Community Brag Posts

I have a small booth at a local Outdoor Market & a client asked if I had any outdoor tables - she needed some for an upcoming party. I tried convincing her that a potting bench would be perfect (since Ana already had plans for that), but she wanted something a little different. She shared a picture of a "Faraday" console table by Pottery Barn, so I used that as my inspiration. I opted for a counter-height table vs. a table height, but both can be easily achieved using the same size balusters, just cut accordingly. I did have a hard time finding "chunky" balusters with a "flat" section on both the top and bottom. I didn't want to use pre-made legs because they are too pricey. At both Orange and Blue they had "skinny" balusters, but at the Orange near my home I found 1 thicker baluster. I had to go to another store to find more in stock, so supplies may vary in your area. The balusters were less than $3 each. Ana was so kind to create plans and I hope you enjoy your table as much as my client enjoyed hers!

This End Table matches the shelf from a few weeks ago which is my attempt of matching the $55 Fancy Desk from Ana White.  As with the shelf, the design is simple, easy to make and is relatively low cost (under $25).   

Built by my son and I. Followed the awesome plans for that most part. 

Pretty straightforward build, fun to use and build!
 

Thanks Ana, built it out of pressure treated wood for South Florida. Had the Home Depot cut most of the wood from your plans.

I made the entryway cubby from the book and finally couldn't stand the pile of shoes (3 year old) in the front entryway any longer! So I made the bench and my son is thrilled that he can open and close it and put things in it. I have a few touch-ups to do yet from the pocketholes and countersink holes, but I love it! It was really easy to do. I did modify the plans to fit my entryway, so it's about 36 inches long.

I love it!

I made this a little bit taller and left off the doors since what we really needed was more bookshelf space. I'm very happy with the way it turned out!

I liked the other brag post with shorter arms

Really helps add storage to my office.  Thanks Ana and Shanty 2 Chic

We made this for my husband's Granny who has a bright green thumb, campared to my slightly black one. It turned out great.

This is also the project I learned how to use a Kreg Jig. Amazing. My husband is hooked.

I built this Benchmark Storage or Media Tower as I was looking for some thing to put beside our fire place.  I wanted to build some thing that would be about the same height as our fire place so it stands 40 1/4" tall.  Also, this month was a the contest to build things from scrap lumber so I took 2 x's that I had laying aorund and cut them down to 1 1/4", then glued together and planed down to make butcher block for the door and top.  The sides were actually built from 1 x 6.  I also ended up purchasing a Kreg shelving jig so that I could change the shelving.  A tool that I highly recommend if you are going to build alot of these projects with shelving.  One down and one to go! 

Made From Grandy Plans

This is a modified plan for Ana White's Farm House Table.

I shortened the table to about 72 inches with breadboards on the ends and added removable breadboard extensions for a total of about 100 inches of table for a 12x11 room. I also built the Farm House bench but shortened it to 48 inches.

The wood is white pine and Douglas Fir 4x4 legs. The total cost was $198 for the wood/screws and about $30 for the stain and sand paper. I bought an additional set of countersink bits for holes.

I used the following tools:

• Hand Saw
• Table Saw
• Compound Miter Saw
• Hand Drill with various bits and countersinks
• Square, pencil and straight edges
• Tape measure
• Clamps
• Wood Chisel Set
• Sharpening Stone
• Level

• It took about 35 hours of work.

  The stain is English Chestnut and we pretreated the wood to accept the stain by using wood conditioner. This made a dramatic difference in leveling out the stain between the white pine and Douglas Fir. I used 3 coats of clear polyurethane and 2 coats of satin on the top with gentle sanding in between coats.

I made this bed for my son. I was a beginner with little to no experience before I started this project. I learned a LOT along the way and now I'm addicted to building things. It wouldn't have taken me so long if  I had a little more experience. Staining was difficult, especially when you have two kids wanting to help. My drawers slides were absolutely impossible! Next time I will use a different method for the drawers. I still need to make the ladder. I haven't come across any plans for that so I'm going to wing it. The bed is not perfect by any means but my son doesn't care. 

I made the ends with 2x4s and the middle with 1x4s.  The most expensive thing was the seat cushions.

Easy project that has helped us stay more organized. We use Cozi to maintain the calendar, but this allows us to highlight things that the kiddos need to know during the week. We keep the chore schedule, laundry schedule, meal plan, and out of routine activities on the week calendar so the kids can tell what is going on at a glance. The allowance is also hanging up at the top as an incentive to get their respective jobs done for the week. I used galvanized sheet metal glued onto a 1/4 inch plywood base and coated it with whiteboard paint. This allows it to be magnetic and easily written on. Love the letter holder for homework and important paperwork.

Things we have used it for so far:
Activity schedule (swimming lessons, soccer practice, etc.)
Meal plan
Unusual activities (parties, movie night, etc.)
School stuff (project due, spirit week, etc.)
Chore schedule
Laundry Schedule
Room of the week: what part of the house gets a deep clean this week.
Servant of the week: which kid is the designated helper for non-chore activities when an extra hand is needed.

We are still figuring out all the ways to use this to good effect, but the kids really like being able to see what is coming up in the schedule for the week.

I made this table in a weekend, the plans made it so easy to do, thanks Ana for giving me the courage to take this on! I love building stuff!

Based off of Ana Whi'te Benchright Coffee Table with a chevron/herringbone table top