Community Brag Posts

Coffee table

Submitted by esemi77 on Thu, 01/28/2016 - 10:37

This is the very first project of mine !! 

Estimated Cost
100
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Mix of dark walnut and walnut.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Love the console

Submitted by Sissy0820 on Wed, 07/17/2019 - 17:56

I love how this console turned out I made a few changes > Made it taller at top to fit the larger hardware and changed the top.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$400
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
painted base white , burned top then clear coated it.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Custom Storage Bench

Storage bench using Shelf Help by Judith Noffz

"What can I say … we love Ana White’s Shelf Help Now.
We both love the quality of the wood. You just can’t find that around here. I love that I can create what’s in my mind with a drawing and rob can take her template and build!!!"

My Daughter's Play Vanity

Submitted by dmcarwin on Mon, 12/26/2011 - 09:54

I made this for my daughter for Christmas. She has done nothing but sit at it and play and put on "makeup" for hours! It is a hit! Thanks Ana!!!!

I did add a support with pocket holes in the back to make it more sturdy (you can see it behind the stool). And you will notice my top trim is not 2 inches like it should be. I used all free wood that I had collected . I did buy a 2x2 for the stool because mine was too warped. The top of the stool is not round because I only have a miter saw. I found a great little cupboard door from the restore for $1 that I cut square for the top. Since I am new to this it took me a little longer than some people, plus the time I put is including making the stool as well.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
For me less than $10, I got the wood for the vanity free from my Father-in-law's shed.
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
I primed and painted with green oops paint. The stool was spray painted with Rust-oleum's Gloss berry pink. I felt like it needed something extra girly so I cut some vinyl flowers and butterflies (oh, and the castle for the stool) and added them, then sealed the vinyl with mod podge.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

mandirckard

Sat, 12/31/2011 - 14:43

I love the way you did this vanity and I like that you mentioned using a cupboard door. We hve some leftovers lying around and now I really want to put this on the to do list. Thanks for sharing!

dmcarwin

Sun, 01/01/2012 - 21:23

Thanks for all the nice comments! Mandirckard, I hope you get to make it! It is fun when you can re-make something that otherwise would be thrown out, cupboard doors could be reused for lots of things!

Modular Corner Desk My Husband Built Me!

I was looking all over for the perfect desk to hold my large computer and give me some crafting space. Not finding what I was looking for, I stumbled upon Ana-White.com and I was so excited when my husband agreed to build me this desk! It's perfect and beautiful and I absolutely love it! The plans were easy for him to follow and we had fun making it together.

Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
I applied one coat of Zinsser primer followed by three coats of Behr Windwood Springs. I finished the desk by applying three coats of Minwax polycrylic, lightly sanding in between coats with 220 grit sandpaper.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Balustrade table with modification.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 01/31/2016 - 14:55

250$  I didn't use pocket screws because I wanted the wood to be able to expand and contract as it should. I used biscuits. All Home Depot pine. Distressed. Belt sanded. Orbital sanded. Upgraded "feet" trim out of 1x3. Made the brackets to secure the top to the bottom with a table saw. Grooves cut with biscuit joiner. This was a gift and I wanted it to be perfect. Total of about 32 hours. Could've done the original plans in 15-20. 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
250$
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Varathane Kona stain. Still have to apply Varathane Matte Poly
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Play Kitchen

Submitted by fanofana on Fri, 12/30/2011 - 07:28

I saw this project and thought it would be a perfect project. My daughter has a Christmas birthday so I wanted to do something big that she would remember.

I didn't want to be rushed so I started this project in the fall. I built the basic "boxes" in a day but took my time finding accessories and doing all the finishing touches(sanding, painting, adding handles,etc). For the sink and stove I used Ana's plans but for the fridge I took a short cut and started with a shelving unit we already had, cut it to size and added doors.

It was fun a fun project. I loved having a great starting point and then being able to make it my own with paint and accessories. My in-laws live on a farm so scrounged their junk piles and found the sink faucet and the stove knobs (free, gotta love that)!

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
I bought some durable white paint and then used left over green paint for the accents (countertops, fridge doors and over door).
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

laurakc181

Sat, 12/31/2011 - 04:29

I love the faucet!!!! Why didn't I think of that ;) And my daughter saw the cookies in the oven and yelled....my cookies! lol....We got her the same play set along with some other Melissa and Doug wooden play food :) Great job btw!

My first work

Submitted by psilver on Sun, 11/17/2013 - 18:29

I built this to fill a large space in our new kitchen. I extended the plan to 6ft. and added a drawer. We topped it with a beech-wood butcher block from Ikea and I used 2 6'x18" pine boards for the shelves.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
The butcher block is oiled and the shelves are finished with 3 coats of Minwax PolyShades in Satin Pecan. The frame is Dutchboy satin.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Sailboat playhouse in sunny Baja California Sur, Mexico!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 02/03/2016 - 15:56

We live in Los Cabos, Mexico, and the sun is hot and bright! My kids love playing outside in our backyard, but we had no shade. I started looking around, found this site, and though I have few tools and only helping experience with carpentry, decided to give it a go. It's a big hit with the kids and they assure me that it's a nice shady place in the yard! No sand added as we have plenty of dirt and cactus as it is. Tools used: a hand saw (!) and a drill. I really enjoyed it, so I need to go buy a circular saw soon.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$50 or less, not sure as I bought some tools at the same time.
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
None
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Classroom Central

As a teacher, I rarely sit at my desk. I usually end up just piling stuff on it! I have a podium I use for my laptop and resources as I teach. This unit replaces the secondhand bookcases I’d had as well as the storage for items like post-its, highlighters, pencils, etc. that were in my desk drawers. I have so much more space without the bulky teacher desk! Note: the doors are not on the original plan. I bought special project pine that was 16” wide, and cut them to 14 3/16” width.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$250
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
I stained it with brewed tea, then finished it with Spar Urethane.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

A successful build!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 04/30/2023 - 14:52

I decided to make beds for my kids after looking at ones to purchase that all had bad reviews about the sturdiness.
Thank you for providing such comprehensive plans here. I have never built anything from scratch before, and this project was a lot of fun. I'll be starting a second one this week.

Comments

Mail organizer

Submitted by lbadger on Mon, 01/02/2012 - 12:58

I came across the mail organizer brag post based on Ana's Numbered Cubbies plan and thought it was a great idea. Also, I had some new Annie Sloan Chalk Paint that I was very eager to test out!

I have to say, I love my new process for creating furniture in the house:
1. Cut boards
2. Give them to my 2 & 4 yo daughters to "whack on"
3. Invite the girls to paint
4. ENJOY!

Thanks Ana for all you do!
p.s. Note "Industrial Chic Reclaimed Shelves" in last photo, thanks again Ana!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
~$10
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. If followers of this site haven't checked out ASCP, you should! I've just started using it and love it! It is amazing for painting furniture - no prep, sanding, priming etc. required. Very unique finishes can be created. For this piece I used a combo of Old White, Paris Grey and Duck Egg Blue, followed by clear and dark wax.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

My Amazing Gallery Wall, thanks hubs!

My husband built this for me while the government was shut down and he was furloughed. He rocks. The frames are from ikea.

Estimated Cost
45
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Trim Paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Storage bed

Submitted by Firemedic on Fri, 02/05/2016 - 20:49

First time posting on here, made several items from this site. Thanks for all the plans. I modified this to a twin size for my daughters first bed and added a few features so I wanted to share. Twin is 39x75 so I just made it 21 inches narrower and almost 5 inches shorter. I say almost because I made the storage boxes 75 3/4 so that the drawer boxes would divide evenly into 3 to be the same size. The height of the bed is the same as Ana's plans. A few other small additions I made were webbing stapled to the slats and a small peice of scrap wood at each end to keep them taught so I didn't have to screw them all in. This makes it easier to move later as well. I also attached scrap wood 3 1/2 inches from the bottoms of the boxes so that they can easily rest on the 2x4s from the head and foot board. This makes it easier to assemble, especially if you plan on moving the bed in the future. just rest them on those 2x4's and screw together. My daughter loves her new bed.

Estimated Cost
300
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Sherwin Williams latex paint
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

modern bar stools & outdoor chairs

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 08/18/2019 - 17:19

great plans, thanks! a girl can do. used scrap 2x4s from a concrete pour for the bar stools (ran them through table saw) and leftover 2x12 cutouts from pool deck framing so they are not as perfect as with new wood but it’s great to recycle

for the outdoor chairs I used scrap 2x4s as well but for the seat went with new 1x4

Estimated Cost
all scrap wood
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
stain. mixed 3 parts of “onyx” & 1 part of stonehenge to get to that grey (did not like the grey they had)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Fancy Jewelry Box

Submitted by dland41961 on Fri, 05/05/2023 - 07:59

Fancy Jewelry Box it came out very nice. Made with white oak.

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Storage Day Bed

Submitted by SophieW on Thu, 01/05/2012 - 07:34

My first project using Ana's plans. Quite a learning experience with a few rookie mistakes but all in all I think it turned out pretty ok.

I followed the plans to the T. Trusted my lumber yard to make most of the cuts since I was not really equipped and that was a HUGE MISTAKE. So I went out, bought some tools, recut some boards and whatever mistakes I made, at least they were mine.

I followed other people advice on this site and added some casters under the boxes after I screwed them together. Makes it a lot easier to move around.

Thank you Ana - your website is truly inspiring.

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

Comments

SophieW

Fri, 01/06/2012 - 07:35

Thank you:) I ordered the mattress online - Futon mattress - can't remember where from though... But for $118 I'm REALLY happy with it!

kids vanity stool & slipcover

I used all scraps to construct the stool modifying the leg height to 12 1/2" and the seat to a 12" diameter to fit properly at the kids vanity. See the complete details on the slipcover in my blog post link.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$10
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
no finish
fabric slipcover
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Modified Rustic X Console

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 02/07/2016 - 21:55

I started the project on a day off and finished it over a few long nights in the garage after work. It turned out pretty nice. I ommitted the middle legs, shortened it from the original plan to 65" long, and made it 31.5" tall. I also added breadboard style ends to the top to show less end grain. It is shown with a 55" TV on top of it for perspective. 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$70-90 including lumber, sand paper, stain and poly
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax wood conditioner, Minwax Dark Walnut, and Minwax Satin Polyurethane
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Jurassic Park Cabin Bed

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 09/03/2019 - 07:36

My son is really into dinosaurs so I thought I'd make him a Jurassic Park themed cabin bed. This was a great plan and my only regret is that I didn't paint the pieces of the roof BEFORE assembly. I definitely spent the majority of time on finishing but it came out wonderfully and my son is totally in love with it!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate