Community Brag Posts

Outdoor sectional and table

Submitted by sarah252 on Fri, 10/15/2021 - 14:25

First time building anything. I think it came out pretty good! Thanks Ana white for the plans!!

Comments

Our new Ladder Shelf!

Submitted by mtgirl31 on Tue, 03/22/2011 - 22:36

This is our first piece of furniture we built!  My husband William is pretty handy and really enjoys wood-working, and I stumbled upon the Ana White site and this plan a while ago.  Printed it out, gave it to hubby, and he went right at it.  He built it, I sanded, primed, and painted.  We painted it the same Behr 'Creamy White' color that is on the trim and doors in our house.  We love it!  He did modify the plans so it is 19" wide.  Although I wish we would have built it to be the narrower size, we originally intended it for our master bathroom, and 19" wide fits in the spot, but it just ended up looking a little too big and crowded.  Well, the guest bathroom is delighted to see a cute storage shelf in there :)

Estimated Cost
$25-35
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Primed it with a spray on primer, then painted on Behr Premium Plus- eggshell- in Creamy White. Sanded lightly in between coats. Used a spray Krylon Clear coat to finish.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Providence Bench, Doll Chair and Adirondack Side Table

Submitted by Rose4You on Thu, 06/06/2013 - 23:26

Very excited to have our bench, table & doll chair out on our porch. Thank you so much for your great web-site and all of the wonderful plans. I have already put together a very long "weekend projects" list for my husband to work on.

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Calico Critter house

Submitted by bobaina on Sun, 05/10/2015 - 12:21

My husband and I made this for our daughters' calico critters, which they received for Christmas. We wanted a house with few walls, so that all 3 girls could play simultaneously. We used Ana's dream dollhouse plan, but scaled it down to half the size. We also modified it slightly to fit what we needed.

This is just the perfect size for smaller toys like Littlest Pet Shop or other 3 to 4" tall toys.

This was our first build together and so it took us a while to do. For someone with a bit more experience, who also has all their materials and tools ready, this could be finished in 1 day or a weekend.

Estimated Cost
Aproximately $30 for the pine. This is for Canadian lumber. It may be less in the USA.
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
We used clear poly urethane for varnish. We painted the roof shingles (jumbo craft sticks) with acrylic craft paint.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

bobaina

Sun, 05/10/2015 - 13:06

Ana's roof shingles, which are cut scalloped strips, are a better way of doing the roof. I didn't realize how difficult it would be to fix each craft stick 'shingle' to the roof, and manage to keep each line straight. For a beginner, it's not easy. My advice is try Ana's method or you could also just make the roof from 2 solid pieces.

bobaina

Tue, 05/12/2015 - 03:17

thank you for this plan Ana. My girls love their critter house. It's getting lots of use and I'm determined to build more stuff for my girls. I'm so tired of spending money on flimsy plastic junk!

nrc261

Wed, 10/07/2015 - 14:07

This was the plan I was going to use for the Critter's line at Target. I didn't want to buy the plastic houses that they sale so decided to try and build one. How did you scale the dimension? Just by half all the way around? I am a confident beginner so I am not sure how to scale down dimensions. 

Pink Playhouse

Submitted by DIYMomof4 on Sun, 10/08/2017 - 16:59

This is a great playhouse for kids and sturdy enough for adults too.  The plans are so well written and easy to follow. The deck was made exactly to her plan, but I made the playhouse a bit wider.  I also framed it with 2x4's and roofed it with metal.  Metal roofing is light and relatively easy to install.  It took me about 1-1/2 months to finish the playhouse.  The windows are hinged and can be propped open.  I used 2x3's for the railing and attached it to the playhouse for stability.  On the inside, I put down colorful foam mats to make it comfortable.  My daughter really loves having her own playhouse!  Thank you for the great plans!

Estimated Cost
$500
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Cabot deck stain
exterior Behr paint-can't remember the names of the pink colors
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Vintage step stool end table, in 1:1 and 1:12

Submitted by uli on Sun, 06/09/2013 - 09:17

I built this step stool for friend, and a tiny version for my own dolls house. I had expected difficulties with the angled parts, but it went together very easily. I stained both of them with a vinegar/steel wool mix, painted with homemade chalkpaint. At last I sanded them for a distressed look and coated them with brown finishing wax.

Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
vinegar/steel wool mix, homemade chalkpaint, dark finishing wax
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Toddler Height Nightstand

I came up with a simple design to build a nightstand for my daughter's room to go with the platform bed that I had just built. The only problem was that my daughter is 3 and she isn't very tall. So I figured a 2ft tall nightstand will do!

Estimated Cost
$20
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Dark Walnut
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Sliding Barn Door Office Set

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 10/23/2017 - 10:06

Built by What Once Was Old Furniture Design submitted by Kari Baker

We get lots of inspiration from you Ana! We started building the sliding barn door cabinets from your plans and since have built several of them. We have also altered them to fit our customers needs. They are very popular here in Texas. The sliding door cabinet in this picture was used as a credenza in a home office. We also added a sliding keyboard tray under the computer screen. The printer is on a sliding tray as well, so it can be pulled out when in use. Base of the cabinet and desk is new pine and we used a lot of pallet wood for doors and shelves. It would be a treat to be added to your brag board, you can see lots of our work, lots of which you should recognize at What Once Was Old Furniture Design . Thank you!!

Built from Plan(s)
Recommended Skill Level
Advanced

Tote Storage Bed

Submitted by Ana White on Wed, 11/03/2021 - 17:12

Shortened the essential loft bed up so legs are 32” long. This is the perfect height for putting totes underneath. I fit six totes easily. 
 

The back row of totes is out of season/size/etc stuff. The front totes don’t have lids on them and the kids use them for toy boxes.

The bed itself is at a nice height.  It’s easy to put kids in bed and make the bed.  The guardrail is great for keeping pillows blankets and kids on the bed.  Kids also love the ladder and bunk feel!

This is a great bed that I couldn’t recommend enough.  It could easily last from toddler to teen.   Very sturdy and comfortable.  
 

Farm House Bench

Submitted by toes on Wed, 03/30/2011 - 14:25

First bench to match the Farm House table I have built.  Istill need to finish my table now to match the bench.  

Estimated Cost
$35
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
I first started my staining this bench with ZAR Moorish Teak (looked like I had painted it brown) sanded it down a little added Minwax dark walnut LOVED it! Added 3 coats of Deft stain lacquer.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

For a big crowd

Submitted by Diesel911 on Wed, 05/13/2015 - 11:32

My first project built on the garage floor. Before I had work benches :)
I used a borrowed mitre saw, borrowed jig saw and a $20 drill.

Finish Used
Stained with early American and red elm. Clear coat afterwards
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

TV Stand

Easy to make tv stand from pine wood. This is what it looks like before painted. Plenty of space for dvd's.

Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Modern Craft Table - Modified

Submitted by rv13 on Wed, 06/12/2013 - 10:35

Here is our take on the Ana White "Modern Craft Table". My wife wanted to use this as a sewing table. I used my Kreg Pocket Jig for most all connections, minus the moulding. The unit was built out of 3/4 MDF. The table top is from IKEA.

Mine is built a little different in that the shelves are continuous, not compartments. I also added in shelving on the back for more storage.

I also ran the router along all the edges.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Spray Painted with the "HomeRight C800766 Finish Max Fine Finish Sprayer" from Amazon $64. Awesome sprayer. Used Indoor Latex Semi-Gloss Enamel.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Writing Desk For My Wife

Submitted by P76 on Sat, 05/16/2015 - 14:00

My wife needed a writing desk. I had previously built a coffee table with cheap lumber and wanted to see if I could build something with nicer wood. My concern was that all I had was a small portable table saw. This is the result. Oak plywood for the top and side panels, pine for the frame and edges. No stain; I really wanted to let the difference in colors from the two different woods to speak for itself. Just a good sanding and 5 layers of water based polyurethane.

Estimated Cost
$120
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
No stain, just poly for protection and shine.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Monika

Sun, 03/31/2024 - 12:33

For me having a comfortable writing desk is very important. A cozy desk setup helps me focus and boosts my productivity. Plus, with https://skillroads.com/resume-writing-service I can easily access professional assistance to fine-tune my resume and make it stand out. So, if you're serious about landing that dream job, investing in a good writing desk and using Skillroads' services is a winning combination!

Fancy X table and bench

Submitted by Lukilla on Tue, 11/16/2021 - 16:44

Put a fancy twist in this tabletop and bench top. We like the 45 degree angles that the top and legs both have to compliment each other. The top is stained with minwax special walnut.

Comments

My headboard!

Submitted by Squiddles on Fri, 06/14/2013 - 14:10

My hubby is a pro carpenter and was annoyed that i printed out instructions for him... but I wanted it to look exactly like the ones on the blog! I LOVE my new bed so much

Estimated Cost
$45 (wood and stain)
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Walnut poly
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Patio Furniture

We built this set as a variation of the Platform Outdoor Sectional plan. I read that several individuals had a hard time finding the right size cushions, or inexpensive cushions, so I found some on clearance and built the seating customized to their size. The built-in cooler was a neat little addition we had an easy time with, and we used mainly scrap wood for the coffee table and corner piece. We decided to stain it a translucent grey, as I really loved the natural wood look, but needed to match the cushions a bit more. Still adding a few finishing touches, but already enjoying relaxing on it. It was a fun project, and I love how it came out. Bring on the sun!!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Christmas Tree Collar

Submitted by amyrunser on Wed, 12/13/2017 - 10:13

Thank you for these plans Ana! Had to make mine 36" wide to accomodate the tree stand tripod. Added bonus: kitty cannot drink the tree water! YES! Still have to stain and going to add hinges to one side to access water bucket easily. 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$20
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Stain to be applied; unfinished at present
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

My version of the Simple Outdoor Dining Table

Submitted by cchalifour on Wed, 11/24/2021 - 19:48

My version of the Simple Outdoor Dining Table
- All Cedar

Built from Plan(s)

Comments