DIYs That Have Stood the Test of Time

This post shares all of my DIYs that have stood the test of time! DIY doesn’t have to be a cheap solution. It can last.

One complaint I have seen about DIY bloggers is that they churn out a bunch of poorly done, cheap projects for blog content. Unfortunately, I think this can be true sometimes. I have definitely had projects that didn’t hold up as well as I’d hoped they would (remember my sad pallet planter?). Sometimes that is just a part of DIY.

But I also have a lot of projects that have stood the test of time. I want to follow up on some of my past projects to share the ones that are still hanging around—and being used almost daily.

I recently shared a two-year update on my DIY cat tree made of real branches, so I’m not going to include that one in this post. It was special enough to get its own post because I love it so much 😉

Here are 13 other projects in our home that are really earning their keep.

1. Painted Ceramic Pot

You can see the ceramic pot in many of the cat tree photos. In our old apartment, I had a fake plant in the pot. When we moved, the fake plant went to the Goodwill and I put a beautiful rubber plant in this pot.

The rubber plant has about doubled in size in the past year, so I’m planning to move it from it’s current spot on a stool behind the couch soon. I also probably need to move it to a bigger pot.

2. And Other Painted Pots

I have about a gazillion painted pots all around my house. Some have real plants in them, some have faux plants in them. Either way, it’s a great way to customize cheap pots or recycle old items and turn them into pots.

This teacup planter is another one of my favorites, and this post also has a bunch of painted pots in it, too.

3. Vinyl Peel-n-Stick Flooring

This DIY was a total shot in the dark. The floor of this storage closet (see full makeover here) was unfinished concrete. Very dusty and difficult to keep clean. Since this closet also houses the litter pans, we needed something that was easy to sweep up and clean.

It’s been a year and we’ve had zero issues with this flooring. It’s perfect for a low-traffic area like a storage closet.

4. Huge Peacock Wall Art

A close second to the cat tree as my favorite project. Giant peacock on a bike is in the same place, though some of the scenery around him has changed as we’ve settled in to the house (and shuffled things around to make room for some baby stuff).

We always get nice compliments on this piece from visitors 🙂

5. Hanging Stainless Steel Bowl Planter Planter

Another quick project that we ended up repeating for our bedroom. These stainless steel bowls from Ikea are large but really cheap, and I already had the paint on had. They are working out really well as hanging planters for us.

6. Tree Stump Side Table

I love this project, but it’s moved around quite a bit. I can’t seem to find the perfect place for it in the living room. Right now it’s a temporary plant stand for (another) rubber plant.

I’m planning to put a coat of outdoor polyurethane on this and move it out to the deck when I get around to it!

7. Black Painted Nightstands

These night stands are still hanging tough in the bedroom. They are a bit small scale-wise to be by the king-sized bed, but they function (and look) just fine, so they’ll stick around until that changes.

8. Butcher Block Coffee Table

Man does this thing get some use, especially these days as we park it on the couch with Ramona a lot. The finish has held up spectacularly, and it actually fits really well with the sectional Ikea couch we got when we moved to our current house. The photo below was taken this morning 🙂

9. Monitor Stand

I love my monitor stand! It’s practical and chic. What else is there to say? (See the full workspace post here.)

10. Refinished Beech Ikea Desk Top

Happy to report that this project not only renewed this desk top, but it has kept it in tip-top condition since! It’s a beautiful shiny finish that’s easy to clean.

11. Raised Cabinet Shelf

I have to admit that I thought this one would bite the dust when we left our old apartment. I made it as a solution for small cabinets with fixed shelving. But it made it to our new place and is still in the cabinet!

Don’t judge the paper plates. We’re in survival mode some days with a newborn.

12. Fabric Canvas Art

I did this owl canvas art over an old Ikea canvas as a guest post for Pretty Handy Girl. I made this before I was even pregnant, but it ended up being the perfect piece for Ramona’s nursery (second pic below).

The third pic of the black and white leaves also made it here from our last apartment, and we have it in the living area. It was one of the first things Ramona loved to look at because of the high contrast.

13. Shoe Cubby

My only regret is that I didn’t make it bigger! Our shoes just live here now instead of upstairs in our closet. It’s still in the exact same spot as this pic. (See full entryway post here.)