We’ve all been there: You’ve found the perfect Pinterest project, gathered all the supplies and then it all just falls apart. Even when you follow the directions exactly, the end product looks absolutely nothing like that gorgeous DIY project you pinned. During the summer, we are all over the beautiful ice cream recipes and patio makeovers, but inevitably, some of those Pinterest projects will end up in failure and disappointment. Before you beat yourself up too much, enjoy these 17 epic summer-inspired Pinterest fails and then sit back and enjoy your non-Pinterest-worthy dessert.

1. Pretty Watermelon Cake: This cake is obviously no piece of cake. We’re thinking it would take some mad cake-frosting skills to accomplish this sweet feat. (via @jenniferpoolebarringer)

2. The Perfect Summer Mani: Summer nail art is kinda our thing. So we can definitely sympathize with a few rainbow stripes gone wrong. Or maybe it has become a more abstract work of art? (via @carag503)

3. Backyard Shade: We are all about stylish patio makeovers, and adding some shade is a great way to get more use out of your outdoor space. Just make sure you use poles that are sturdy enough to handle the weight of the fabric you use. Otherwise you might end up with a saggy situation. (via Pinterest Fail)

4. Cherry Bombs: Believe it or not, it’s easy to bomb with cherry bombs. But on a brighter note, they still tasted delicious and got the boozey job done. (via @ldkr5808)

5. Chocolate Covered Bananas: Frozen bananas are a great healthy snack for the kids come summertime, but we’re not sure even the kids would eat this mess. Sadly, it’s not as easy as it looks to get the chocolate to stick the bananas. Anyone have any suggestions? (via Pinterest Fail)

6. Tropical Green Slush: Even if it’s not a bright + beautiful rainbow of colors (that takes some time-consuming bartending skills), this cocktail will surely get the post-work HH craving satisfied. (via @mstockst)

7. Real Watermelon Cake: The original recipe suggests making sure your watermelon is nice and cold when you are frosting it to make the whipped cream stick. We’ll let you be the judge of whether or not that works. (via Pinterest Fail)

8. Fabric-Wrapped Balloons: Almost like pretty pastel hot air balloons, the original project here looked ridiculously easy. However, it turns out those were magical Pinterest balloons and real-life balloons could barely handle the weight of a single sheet of tulle. (via Pinterest Fail)

9. Patriotic Cookie Sandwich: You might not think squishing ice cream between two cookies would be too difficult, but balancing melting ice cream while trying to roll them in sprinkles is definitely a challenge. Who are we kidding though… it doesn’t matter how these turn out, ’cause we’d still eat them. (via Fancykins)

10. Rainbow Roses: You would think this would be a simple DIY since the rose does all the work, right? The only suggestion here is to remove as many leaves as possible so the food coloring moves all the way to the petals instead of just making the leaves tie dyed. (via Pinterest Fail)

11. Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes: The trick to making these summery treats work is rigging up some sort of system so the cones don’t tip over in the oven. Otherwise the end result will be this drippy mess. (via Pinterest Fail)

12. Campfire Cones: Wrap in foil and toss on the campfire. Sounds simple, right? The lesson learned from this fail was to put the cones around the edge of the fire instead of right in the coals so they don’t get burnt to a crisp. (via Pinterest Fail)

13. Sparkler Lighting: The trick to getting really good sparkler words is to make sure it’s dark enough so that you can’t really tell there are people holding the sparklers. Oh, and maybe make sure everyone knows they are supposed to be spelling backwards ;) (via Traveling Light)

14. Mango Fruit Leather: To whip up some super healthy fruit leather, all you need to do is puree some mangoes, spread ’em on a sheet and dehydrate. Well, that is, according to Pinterest. In real life, you might end up with more of a mango puddle. (via Unexpected Knock)

15. Garden Fail: No one ever said building your own garden was easy. This Pinner had a great vision without the engineering skills necessary to keep that net upright. It’s okay though, because she went back later and got it DONE. (via @jayneclobber)

16. Shark Cake: Nothing says summer like a scary shark cake, right? Unless it’s a scary shark with a dental problem. If you can get the perfect shark-gray color, mold the nose out of cake and then figure out how to apply the teeth, then you deserve some sort of Pinterest reward. (via Pinterest Fail)

17. Illuminated Beach Dinner: Dinner on the beach lit by candles in the sand. Awww, how romantic… if you can get the candles to glow like giant lanterns. (via Pinterest Fail)

What are your Pinterest fails? We’d love to hear all about the projects that went wrong! Share your experiences in the comments below.

Kate Thorn
Kate Thorn is an illustrator, foodie, photographer, and blogger at Create & Kate. She loves creating art, traveling, and all things chocolate. A native to the Great Northwest, she is currently living in London and pretending to be a mature grad student.