You know that moment when you feel like you've had an amazing idea, and you work really hard on that idea, and it turns out better than expected?
Then you decide to share it with others because you want everyone else in on the fun?
What you didn't realize was that eventually, no one would know that it was your idea in the first place, and your feelings are just a little bit hurt.
This is where I am right now...my feelings are just a smidge hurt.
Almost 2 years ago, I turned a little old $5 yard sale table into this LEGO Table.
And for those of you who may be concerned...the table had been sanded down by the previous owner, and it wasn't a priceless antique that I decided to butcher and then paint;-)
It was cheaply made, and thus, I felt completely justified in giving it new life.
Since then, I have seen this table EVERYWHERE!
At least weekly, I see it on a blog, Facebook or Pinterest.
When you search "Lego Table" on Pinterest or Google, it's one of the first images to appear.
I find this truly mind-boggling...especially since my blog only gets a little over a thousand page views a day.
What bothers me, is when my images are taken from my blog without permission...altered...and then sent across the internet with no recognition of who the owner is. This is a common thing, I know, and comes with the blogging territory, but it's still slightly irritating.
Case in point.
I have seen this picture over and over again on Facebook.
It's exciting to see at first because I see how many "likes" and "shares" it has under the picture(sometimes a few, sometimes hundreds of thousands).
But then, I notice that something is missing.
My water mark.
Big thumbs down.
Now obviously, if someone really wanted the complete tutorial, all they would have to do is type "Lego table" in any search engine, and they would come across it in no time.
But that's not the point.
It's my work, and I'd like for people to be directed to my blog...plain and simple.
Like I said before, I realize that's the nature of the beast...got it.
I will say this...for those of you who have found me, whether it be from Google, Facebook, Pinterest, or any other search engine, and have commented on the post, shared the post, sent emails asking for permission to use my photos, or sent words of encouragement, I thank you for that.
It means so much to me to know that I am inspiring others to turn "trash into treasure", to give new life to an old piece, to be creative when you start with something small.
That is what I love to do, and if I can help someone else develop that same love, then it's been a good day.
And for those of you who say that this table obviously belongs to someone who doesn't have "a real Lego collection," you'll be happy to know that all of our Legos do not fit in this table, but we don't have a huge collection either. We have enough, and the kiddos seem to be completely content with what they do have:-)
Rant over. :-)