I've always heard that DIY or "Do it Yourself" projects are a fun way to be creative, to reinvent, and to push your imagination to produce something fantastic that you're ultimately proud to show off!!

Not in this case.

After moving back home from college (this past August), there were some things that NEEDED to GO, and needed to be "re-vamped."  I cleaned out my drawers, threw away useless junk etc...

Then there's the big dilapidated tv stand...

Hott mess right?  It had shelves too, but I dno what happened to those, so there's a ton of books, dvd's, and VHS's thrown inside there... No bueno.  I also had this GINORMOUS tv (that I actually really loved, but was time to let go) that someone willingly took off my hands.  It was to be replaced by my plasma tv from my college apt that had been sitting in a guest room on the floor, lonely and unwatched.  SO I decided to find an inexpensive book shelf I could buy and customize (the DIY part), and could serve as a bookshelf/tv stand.  Good idea right???  WRONG.

This is what the tv stand was supposed to look like:

My plan was to spray paint all of the shelves before assembling it.

My friend Lei even came over to help create my vision!

Looks good right??  I thought so too!

Once the paint dried my dad helped me assemble it.  And here is where the FAIL part comes in very quickly....  As SOON as we start putting it together the paint starts chipping all over the place!  It turned out to be a lost cause.  It's still a little painful to talk about it, so I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves.  

Final Results:

Not even 5 minutes after I took this picture, my dad tried to move it over some and the whole thing slants, almost falling apart entirely.  I attempt to push it back upright and place my plasma tv on it, and it starts shaking like it's going to straight up demolish!! 

So basically I had to bring back my dilapidated tv stand to replace my new dilapidated bookshelf HAHA!  Hott mess!!!  I'm actually laughing out loud at this point, this project was such a disaster!!  As Lei told me yesterday, "Your vision truly stayed a vision."  Yup Lei, it surely did.

One of my cats Akbar thought it was a jungle gym, so I let him play around... Might as well be useful for something!!... I only paid 20 bucks for the bookshelf... I guess you get what you pay for!  It's still sitting in my room, but I plan to take it out on trash day lol.

On a positive note, yesterday was the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday!  I went with my mom and her Sorors for a Day of Service on the holiday to a nursing home to hang out, take pictures, and play games with the residents.  It was pretty cool, I like participating in community service projects at any capacity.  It keeps me grounded and humble.

Let us always remember Dr. King's life, legacy, and the numerous doors he has opened for all of us!  Thank you Dr. King!!!  I love all of his quotes, but here is one of my favs:

"An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity."

DEEP.

I'm also currently reading a book that I recommend all of you fashionistas read.  I absolutely am loving it!! 

Her story is so inspiring!  She is a strong, powerful, and successful woman, and the book is filled with great advice!  She talks about life, love, and how she got to where she is now.  Here's an excerpt:

"It's not enough just to listen to your inner voice and ask yourself the hard questions about who you are and what you believe.  Eventually you need to get strategic about refining and communicating to others who you are and what you believe if you want to succeed."

Tell 'em Kelly!!

She's also extremely hilarious and witty, so don't think it's solely a self-help book that contain pages of quotable words.  You'll really enjoy it, I'm sure!!

Btw, I have some really fun posts coming up which require your participation!  I'm pretty excited about them, I hope you're willing to participate!! ;)

I hope all is well,

-Kris


P.S.  I smell a giveaway...... hehehe.