1. Flawless Icing

From colorful building blocks to flowers and Christmas themes – if you’re not a professional baker, you may discover that edible works of art are one of those DIY ideas that are better in theory and rarely ever look so good in practice. Stock up on necessary tools and start practicing – I’m not saying it can’t be done, just that you’ll need mad skills.

2. Paint Removal

Stripping paint off old furniture is quite a process even on a good day, and that’s assuming you don’t need to use a blow torch. Yes, a blow torch, you heard correctly and yes, accidental fires are a very real risk. Home improvement horror scenarios aside, paint removals are nasty, labor-intensive work you need to ready yourself for mentally. And you’ll need power tools! Unless you’re planning to do the whole thing by hand, of course, in which case you’d better start now if you want to end your project by next Christmas.

3. Sewing without a Pattern

Well, if this isn’t a recipe for disaster, I don’t know what is! Unless you’re a pro seamstress, of course, in which case you should really point that out, maybe toss in a little “don’t try this at home” warning or, hey now, how about a pattern? Seriously ladies, sewing is hard work and requires skill and experience! I’ve been watching my mom do it for years and I’m still as clueless as ever!

4. Random Paint Jobs

A few brush strokes here, a line or two there and voila – a brand new house! Ah, if it could be that easy! True enough, painting is relatively risk free and, unless we’re somehow related, you most likely won’t hurt yourself doing it. What you’ll most definitely need to avoid are paint jobs on a whim, not only because removing paint drips is a pain in the behind but also because you don’t want to risk using the wrong paint.

5. Random Drilling

Drill? Checked! Unforeseen obstacle? Checked! Now how would you like to bet that the obstacle in question is either an electric wire or a concrete sheet? I believe water pipes are the only thing my husband and I haven’t hit by now. But then again, we’ve only been living in this house for a year –there’s only so much damage two people can cause in a mere 12 months.

6. Cookie Baking

People bake cookies all the time so, really, how hard can it be? Umm…well, they are going to be edible anyway, at least. Now, before you start preparing a double dose of extra chocolaty batter, let me give you a fair warning – cookies melt and run! Chill your cookie batter before baking and form walnut-sized balls instead of flat discs. Little balls will melt in the oven, giving you perfectly-shaped cookies.

7. Haircut

I’ve been cutting my own bangs for years, even experimented with trims recently, and while this most definitely can be done, I can’t say it will put hairstylists out of business. Professional grade scissors are too expensive, household scissors chew your hair up and well, hope you have a good ointment at hand because your neck is going to need it.

Do you have any Craft Fail-worthy stories about challenging DIY ideas gone wrong? But wait, maybe you’re one of those crafters that manage to do everything right, in which case I need to know – how do you approach complex DIY projects and what’s your recipe for success?