Community Brag Posts

This table was inspired by one from Restoration Hardware. It was constucted using Fir and black pipe fittings from the local hardware store. Please check out more pics on my blog (I had trouble uploading them here due to file size). Thanks for looking!

With lots of deer, rabbits, coyotes, and the occasional bear, garden enclosures are a must in our area (although I am not sure they will really help if a bear decides they're interested in our food). As our old garden enclosure was falling down due to the high winds and a quite a few winters in upstate New York, my mom found a horseshoe shaped garden with rasied beds that she loved. So, after searching around for a good plan, I found Ana White's collaboration with Home Depot for this enclosure.

While the original plan was far too small for our needs, I was able to expand the length of the enclosure creating enough room to add two small beds on either side of the door and a center bed, which is perfect for herbs. The build was not difficult as I was able to do most of it by myself (with the exception of contructing the frame and attaching the door) and I am sure this would go much quicker with an extra set of hands. As I did not have a large chunk of time to devote to this project, it did take me quite some time stretched over a few weeks. Nonetheless, I am very happy with how it turned out.

After construction, my family got a little garden happy and decided we wanted to plant even more vegetables than we had originally planned. So, we created a much simpler but nonetheless less pest-proof enclosure for two more beds to the left of our original project (shown in the photos).

Although this was an expensive project (exact price is unkown), it is quite sturdy and we expect it to last a long time and provide lots of vegetables. We added some hanging baskets for decoration and decided next year we will add some morning glories around the outside corners for some extra shade during the afternoons. Some minor alterations also included a latch that allows us to open and close the door from both sides, we actually picked up a gate latch kit for this part of the project, and using welded wire fencing instead of chicken wire. While the welded wire added to the cost, it will hold up better to the wind and snow and is still protective enough to keep out our main predators.

Thanks so much for the plans Ana! In the begining, our neighbors joked we were building a guest house :). I have included some photos from throughout the build as well.

Ive been looking for a sewing table to fit my space. but found none for less than $500 and they were quite small. I found a post at quiltedcupcake.com that linked me to another blog, linking me here. I modified the plan to be about 2 feet wide and cut a hole to fit my sewing machine. There is a support in the bottom to hold my machine level with the tabletop. When I make this in the future, I will splurge on a fine hardwood. This plan was easy to build and looks great! Just what I was looking for :D

We took Ana's original coop plans and diva'd it up a bit to suit our needs and our climate. We added a pop door and decided to split the roof panels into four, three of which open up. We put the hinges on the top of the roof panels so we could easily prop them open. We also added a brace across the bottom of our ladder for support. Since we added a door I believe our ladder is a bit more steep than in the original plans.

Because we put our hinges on top we added lattice strips inside on the top of the door panels that go just under the 2x4 of the roof peak to keep the rain out. We also used a roof cap for the same reason. We went back and added silicone to the strategic places to prevent water leaking into the nesting box while also being careful not to affect the necessary ventilation.

We used OSB for our roof panels instead of T111 because it's what we had on hand and also because we were going to be painting it.

Finally I added handles to each of the hinged panels to make opening easy. And cute!

We felt very lucky to have built in shelves in all of the closets when we moved in. We painted them a glossy (easy to clean) color and have tried to make use of them. With little kids its never been very organized, and I racked my brain for a method to fix that. None of my ideas sounded good...tiny little labels from a label maker stuck on the bottom shelf? No....

So Casey (inspired by the plans of Ana White's) decided to make these crates. I've been seeing the ones they sell at craft stores all over the place, used for all kinds of things. To maximize the space in the closets he made them custom sizes for each one. Each closet has different widths of shelves and some even in each closet are different heights.

So a bulk of this project was gathering those measurements and planning what and how much wood to buy. Casey takes his time, and the project he's done the planning on for awhile began to take shape today.

We chose chalkboard painted fronts and backs for labeling. I really like the opportunity to change the labels over time as the types of things the kids want kept in their crates changes over the years. It'll take time to figure out what combinations (socks and undies or jammies and quilts?) go best together and take up the right amount of room. So we'll keep a chalk eraser handy :).

I woke up this morning to the sounds of the kids talking outside. He'd set them up to help by painting the chalkboard ends. I'll admit a few of them have a few more paint drippings than others, but the look of delight at being involved was so worth it. And honestly seeing them all together now I think it was a great idea for him to let the kids get those started.

Having a family project is one of my favorite feelings in the world. Second favorite? The organization in one of my daughter's room (since hers are all done now) that's gonna make putting away laundry way easier for her and I.

We bought this house about a year ago and we finally got around to removing this pointless niche!  The center divider and bottom were removed.  The cabinet and hutch were assembled seperately.  

This is still a work of progress.  I am looking for a nice decorative molding face for the top.  If anyone has any suggestions please let me know!  We will most likely paint it white to match the fireplace mantle.

I added front drawer trim & a walnut stained top to this already great design  

Great bench

Modified the Cherished Bliss plan a bit to include Carriage bolts instead of pocket holes and I notched the top of the legs to make a shelf for the top.

Legs were cut at 18" and the top is 40". The two center 4x4's are connected with two internal (and smaller diameter) carriage bolts and glued together. The end 4x4's are glued and then a 1/2 x 6" carriage bolt with a pre-drilled "Head" hole (using 1" paddle bit).

Very easy to make but this baby is heavy!!!

Fun and easy build to use up some scraps and try out some finish techniques and router edging. Not perfect because I was getting the hang of a new router, but perfect low commitment project to practice on. I only did 2 hooks for my needs and preferred not having to knob on top.