3 Things a Spouse Should Never to Say to a DIY Hoarder

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I bet no DIY blogger ever shows you the totally UGLY side of their homes, do they? Maybe a few of them do. But it’s rare. Maybe they don’t even HAVE an ugly side! Bloggers are supposed to the oh-so-creative and oh-so-organized people that are supposed to INSPIRE others–not make them shriek out loud, “Dag!! Their house is jacked up, yo!” LOL

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Well, this is one of those moments, where I show you what my garage looks like, as we speak. It’s sort of a hodge podge of (mostly) thrift store deals, with a few roadside “junk” finds, and a sprinkling of estate sale and hand-me-downs from family members. Really, it’s a catch-all for everything you’ve seen me post here on Thrift Diving!! Consider it the “triage” of Thrift Diving! LOL

 

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It seems I can bring it IN faster than I can turn it OUT.

But when I DO turn it out, look what becomes of it! Here’s a pic of my thrifted craft room that I’ve been working on (still in progress, more to come later). Everything in this craft room has come from the thrift store or second-hand! With the exception of that white wool rug which was $80 from Home Goods (which I can’t stand–it sheds like a dog, but was soooo affordable I couldn’t pass it up!).

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So, as you can see, I may be slow to get it OUT of the garage, but people just have to have the same vision that I do! Look past the junky garage to see the magic that can happen with just a little money, a lot of creativity, and a desire to make a home feel “homey” and functional! Just consider it a temporary holding storage while I make our house pretty, one room at a time šŸ™‚

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But, when hubby sees the garage, he angrily shakes his head and tells me, “ENOUGH, Serena! Stop hoarding furniture!!”

Poor hubby. LOL. Do any of you guys have a hubby that lashes out at your DIY hoarding??  Please tell me it’s not just me!

But the problem is that hubby can’t see all these beautiful pieces that are scattered and toppled and piled on top of each other!

And let’s just be honest–he really doesn’t “get” any of my hobbies! To him, it’s just piles of hoarded stuff!

So I put together this list….

3 Things a Spouse Should Never Say to a DIY Hoarder

3 Things A Spouse Should Never Say to a DIY Hoarder:

1. THEY SAY: “You don’t need all this stuff!” ……YOU SAY: “Honestly, dear, you really don’t know what I need when it comes to my DIY supplies, for a hobby of which you know nothing about. If you’d like, we can sit down and I can drone on and on for hours about all the different tools, supplies, finishes, paints, etc. so that you’ll understand, but you probably wouldn’t be interested.”

 

2. THEY SAY: “You should be on that show ‘Hoarders’.”…….YOU SAY: “Dude, really?? Those people have psychological problems, and a real mental condition! Ooooh, on second thought, if I wasn’t doing my DIY and crafting, I might go crazy, too. So you should seriously support my habit to protect my emotional and psychological well-being.”

 

3. THEY SAY: “You’ve wasted so much money on your DIY stuff!”……YOU SAY: ‘Yes, I have spent a pretty-penny, but do you realize that I’m developing a valuable skill that, in today’s market, someone would pay me to make this for them?? See! I can EARN money from this! I just choose not to……yet. But just you wait……”

 

And this is the reason you shouldn’t listen to your spouse when they scold you for dragging things home….

…because we DIY’ers create gorgeous pieces. I know it takes up space and clutters parts of our house that hubbies just want to keep clean. But where else are we going to store it??

Here’s a look at some of the stuff that has taken up prime real estate in my garage, and ended up being totally worth it!

Vintage Dresser

This is my absolute favorite piece!! I found this piece awhile ago, and I still haven’t done anything with it. But I was tenacious in getting my hands on it, and who cares if it’s just been sitting? Quality furniture like this doesn’t come around often, and when you see it, you must snag it!!

My absolute favorite dresser!

 

Vintage Chair

This vintage upholstered chair…..my gosh, it’s been almost a year for it, too…..There were 10,000,000 tacks, and when I counted all of them and realized that was another expense in making over this chair, I temporarily gave up. I’ve decided I can find a cheaper alternative, so I’m going to be finishing this one soon!

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A Vintage Chair Makeover

And I picked this awesome dresser today for 50% off at the thrift store!!!

BEFORE

My new dresser!

Look how the edges jut out on this piece! How unique is that?!

 

I bet my husband never thought it could look like THIS, did he?? (Click the pic for full tutorial).

AFTER!

Ombre Mod Dresser

 

I picked up this beautiful bench from an estate sale! That whole trip taught me a few lessons in how to shop estate sales, too…..**shaking my head** What an experience…. You can see the total transformation and YouTube tutorial for this upholstered bench here.

BEFORE

This thing is beautiful! Don't love the fabric, but the style is amazing! I think it's going to be in my basement!

 

AFTER!

 

I picked up this French Provincial from the thrift store for just $12! Sure, it sat in my garage forevah, but the “AFTER” was so cute!

 BEFORE

French Provincial dresser

 

French Provincial dresser

 

French Provincial Desk Makeover

 

The custom wood carved front added to this piece makes it one of the most unique I have ever seen. I love it! I haven’t started working on it yet. It’s going in my son’s room!

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This vintage buffet was serving as a holding station for an old sewing machine and a Christmas tree for the longest time in my garage.

BEFORE

vintage buffet

 

But my husband can’t deny it was worth the storage, huh! LOVE this piece!

AFTER

Vintage Buffet Thrift Diving Blog

 

When I hand-painted a pretty blue flower on this outdoor table that I found sitting next to the trash at my job (!!!!), I couldn’t wait to use it in the backyard! But as you can see, it’s still in the garage. LOL.

Flower painted table

 

I found these two matching nightstands at a yard sale over the summer, for super cheap! The one on the left??? FREE, from the side of the road šŸ™‚ My husband scolded me for dragging them home, but how could I not??

End tables?

 

 

AFTER!

…because they turned out so cute! (Click here to see these French-inspired bedside table nightstands).

Thrift Diving Bedside Tables AFTER

 


I still have tons more pieces in my garage just eagerly awaiting being stripped, painted, tufted…..

But what about you? Do you have this same addiction, and does your hubby or significant other complain about your hoarding? Leave a comment below and add to the discussion!

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39 Comments

  1. I am a Hoarder: šŸ˜”šŸ˜•šŸ˜­

    My hoard cost me & family having to move from 2 houses so far along with losing multiple storage units to auction because things got too far out of control. I would like to say that I do have some sorta problem that needs to be addressed. I plan to start seeing a counselor soon to get the process started. My Wife and kids are more important than useless junk. My time was years wasted picking up useless junk Either on the curb, garage sales, stores or things that people would give me that I could of better used to spend time with my Family, Wife/Kids and even focus on something more productive like reading the Word or Books. Self development, Etc. I am now leaning on my faith because Greater Is He.

    I know I went out of control and couldnā€™t stop the picking. But I am seeking Help & Wisdom along with knowledge/understanding. Trouble is I Would think that I could or would sell something or fix it to sell/donate it but I never did. I plan to share my testimorny more and will probably post it on various social media sites. Thanks for reading.

  2. Thank you so much for this article! It does seem like most bloggers always ha e perfect homes, find the perfect piece & flip it in a week. I think I have some pieces Iā€™ve had for 10 years that I havenā€™t gotten to. The ā€œfindingā€ is the funnest part. My dream job would be sourcing the cool stuff! My hubby says we reached maximum capacity every day. Sigh. Poor guy. I keep saying, If he would just get on board, we could flip this stuff much faster. But then he responded with, ā€œyou would just collect more, much faster.ā€ Lol

    1. All men tell us that we’ve reached maximum capacity! But I always find room for the rare finds and the gems! šŸ™‚ It’s easy to collect, but over the years, I have tried to only bring home the stuff I love! šŸ™‚

  3. I am SO happy to read that others have this problem too, with their spouses. But mine has been mean spirited about it. We put up a gazebo and he took a box out of the garage and dropped it in the gazebo saying “Here’s a room that didn’t have a box!!”
    What I really need is understanding that this is a comfort zone thing. I do sell a lot of my things, but I do pick things up, intending for future projects. And he doesn’t always “get” that if you find a golden piece, you may not have a second chance. However, I am trying to be more disciplined – not easy for we creative people!

  4. I’m glad I’m not the only one!! I have a dining table that is screaming to be repainted in my garage. I’ll get to it one of these days šŸ™‚

    1. Hop to it, Heather! šŸ™‚ I’m figuring out that the only way to keep hubby quiet is by proving to him I can paint it and get it out, to make room for more stuff! šŸ˜‰

  5. HA! Just found your blog! Love it! You and I speak the same language!!! I think our spouses do as well! I HATE passing up a good “treasure” because I know what the reaction will be if I bring it home! I have WAY more ideas and visions than I have time and energy ( or storage space). It’s a very sad thing. Keep up the great work and thanks for your inspiration. Maybe our husbands should write a blog!

    1. Cathy, ooooh, if the men had a voice…..I could imagine what they would say on that blog! HA! Sometimes even **I** get tired of looking at all my crap. But then I realized it’s what I love so I get past the clutter. If only we could convince them to do the same. šŸ˜‰

      Hey, thanks for stopping by my blog! I hope to see you around again! šŸ™‚

  6. When I get stressed I say to my hubby…”I need my ocean”. One time, many moons ago, (he has since become so much wiser) he told me that I didn’t NEED the ocean, I only wanted it. We had a huge discussion on ridding him of all his hunting and fishing equipment since he didn’t NEED it for his relaxation or stress relieving. Now we go to the ocean once a year and he can hunt and fish to his little hearts content. By the way, I see many things in your garage that would fit perfectly in my imperfect home. Rock on girl!

  7. My garage looks a lot like yours upstairs & down!!! my workshop is over my 2 car garage and I have both levels pretty full of garage sale & curbside finds. I love diy!
    i can so relate

  8. Boy do we all have something in common! Sometimes its way more fun to collect it and see the potential at that moment than actually do the project because sometimes the original vision has lost some of its luster at least for me. My hubby says where are you going to put it and I try not to let him near the entire upstairs of our home where my hoard/stash is. All but the stuff I cant move by myself lol. I just tell him it was all practically free, either yard sale, thrift store, clearance, side of the road or habirat for humanity restore. I am not exactly sure he believes me but its best if we just let it be šŸ™‚ Now, for me…the hard part. What to do with it when its finished? Gifts? Keep? I just dont exactly feel brave enough to try to sell online. How to work up the courage to step out there and really bevome a seller, or at least an offerer. Anyone else overcome tgeir fear and successfully sell their goofies?

    1. Oh, I hear you, Jackie!!! There’s a fear of selling here, too, although I did it briefly earlier this year at a vintage booth. I ended up giving up the booth because there wasn’t any time in my schedule. But there is a fear it won’t be good enough, or people will see its imperfections, etc. I think you just have to test the waters and start seeing that you do quality work that people will pay you for! Maybe try to sell on consignment, or heck–see if one of your friends from Facebook want to buy it!

      And I understand, too. I started refinishing furniture to decorate my house, and now….well, there’s not a TON more space! LOL. I have thought about donating to charity, like women’s shelters and stuff! Have you thought about that?

      LOL about your hoarding problem too! šŸ™‚

      Thank you SO much for commenting!!

  9. LOVED reading this, Serena! I had a good laugh because I could see myself and my (um not hoardiing tendencies). Such beautiful pieces! x

    1. Thank you, Danielle! I keep trying to convince hubby that it’s just a part of the package–DIY and HOARDING are synonyms. I’m SURE of it! šŸ™‚

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