How To Finish Home Projects You Start

You ever hear that statement the devil is in the details? Or the little foxes spoil the vine? Well, the details do matter… even if they don’t show up in blog post photos.

Catch all the foxes, those little foxes, before they ruin the vineyard of love, for the grapevines are blossoming! –Song of Solomon 2:15 (New Living Translation)

Solomon’s lover warns him of the little things that threaten their relationship…things you might overlook. These ‘little foxes’ can often cause major problems later on. The parallel between those little foxes and your home matter much more than you think.

Uncaulked windows or doors, for instance, could allow moisture to get inside your home and destroy a wall in your house. A $2 caulk job can end up costing you thousands if you’re not careful.

Small nail holes are unsightly and should nag you every time you see them, but actually, after a while they just start blending into the scenery. Not good.

Here’s the rundown on finishing DIY Projects…

From my recent experience with Erin at Live Pretty on a Penny. She hosted a #getitdoneprettychallenge on Instagram the past few weeks. The task? Get all the little things done to call a project really complete.

Little things like filling nail holes, paint touch-ups and small projects that seem to be more of a nuisance and not really worth time. They drag on forever because you:

1. Get lazy.
2. Start a new project; or
3. Simply forget about it and the unfinished eyesore becomes a part of the landscape.

How Erin set up the challenge

Week 1

Plan. Jot down a list of projects and a list of purchases needed to make that happen. This was super easy.

Week 2

Shop for all needed items. Not so easy because I cannot find the drapes I’ve envisioned in my head, so I spent a lot of time shopping (and admittedly bought a few things that weren’t on my list.)

Week 3

Execute. Easy enough right? Well, I created a little worksheet to help you stay on track… you can download it here.

My list from week one proved quite ambitious and I’ll tell you up front: I did not finish! I started the art project for the kiddo’s room and well, let’s just call that Murphy’s Law. I need a do-over. With the art missing, I couldn’t style and shoot it.

The rug will be a new DIY painted project instead of buying a new one as planned. I actually painted his original rug using a cheap Big Lots find. (never did get a great photo).  I let someone borrow it for a prop in a last-minute exhibit and told them they could keep it.

I did manage to get the curtain rod, fill the nail holes, fix that ugly hole in the wall behind the door, get a new lampshade for my DIY lamp (tutorial here).

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Why I’m still calling this a success? It truly lit a fire under me to complete my DIY projects. I mean isn’t this sooo much better?

On finishing home decor projects…

So I’ll be honest looking at that to do list caused me to cringe. Ideas come like a dripping faucet and are a catalyst for a trip to your craft store of choice. If you’re anything like me you could chase a new project every.single.day.

Budget and time restraints keep me from losing my mind in JoAnn’s, but remember A, B, and C I mentioned above? They still catch me slipping.

So I’m making somewhat of a promise to myself to complete a project before I move onto ANY new ones—and catch those little foxes that are stealing some show-stopping results in my home.

My home will never be picture perfect all the time, but if I’m striving to make it a comfortable haven for my family and friends, I need to address the big and the small.

I’m finishing up my list in the next little bit and cooked up a cute little printable to stick in my planner to keep me focused.

I definitely want you to join in, so please download and get to work. Those little foxes are out to get you.