if we paint the walls, really don’t like it and our hours of work were in vain? What if I buy the rug/curtains/bedding/furniture and it doesn’t work? Ugh. I don’t want to my work hours to be pointless. However, the truth is, things don’t always turn out right. Sometimes the paint color is wrong, the curtain pattern too bold, the chair too big for the room. Sometimes, projects fail. But life goes on and you end up with a great fail story to share for years to come. I have a few.
One of my favorite to share is my paint spill. I was pregnant with Love Bug, our first born, and the nesting bug had a firm grip on me. I went through everything we owned, organized every spot and space and I was making changes and painting walls. After choosing a paint color, I was getting ready to paint the walls in our bedroom. I had the drop cloth and the rest of the supplies. I had the windows cracked so my baby-on-board lungs had fresh air to breathe. At one point in the process, I opened the lid of the pain but I’m not sure when. When I went to move the drop cloth/supplies/paint over to the far corner to get started, the now-open can tipped over and did what open cans do – spill everywhere. I can remember staring at it and wondering if MJ would notice the plate-sized spot of ugly paint. Oops. We ended up getting new carpet with the deal which I liked but it wasn’t something we had budgeted for so it was an unwelcome expense. I cringe to share this photo with you. I do not like this color at all anymore and really wonder what I was thinking when I chose it!
I have a couple of other fail stories including paint. One time it was choosing an almond white for our bedroom and hating it because, as it turns out, light colors reflect white. As a person who loves a very, very dark bedroom to sleep, having the walls were almost illuminating light in the middle of the night was aggravating. And then there was the time I hemmed and hawed over a color for the basement, before we flip-flopped the house. When we cracked the cans open to paint, I realized the color was just a hint off the color already on the walls. Oy. That paint was soon covered by a much improved deep brown but the time and money for the duplicate green was gone.
I’ve also done my fair share of buying the wrong thing, in fact, I sometime over purchase just to test out the options in our space, instead of in the store. Thank goodness those kinds of decision can be easily remedied with a return trip to the store. Now, if I could learn to like shopping, this would be easy enough to get over. Bummer for me.
To celebrate these fails in a way – because everyone has at least one story and it’s better to laugh about them then cry, right? – and to raise awareness of the benefits of U.S. Bank’s home equity line of credit (HELOC) services, U.S.Bank is hosting a #DIYFails photo contest via its Facebook page. Participants can submit a photo of a DIY fail for the chance to win one of five $500 VISA Rewards cards. These fails can be any number of things from an improperly installed cabinet to a lamp repaired haphazardly with duct tape. Or paint spilled on carpet. Haha!
If you’re all too familiar with DIY fails or simply want to take your home improvement projects to the next level, consider applying for U.S. Bank Home Equity Line of Credit to help you make the big, permanent fixes you need. U.S. Bank’s HELOC service can help you finance your most ambitious fixes and home improvement projects. To learn more, visit U.S. Bank’s Home Equity Line of Credit FAQ page.
So get on out there and try. It’s a bit like life. Some choices are good, some, not so good. But in the end, the good and not so good decisions help you learn. Learn about what to do or what not to do, learn about what you like and don’t – all is necessary in helping you create the home and space you desire. Enter to win and good luck!
Please feel free to tell me about any #DIYFails of your own. I love a good laugh. :)
Ah, my neutrals. Just amped with possibilities. The swatch I choose will cover the front room, the entry way, the main floor hall by the door to the garage, the staircase and the upper hall so no pressure there to pick the right one!
This post is sponsored by U.S. Bank. All opinions, as always, are my own. Thank you for supporting our sponsors.
U.S. Bank is an Equal Housing Lender. Loan approval is subject to credit approval and program guidelines. Not all loan programs are available in all states for all loan amounts. Interest rate and program terms are subject to change without notice. Property insurance is required. Mortgage and Home Equity products are offered by U.S. Bank National Association. Deposit products are offered by U.S. Bank National Association, Member FDIC.
