Community Brag Posts

The one toy that we could not live without! Started this as a 2020 covid project and play on it everyday.

I absolutely fell in love with the Tall Corner Media Console the moment it was posted. We had a decent corner stand for our TV, but it was low and was hard to watch when kids and adults alike were constantly saying "I can't SEE!" or "You're in my WAY!". I've learned that explaining "you make a better door than a window" over an over to a 7yo and a 4yo only takes longer.

Two dilemmas faced us:
1 - Which comes first, the chicken or the egg? DH insisted that we needed a big screen tv before building the console. I insisted that we needed the console first, so that we would have a place for the tv. Since it was determined the that console was cheaper than a tv, I won :)

2- What to color it? Paint? Stain? I was the one building, so DH said he didn't care, but that he liked the idea of staining. Having never stained before I was a bit intimidated - paint was my safety net. DH got this one, but only after I made him choose the stain.

I have the doors built and they are in the garage. With other things in the living room we wouldn't be able to open them all the way anyway. That and my final build weekend topped out at 105+ deg - and I was DONE being outside :) All in all, i like the open look of it, although I reserve the right to install those doors if need be.

This is my first project and I am so happy with it! Thanks for the plans!

You can see my step by step process here:

http://ordinaryhappilyeverafter.com/blog/category/table/

I'm especially happy with how I was able to attach the top to the bottom without drilling through the top. I describe that here:

http://ordinaryhappilyeverafter.com/blog/2012/08/my-table-is-done/

Thanks for the inspiration!

I've been collecting small flat rocks off the road every time I take the dog for a walk. Unfortunately my grout cracked, I probably used the wrong type. Anyone who can tell me what I should have used instead? Suggestions very welcome, as I might try this again.

After the high of finishing my first build (http://ana-white.com/2012/08/farmhouse-table-rustic-table), I was quick to find my next fix. My mom was so impressed with the table, she trusted me to build her another piece of furniture for our very empty new home. She liked the look of this coffee table, so I adjusted the dimensions to meet her needs and away I went. It was pretty fun and not too difficult. It was a little more time consuming that I had anticipated, but that was mostly due to the two different finishes on the legs/apron and the top.

Single wide rustic x console table build

As I finished the basement, my thoughts turned to the upstairs furniture. We bought a sectional when we moved into our house 2 years ago from Art Van. We paid $2000 for it and it lasted about 3 years. We finally got rid of it after 5 years, but the frame was broke and the cushions were terrible!!

I looked around and couldn't find anything I thought was superior quality that didn't cost an arm and a leg. Quite frankly, this is expensive even to make but I'm up for the challenge.  

I used the plans from the Camp Loft bed and adjusted to exactly what I needed. Two twin beds in a small bedroom without losing any floor space. I found the slide on craigslist while I was building this and it made the best addition. I also added a shelf along the base of one bed for the boys to have a play table and adds stability to the base of the bed to keep it from rocking.

Thanks Ana for the plans, it was big fun to build! Had to do it while babysitting after work hours in our Budapest appartment, so all our neighbors had a lots of fun too while sawing and drilling in the night! 

At the start I had some difficulties with your inches and feet, but at the end I had to realize that milimeters weren't my thing either... but it looks good from the distance. Still needs to be filled with furnitures and dolls, but that will be the task of Rozika. 

We made smaller ones for each side of the closet. Love it!

I built a 15" wide by 8' long outdoor patio bar with locking casters. I modified the stool design on Ana's website and stained both to match. I finished the top with stone tile and grout. This area has become the main gathering point in our backyard when entertaining.

Created my own version out this plan. 

After doing some string art with the Kindergarteners in my class, the were anxious to pound some nails in "all the way." I remembered seeing this plan before on Ana's website, and earlier in the week our science teacher had been talking to the Kindergarteners about how the seeds they had planted were starting to get too big for their containers. The students themselves suggested a bigger box to put them in, and just like that... our next project was born!

The students did every part of this build, except for the cutting of the boards. They loved it, and couldn't believe how quickly they put it together. Here are a couple of tweets to show these little #elemakers at work!

https://twitter.com/JimTiffinJr/status/830163344057327617

https://twitter.com/JimTiffinJr/status/830164086847655936

https://twitter.com/JimTiffinJr/status/830164527304077313

Thanks for sharing some very simple projects and plans that even the littlest of builders can do!

This was the first table we built.