Community Brag Posts

This was constructed out of solid black walnut from a tree that grew in our homeowner's association area. A neighbor and I had the tree sawn into planks, which we air-dried for a year, and then divided up the wood. So this really is an "all natural" project.

My daughter has really been getting into American Girl Dolls so I went on the official website to see if I could find some accessories for them for her birthday and YIKES - that stuff is expensive! So I went on Ana's site and found plans to make bunk beds. My daughter has four dolls so I figured we could build two sets at a fraction of the cost we could buy them at.

This was our first furniture project so we had to buy everything, which makes the project more expensive than if you have scraps laying around, but still totally worth it. My husband and I built two of these in about 3 hours. Sewing four of everything probably took another 2-3 hours.

I made the blankets reversable - flowers on one side, strips on the other so she could mix and match as she liked. I think I am going to make a reversable pillow for each bed with the blanket fabric, but I haven't gotten that far yet. I totally misunderstood how much fabric to buy - I thought it was 1/2 yard for mattress and then another 1/2 yard for the blanket, but it's not, it's 1/2 yard for both so needless to say I have a TON of fabric left over. Since this project went so well we are going to build a doll table and chairs for Christmas so I figure I can use the left overs for placemats, etc. and carry the theme through the set.

I love the way they turned out and I can't wait to give them to her for her birthday!!!

After searching for several months for bed frames in stores and seeing the garbage that costs way too much, we found this site and built the King Farmhouse Bed.

Primered with Kilz paint. Finished with two coats of Behr White Linen. Then we distressed the edges with a palm sander, and knocked down some of the paint in areas, and applied a brown glaze. After we achieved the look we liked we did two coats of polycrylic.

I changed the original plan a little so it would hold bigger items in the bottom shelves

Built from solid walnut milled from a tree that grew nearby.  Had tree cut into slabs, air dried the wood for a year, then planed into boards for use in the project.  Rabbitted the supports rather than depending only on screws.  Finished with tung oil and clear polyurathane.

Finished Ana White's farmhouse bedside table. I used antique drawer pulls from old furniture. I used table top clips to attached the top to give the wood room to breathe as seasons change. I also put in two blocks as drawer stoppers so the drawer didn't go too far in.

As our youngest daughter's 2nd birthday was fast approaching, we were looking for options to eliminate the crib + twin setup we had in the girls room. I had always been a fan of the L-Shaped Bunks Arnold and Willis shared in "Diff'rent Strokes." The problem was that all the comparable beds at furniture stores were pushing $1000 for that sort of set-up, we didn't really need a twin bed for the 2 year old, and were a little worried with the two year old on ladders and falling off the top bunk while playing/sleeping with her 7 year old sister.

And so in doing my search I came across the junior loft plan from this site. At first, I disregarded it, since I had never taken on a project like this before, plus with only one bed and short railings, it didn't fit our needs. I kept going back because i loved the design. Then I recalled my father and I doing something similar when I was a young teen building a loft bed around a bookshelf/desk combo that my uncle had made. I figured if he could do it, so could I.

So I started tweaking with the plans. Flipping the stairs to the other side... easy. Increasing the rail height to double... no problem. Adding a toddler bed frame based on some mattress sizes I got off amazon... just some simple math...

Then $150 in wood, fasteners, paint, etc. another investment of about $250 in tools, and I was good to go. Over the next 3 nights, I slaved in the garage by myself, measuring, cutting, measuring again, PH drilling, then started sanding and assembly on Sat. By Sunday, I was ready to move the pieces up to the room for final assembly and paint, and about 20 man hours later, we had this beautiful beast and just in time for her birthday.

We had dropped our daughters off with their aunt for a few hours to get it set up, and when they came home the look on their face was priceless. Sure I could have spent less time and a little more money, but I have to tell you the feeling of accomplishment and our daughter's collective excitement made the whole thing worth it.

I'm super grateful to Ann White and her amazing site, and I'm looking forward to my next project, since my wife is now working on a list of stuff for me to make...

-JG

NOTE: The assembled bed came out incredibly sturdy with 2.5" PH screws & glue, however since it's carrying precious cargo, I added two 4" lag bolts (3/8) into each of the posts for a little added stability.

I made this dresser for my daughter for Christmas. I followed the plans exactly except I made feet with 2x4 scraps instead of wheels.

This was a project I built about a year ago. It's a 7ft trestle leg table with a matching bench. The top is stained dark walnut and the bottom is white and distressed. Matching X back chairs were finished the same.

we built this a while ago and there has been a lot cooked on it since.

I love this table! It is perfect for a sectional sofa. I decided to antique it and leave off the wheels. I also added pulls to give it more of a finished look. Now time to decorate!

My son and I bulit this 8x10 frame from a pallet for a Christmas gift for my dad, who is standing in the center. 

This was my first BIG project. I worked on it for a few hours every day for a few weeks. The most tedious part was sanding, but that is because I wanted to go the cheap way and got my wood from HD. I also did this (mostly) by myself, but having a partner definitely would have made the process go faster (especially for attaching the side rails to the headboard/footboard). I used bed rail brackets to make things easy when I move. I also made the bed a little higher than Ana's plan because I wanted a lot of under-bed storage.

Have questions!? Just ask! This was such a rewarding project :) 

I followed the instructions Ana provided, but added a small crown molding to the front and sides and added a solid top that I stained. I also added the lower shelf with leftover pieces and a knob for decoration. I love this new table in my entryway!! I built it in about 3 hours and had it all painted and stained by the next day! Thanks Ana!

Pretty much followed the plans for the reclaimed wood-look headboard, but without legs. I built it of pine and topped it with a purchased piece of moulding. I hung it from screws into studs with D-rings on the back. Super easy to put together with the Kreg Jig!

This dollhouse bookcase was made by my Uncle Tom for my daughter. We can't wait to get it painted and get some fun furniture for it. He said it was a pretty simple project, and was able to get the materials relatively cheaper.

Used the frame portion of the plans and the window/door layout, skinned in plywood, then skinned in insulating foam board, carved and sculpted to look like stone. Then painted with a combo of 5 different colors. My daughter loves it.