Community Brag Posts

Crayon holder

Submitted by cookiecrab on Tue, 02/04/2014 - 18:56

Had left over 2x3's so I used those. The kids love them!! Easy to make. Cost $10 due to stickers and paint.

Estimated Cost
$10
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
spray paint
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Storage/Toy Box

Submitted by AndyH on Mon, 05/02/2016 - 19:55

Storage box made from left over 1 by 4 and plywood from recent projects and a top I made for another cabinet but didn't use.  All I bought was two 1 by 4s for the top trim and the hinges.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
White satin paint and Sherwin Williams Foggy Day gray paint for top.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Mini Beverage Bar - Perfectly sized!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 09/22/2023 - 08:02

Couldn’t find a coffee bar to fit my space so I modified the Snack Cabient plans of Ana White's! Looove how it turned out! The barn door hardware was fun!

Laura Thompson

Comments

easiest daybed turned floating twin beds

we love ana's plans, and we love the way this one was executed by the bumper crop. check out more pics of our girl version and how we did it at http://www.iwantbdphotography.com/archives/2661

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$90 each
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
none :) gutsy for a kid's room. not sure how they will hold up, but we just love the raw unfinished look
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

End table made from pallets (plans included)

Submitted by mtairymd on Sat, 02/08/2014 - 14:58

Building an outside side table out of scrap pallets.

Video of the build:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVAYXVGiL_8

Drawing File
https://googledrive.com/host/0B21TbB8gGNQbX2dlNGdxR0NuOE0/end_table.pdf

Estimated Cost
$5 for stain and nails - free pallets
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Red Oak
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Modular Play Kitchen

I made this for my 3 kids for Christmas and I'm so glad I did!  They have gotten so much use out of it and love to move it around to set up different "houses" and restuarants.  Thanks so much for these plans!  I made the pieces a little taller, and use the play stove as the sink base too so that it could double as a dishwasher :)  

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Color Bay by Pantone
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Rustic X Coffee Table

Submitted by jmuhorn99 on Tue, 02/04/2020 - 16:22

I'm really bad at making the X's, so I just added some straight pieces for decoration.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$64
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Dark Walnut stain and white chalk paint
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Kentwood Bookcases

Submitted by tglife on Fri, 04/27/2012 - 09:30

When I started my blog This Girls Life ( t-g-life.blogspot.com ) I knew I wanted to makeover my office to give me more room and storage. These bookcases were perfect for that.

Estimated Cost
$120ish for both, $60ish per bookcase
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Minwax English Chestnut
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Modified Husky Farmhouse Table

Submitted by Doro.marie on Tue, 02/11/2014 - 04:28

My husband Chris and I have been planning for a few years now to build a farmhouse table for our home. Every year for christmas my mother-in-love (mother in law) gifts us a "must have" tool. We like to think of it as her investing in our home and quality time together. Last year she gave us the Kreg gig, holy cow, that sure is a must have!!! :) This year we received a hand sander. Needless to say we were motivated to start our farmhouse table journey.
We loved the table Ana built for her sister, so we followed the plans almost to a tee. We ordered the turned legs from Georgia. Let me also add that we try to buy everything we possibly can that is made in america, from paintbrushes on. I encourage everyone to take the a few seconds to look and spend an extra dollar or two to support america's economy.

The only modification we did to the plan was add a small strip of wood to the base layer for just a little extra touch of character. :)

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Table top- miniwax wood conditioner, Early American stain, and helmsman spar urethane.

Base- early american stain for base layer, Old Fashion Milk Paint in Buttermilk, and spray on polycrylic.
We live in a small town and were not able to find gel stain anywhere. We could have ordered it online, however we adamant about using our snow days to work on this project. This made a difference as far as how the milk paint chipped on the legs. I had to hand sand to get the rustic look, however it still looks fabulous. :)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Herb & Flower Ladder

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 05/09/2016 - 15:06

Living on a small city plot, this vertical ladder planter was just what I was looking for to grow my herbs and flowers. I am not an experienced builder but the plans were easy to follow. It didn't take me much time at all to complete this project. Now I am looking forward to fresh herbs and flowers all summer.

Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Combination Workstation

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 02/12/2020 - 07:45

Combined a few of your plans to make my wife a Workstation. Plans were easy to follow and there were no dimension errors.

Estimated Cost
200.00
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Combo semi gloss paint and primer
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Small Kitchen Storage Pantry

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 10/02/2023 - 11:17

I adjusted your Barndoor l Pantry plans to utilize repurposed lumber from a Murphy bed. The shelves are 22" deep for my microwave, toaster oven, etc. It's so functional and much easier to work in my small kitchen.

Cheryl G

Built from Plan(s)

Paint stir stick Letter Bin

Submitted by ltl_lisa on Sat, 04/28/2012 - 18:16

I used paint stir sticks as the front of my bins!
I wanted the "bead board" look but to still have a natural wood grain that I could stain for the rustic look. I also really like being "frugal"

Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Pretty, massive coffee table

Submitted by sgilly on Sat, 02/15/2014 - 08:48

I'm still helping my kids furnish their new home. They "hired" me to build them a massive coffee table for their family room. They fell in love with the legs featured in a plan built by Shanty 2 Chic (http://www.shanty-2-chic.com/2013/11/diy-square-coffee-table.html). The legs definitely were the most expensive part of this table!
I made a couple of adjustments: because these kids of mine hope to have kids of their own soon, and the table measures 48x48, I reinforced the lower shelf of the table and the table top with support pieces. I picture babies crawling all over this and wanted to ensure that it would hold up!

I finished with the same steps used by Jen of House of Wood's rustic yet refined finish, but used a dark walnut stain as the base.

Another fun project for me, and they are very happy with it!

And, I just have to say that Osborne Wood products delivers a wonderful product with great follow up and customer service! http://www.osbornewood.com/

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$250 for table - the Legs accounted for $160 of that.
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Wood conditioner (2 coats), sand, Minwax Dark walnut, Minwax weathered Oak, sand, rubbed on whitewash (old, diluted white paint), sand, mixture of weathered oak and a little dark walnut, sand, 3 coats of polyurethane, satin finish, sanding between coats.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

iTable with bench seats

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 05/12/2016 - 13:43

Ana, I really loved this design and was pretty easy to build! I like the way the finish turned out by painting it black and just a few coats of poly on top. 

The benches are overbuilt with intention of converting 2 benches into 4 chairs in the future.  I made them larger so I can simply just cut them in half and add two 4x4s 18 inches higher than the current bench legs at 24" and just deck it as a chair back, seems simple enough. One thing I would change in the design is eliminating the 3 1x12s and 2 of the 1x4s and just going with a solid table top at 33 3/4 x 40 3/4, similar to what I did on the benches.  

Let me know what you think and if you have any questions.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
150
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Flat black paint with satin finish polyurethane
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Wood slab bar

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 02/16/2020 - 22:03

Hand mad love edge bar

Estimated Cost
300
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Farmhouse Writing Desk

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 10/06/2023 - 08:58

Brookstone desk with a white oak top and drawer that I built for my 8- yr old son. It is a very fun build.

Jerry from NC

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Tilt Out Trash Cabinet with Shutter Door

My trash situation was pretty dire once my dogs figured out how to pop off the lid and dig into everything. Trash was everywhere! So to keep out prying paws, I built Ana's tilt-out trash cabinet to keep the can safe. But I didn't read the plan through before going shopping, and didn't get any plywood to make the door! So I used part of an old bifold door that looks like a shutter and cut it to fit. I also added a cabinet clasp inside the top so it can securely shut. Now we don't have any trouble with my dogs dragging trash through the house!

Estimated Cost
15
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Three coats of semi-gloss white
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Alex's Book Shelf

This design came from Ana's website. My daughter Alex asked me for a shelf to hold all her "stuff". She's a typical girl... lots of "stuff". I was able to snap a picture before she started to fill it all up!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
White Paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner
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