Community Brag Posts

Made this from typical dimensions of other cradle plans online and designed it off the cuff. Years ago, my dad made a cradle for me. I thought this would be a fun project to make for friends and family for their new little bundles of joy. The bottom is braced with the idea that older children will probably be playing in it. It was tested up to 65 lbs. All for approximately $60 with the mattress. Hopefully the recipients like it as much as we enjoyed building it. 

I loved the idea of re-purposing fence pickets as siding for a cedar shed, but the plans on the website were much too big for the space I have. I ended up modifying the design to make a smaller shed, with approximately a 4 foot by 2 foot footprint. It turned out beautifully! Cedar is expensive, but I was able to save money on the project by buying much of the material at local salvage and second-hand stores.

Technically, we are not allowed to store trailers or boats outside of our garage. Since our back yard faces a popular path for runners, pedestrians and cyclists, I came up with this solution and we have not been reported.

The size isn't ideal (peekaboo canoe), but I went with boards I already had. I didn't sketch this out ahead of time, just pieced it together using a 6" board as my vertical guide and a 3" board as my horizontal guide.

Instead of digging post holes, I built it onto feet so that it's free-standing and portable. We can move it any time we need to get the trailer out from behind it.

Next summer, I may put planter boxes on top and build a second panel as well.

This project took a week to build.  Working during my boys' nap time and late nights, I was able to complete everything in about 7 days.  I used cedar, and sealed with Cabots Bleaching Oil.  The cost of wood for the beds and stairs and drawers came to about $700.  The extra cost came from the additional side rails on the top bunk and the stairs and drawers.  Still comes in about $500 less than if bought commercially.  The famiy loves the bed and as my kids are 2 and 3, I expect to get many years out of the bunk bed.  Side note:  I had to add quite a few brackets and angle joists to secure and minimize wobble due to the additional weight of the top bunk.  (2 2x4s from the 4x4 to the side of the cleat and side rail of the bottom bunk, on the back side only, made a world of difference)

I made this for my boy who's turning four tomorrow! (Sep 1st) He loves building forts and I don't mind rearranging the furniture, but set up and clean up is so time consuming, we'd both rather spend more time playing. This is an indoor tent, but I took it outside for pictures. Aside from the obvious difference of adding doors and a back, the changes I made from the original plans are: using an 8 foot 1x3 so the tent is 4 feet deep instead of 3. Instead of stapling the fabric on the 1x3s at the bottom, I wrapped the fabric around and used velcro so I could remove it for washing. I sewed a tube of fabric and attached it at the top to make removal easier. Time Investment is so long because of the sewing involved for the tent. If you have an Ikea near you, they've got this stuff called glaze paint (more of a stain, I think) in all different colors - it doesn't need a top coat (unless you want it shiny), it's solvent free and, are you ready? $6 for 12.something ounces, MORE than enough for this project. To make it even easier if you're using fabric instead of curtains like me and you've got the room, cut a 8ft 1x3 in half so you've got two 4ft pieces. Most quilting cotton at fabric stores is 44-45 inches wide selvedge to selvedge (the ends that don't fray) and if you follow the plan according to where to drill for the top bolt, you'll need 4-4.25 yards of fabric, depending on whether you are going to use velcro or staple. I would use 4.25 if using velcro, the fabric can go right over the top bar and over the other side if you don't want to sew a tube like I did. If you don't want to sew at all, use iron-on hem tape on the cut edges and iron on velcro. Make sure of placement of the velcro before ironing on. More pictures on my blog =)

From watching Olympic gymnast Simone Biles on the television to running, flipping and twirling all around our living room — my girls LOVE everything gymnastics. Both girls began competing with a local gymnastics club. Now that my oldest has moved up and is pretty serious about practicing her beam handstands and dismounts, she begged me to build a raised balance beam with suede covering so it would have a similar feel to her beam at the gym.

If you can relate to this, or even if you have a new gymnast (like my youngest in the pic above) wanting to improve their skills at home, then this comprehensive tutorial on how to build a raised balance beam is for you.

Full plans available on my blog The Creative 'Carr'penter. You can also find and pin this tutorial on Pinterest here.

Our outdoor furniture from Costco was falling apart but the cushions were still in great shape so I decided to design the furniture around the existing cushion dimensions. I used all Cedar wood and stained it with Australian Timber Oil Honey Teak stain. The table design was from a picture I saw on another site.

I made a smaller version of the Tryde End Table with Shelf. I made 2 of them from 6 2X4's

I added support for more weight by adding a 2x4 on the inside of the four legs. This way, I have the entire frame supported by screws AND 2x4, so I can rest easy.

I was only going to build the table, but after I found this chair and decided to make the 8 chair set. Great descriptions a d plans. 

This project started because a corner bathroom vanity that fit my space requirements and budget did not exist. A plan specific to what I exactly needed also did not exist. After combing through what plans I found online, the Wall Kitchen Corner Cabinet best matched what I wanted. I modified it with the Momplex Sink Base Kitchen Cabinet in order to turn it into a sink base.

But, there was a problem. I hadn't actually built anything before. In order to get at least one project under my belt, I built the Vintage Step Stool. It turned out great, so I figured I was ready to go! Strangely enough, after spending about $100 and several weekends picking away at this project, it was done! It looked great, even. Then, I moved the vanity into the bathroom and realized that, while it may have looked great, it wasn't very square. Lesson learned was that this is a two person project. It is too difficult to keep things square and screw at the same time when there is only one person.

At this point, everyone was tired of having to use the kitchen sink to brush their teeth and wash their hands, so we needed to get this project done. $100 later, we had more material. Since I had figured out what needed to be done with the first vanity, let's call it our prototype, the second vanity went together REALLY quickly. 

Within a few hours, it was pieced together. Since it was going to be painted, we used Bondo to cover up our imperfections. Yes, of course there were imperfections. While much better than the prototype, it still was only my third woodworking project. Sanding, caulking, and priming took another hour or so. A few coats of the finish paint went on, followed by a couple more coats of a clear sealer, and it was done.

We moved it into place, screwed it to the wall, put the soapstone countertop on along with the sink and faucet, and it truly was complete. Sink is Kohler, faucet came from our local Habitat for Humanity store and I'm not sure what brand it is, and the soapstone came from soapstones.com. If we had oiled the soapstone with mineral oil, it would be a very dark gray.

I completed this table with my 5 year old daughter as my assistant. My husband requested a table to put next to our new hot tub to set his drinks on and this is perfect. We only put one board on the top because I felt since it would be outside, I wanted a smooth top. I just screwed it in diagonally from the bottom. I also used spar varnish since it would be outside.

I took the 25 cubbies plan and changed the dimensions to fit shoes. I made a simpler version for my husband too. This project went together quickly and was so fun to build.

Very nice project built in a day. 

I changed the plans just slightly. I used 2x4's for framing and enlaged the shed somewhat and added a floor. I also used a different type of roof to handle the amount of rain in my area.