It's sad to say but this sconce has been broken since we first hung it up in our bedroom. It was one of those things, "we'll get to later." --or so we thought--- A few months later the broken sconce still hung in our room. It was irksome but really it should have bothered me more than it did. I actually have quite a collection of broken things around the house. Why didn't I fix my broken stuff right away you ask? The answer is simple: I didn't have any Krazy Glue. It really took me this long to acquire Krazy Glue. No joke. We'd always say "Oh we need glue," but it really wasn't high on the list of priorites with all of our renovating & baby-having, so we went without our glue. Well let me tell you how much better Krazy Glue got while we were out forgetting it!! It's got a brush on it now!! AMAZING INVENTION!! I didn't glue my fingers together once in the fixing process and only have the teensiest amount of glue to peel off & that's because I'm sloppy & impatient.
So here's my little collection of broken things (below): A poor piggy bank lost his ear when we first moved in (my fault I think?), My grandmother's vintage sconce got broken (seriously- this is real- 6 YEARS AGO when it was hanging in my first apartment's tiny entryway and our very large handsome Danish friend, Esben, walked into it. The laugh alone was worth it breaking!) and finally, my beloved $5 flea market Wedgewood bowl ( my fault again... This one has been sitting on top of the fridge in our fruit bowl in pieces for a couple of months).
SO if you aren't a procrastinator of little jobs (like me) then this week's project might not apply to you at all. BUT, if you're even a little like me, here's Project #3: If it's broken, fix it.
(This can apply to anything: broken accessories- toys- jewelry, clothes in the mending pile, loose hardware on drawers or cabinets, ANYTHING you've been "meaning to get around to" but just haven't. )
Below, I feel so much better having fixed the sconce!! yay!!! (It took 1 minute to glue- why did I wait so long?!!)
Below, my kitchen piggy bank is much better!!!
And finally, here's my sad broken bowl out of commission for months...
... Glued back together...
... And {almost} as good as new! (I'm not a perfectionist.)
So, if it's broken, fix it. And good luck. It's honestly not as bad as you think!
xoxo,
lauren
ps- I was REALLY dragging my feet this week so good thing I promised results or I would have given up ;)
To check out readers' awesome takes on Project #2, go to the previous post here
As a decorator & a textile designer, this is my place to muse... perfection doesn't interest me; Reality and charm do. Fresh floppy flowers from the garden over long-stemmed roses any day, I love it when things are slightly off and tell a story. 
15 comments:
Ok, you have motivated me to finish a project that's been in process since late summer. While nothing is broken, per se, it falls into the category of this really should have bothered me enough to finish it up before now. I decided to change out all of our brass hardware for pewter and picked up a ton of discounted door hardware when the Expo Center went out of business. I hired a handyman to come and replace the hardware...while he was fixing leaky toilets, etc. In any case, he didn't finish (and some doors have pewter handles and brass hinges....)and I was too cheap to have him come back for something I can do myself. I will finish this project this week. So, thanks for the motivation, I need it!
Honestly, it took us about five months to buy glue. It just never came up - crazy, huh. It was such a relief to fix a ceramic dish I purchased in Portugal (that a cat broke).
Lauren - I love it!! I will get onto this one as soon as we get home from our week on my mother-in-law's farm. Love your fixed lovelies, especially your bowl, you did a great job:) Thanks for this week's project! Happiest of days to you - Tina x
So fun Lauren! I love this new project of yours!
You are amazing, posting from the hospital, fixing broken pieces while holding a baby, finding time for everything! I am motivated now to finish at least one project I was procrastinating.
There is something so satsifying about fixing something. Last week, I had a "zipper" to fix in my sons racing ski suit and voila, as good as new.
Thanks for providing such a good moral here.
pve
We have such a "disposable" society that everyone tends to toss out and replace. My parents were fixers and I'd feel guilty if I didn't at least try to repair. Time to take a look around and gather and glue! Thanks! (after the closet cleanout!)
~Nancy
Lauren: I agree with Nancy @ "Live Love Laugh, such a "disposable" society. I'm going to FIX that. I'm gathering, gathering, gathering all my broken pieces and I'm gonna fix, fix, fix.
Ruthie
With three kids, their friend, and two dogs running around the house, I have stopped counting how many of my treasures are actually held together with krazy glue!
I'm so impressed that after 6 years you actually still have the other piece of your sconce!
I try to fix things as soon as their broken, but I'm not so good at following through with broken jewelry. I think it's time to go through the jewelry box and repair a few things :)
xo
Brooke
Great job. Sometimes its so hard to get motivated. I think its great what you're doing, making a point of completing all the projects you've dreamed up.
Hi Lauren! I've really appreciated your organizing posts. But today I have an un-organizing-related question. The Durer print that you had blown up for your dining room...where did you have that done and what was the cost? You said that it was on an adhesive backing...is that easily removed the wall or is it more like wallpaper? I've got a print that I want to blow up quite large for my little boys' room, and I'm looking for different options on how to go about it. Any help you can offer would be great!
Thanks! Wendy @ The Shabby Nest
Lauren you are really good with the glue!! I would have it all over the place. It is the little things that we always put on the back burner and they never seem to get done. Good for you,Keep marching along, you are accomplishing a lot! Kathysue
Off to get my krazy glue and fix some things around my apartment- thanks for the reminder :)
I have this tiny rooster in my collection that has a -or had a bell. He is tiny and colorful and so broken in a million pieces. I started putting Humpty Dumpty together again without the brush and stopped right in the middle. Now, thanks to you, I will have to take a pic of him and finish the job and post the after. I just hope all of the pieces are still there!
love,
nancy
Wendy you can check out all the details of the Durer Mural here:
http://purestylehome.blogspot.com/2009/08/blowing-up-images-on-canvas-your.html
xoxo
lauren
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