92. Sock Wreath
Est. Cost (New): $50-$60*
Est. Cost (DIY): $30-$35*
The sock wreath was already a bad invention, so someone can’t really be penalized for trying to make it work. The sock wreath, ostensibly, took a bunch of socks—perhaps ones that lost their other half—and fitted them around a wreath-shaped tube of cardboard. Tie a ribbon on it, and it looks somewhat festive.
Sock Wreath @FunnyFoto / Pinterest
One DIY-er made more of a sock oval than a wreath, and they picked Halloween as their choice of holiday, which is fair, as Halloween decorations are allowed to look worse. Either way, this is far less expensive than a real wreath, which costs anywhere from $50-$60 at minimum.
93. Paw Print Ornaments
Est. Cost (New): $7* (Already-Printed)
Est. Cost (DIY): $17-$18*
The old kid-handprint-ornament is very played out. Paw print ornaments take that same concept, except it applies it to the member of your family least likely to be aware of and/or care about Christmas: your dog. We say dog, because there’s no way a cat would even participate enough to get close to the mold.
Paw Print Ornaments @Bored Panda / Pinterest
One dog owner tried to copy a DIY project, which created a perfect (maybe fake?) imprint of a dog paw into a mold to make an ornament. However, the owner found his/her dogs far less cooperative, and the print ended up being not more than a smudge.
94. Dog Toy
Est. Cost (New): $12.95* (Pomeranian Sculpture on Etsy)
Est. Cost (DIY): $10-$15*
One person tried to recreate a white Pomeranian, as part of a craft project in an unknown, unidentified (for now) craft manual. The materials needed included fluff, a color, and two beady black eyes, which is about all you need to know about a Pomeranian. The book gave helpful detailed instructions, such as, “The secret to fluff is in the combing.”
Dog Toy @Cheezburger / Pinterest
However, instead of getting the fluffy Pomeranian sculpture that the book labeled, the would-be-crafter created what looked like a half-melted snowman. Oddly, the resulting dog, though it doesn’t look like a Pomeranian, looks a little bit like a white Terrier, which is also a small dog that loves barking.
95. Heart Braids
Est. Cost (New): $100-$400*
Est. Cost (DIY): $2.99*
Anything DIY-related with hair never ceases to produce a slew of bad results, and these heart-shaped braids are an example. If you Google “heart braids,” there are a million results, and all of the how-to guides have a lot of steps. One person tried to copy the heart braids design and found that her hair was too short, resulting in two malformed, non-heart-shaped braids.
Heart Braids @FunnyFoto / Pinterest
Braiding hair is often difficult already. Though it’s cheap to do it yourself (all you need are hair ties, which cost $2.99), going to a salon to get your hair braided is a little pricier, costing between $100 and $400.
96. Mason Jar Planters
Est. Cost (New): $36.99/2*
Est. Cost (DIY): $50*
NotJustAHousewife.net, who wants everyone to know that they’re not just a housewife, so jot that down, came up with an admittedly-cool DIY project for people who are interested in plants and have extra mason jars, metal brackets, and wood lying around. It’s easy to see how this could come in handy, particularly if you like to grow your own herbs.
Mason Jar Planters @Bored Panda / Pinterest
Alas, the plants in photographs often do not mirror those in real life. Plants are messy, not photogenic, and they die if you look at them wrong. The DIY copycat, who was attempting to create NotJustAHousewife.net’s project, clearly found that out the hard way.
97. Light-Changing Device
Est. Cost (New): $70*
Est. Cost (DIY): $12-$15*
When you image-search this person’s light-changing device in Google, all that you come up with is a Merriam-Webster result for the definition of “decorative,” which adds insult to injury. One person attempted to create a DIY-light-changing device, and instead found a new, aerial way to store cleaning supplies.
Light-Changing Device @FunnyFoto / Pinterest
To be fair, it’s easy to see why they did what they did. It’s annoying to get out a ladder, climb up it, and change the lightbulb. And, if you have kids or pets, climbing up a ladder can take on a spicy element of surprise. There is a 6-24-foot DocaPole Light Bulb Changer for Amazon to help with this problem, but it costs $70.
98. Barbie Photobooth
Est. Cost (New): $88*
Est. Cost (DIY): $17-$25*
Parents did their best with this Barbie photo booth, and they didn’t do too bad a job. You can’t blame them for DIY-ing it, as the Mattel Photo Booth is ridiculously expensive, costing $88 on Amazon. Honestly, as long as the photo booth is pink and says “Barbie” on it, like this one, everyone knows what you’re getting at, and it’s fine.
Barbie Photobooth @k12869 / Pinterest
Mattel charges so much for Barbie propaganda because, according to the Internet, “you’re paying for the name brand,” which is a nice way of saying, “because they can.” The most expensive Barbie in the world, the Stefani Canturi Barbie, cost $302,500. It’s not even antique, either: it was made in 2010.
99. Doily Lamp
Est. Cost (New): $40-50*
Est. Cost (DIY): $30-$40*
When you look at the Doily Lamp, it’s hard to tell how it stays up if it is just made of doilies. Apparently, the answer is that it doesn’t, as one DIY’er found out when they tried to recreate an admittedly-quite-pretty Doily Lamp craft. They instead got a Doily Lamp that had zero inflation and looked like a fire hazard.
Doily Lamp @FunnyFoto / Pinterest
Luckily, doilies are pretty cheap. They used to be relegated to your grandparents’ house, where doilies were used as place-holders, napkins, and handkerchiefs. But, like denim, social media is determined to stretch this fabric to its creative limit, fire hazard or not.
100. When Your Lights Go Out
Est. Cost (New): $250-$700*
Est. Cost (DIY): $30*
Fool traffic cops into not stopping you for a busted headlight by creating an array of flashlights that emit a light so dazzling, that they can’t see the problem. One car owner realized that it was cheaper to attach three flashlights to the hole where his headlight used to be, thus DIY’ing a headlight.
When Your Lights Go Out @manchit13 / Pinterest
Comparatively, this is way cheaper than taking it to the mechanic. A halogen bulb costs $15-$20, but labor costs can push the fix to up to $700. The average ticket cost for a busted headlight is $90, so you have about seven tickets before the cost/benefit starts to overturn itself.