Community Brag Posts

After finally getting my husband on the Ana White bandwagon, He cut all the wood for me and we assembled it in one afternoon. We used plywood instead of the planks, omitted the 2x4, using just the 2x6 on top, and we also attached 1x4s to the front of the "posts" that we made with 2 2x4s to cover the seam. I took about 2 or 3 days to sand and stain it and now he wants to build more!

have not put a stain on this yet, waiting to make a pair before doing that

We were looking for a narrow side table for the little space we had at the end of the sofa. This table was perfect size, exactly what we were looking for and incredibly easy to make.

Using the Farmhouse Vanity plans as a guide, I built this enclosed farmhouse vanity out of a neighbor's old cedar fence and topped it with leathered granite and a ReStore sink. The finished vanity is amazing! For more, check out my blog.

I had to modify the plans. The Size is 14" x 48". I also added a shelf at the bottom for shoes. Can't wait to replace the ugly shoe rack at the front door with this! I also used 1 x 4's for the apron. I found 1"x4"x14' at homedepot for only 3.40per piece!! So I was able to build this for less than $15. The wood has more knots than the other 1 x 4's, but if you look thru you can find some good pieces. I'm going to use this same wood to build the outdoor sectional too.

I took this picture prior to putting the lower shelf pieces on. Never got around to taking one after.

I ran into all sorts of problems building this! I started building it based off the materials I had on hand, not really knowing what it was going to be in the end. I started with the plywood box I hadn't intended for it to be a TV console, at first I was thinking a stand for a 55 gallon fish tank (which I have since sold.)
Once I decided what I was actually doing, it went together fine. I was going to make all three of the central column area into drawers, but I can't afford the hardware for that right now. I made the farmhouse style top and stained it to match the coffee table I made previous. However, I had many issues with finishing, problems with the legs, and after attaching the top accidentally broke off one of the breadboard ends of the top.

Finishing it was most exasperating. I started out with a mini-roller and white gloss paint. After I got it completely painted, I put on poly, but the poly dried very yellow and completely ruined the finish. I had to sand it almost completely back down to the wood to get it out. By the way, I learned something important about sanding which I will share with you... the cheaper sanding discs (made from clay) are crap. Get the ones made from ceramic. They last considerably longer and get the sanding done SO much faster. I love the guys at Lowes. :)

After I got it sanded back down I got some flat paint and used my sprayer. I love flat paint, it was so easy to get it on evenly. I did water it down quite a bit though. Then I sanded it down to a beautiful very smooth finish with some slight distressing. HOWEVER - flat paint needs a top coat, and I again screwed it up. Not as bad this time though. I used a spray on poly just in some places which gave it a little bit of an aged look, not too bad. Not exactly what I wanted, but doable.

I have not reattached the top with the expectation that I will still need to do more finishing, and it will be easier that way, and I will still be adding large caster wheels instead of legs on the bottom to raise it up a few more inches.

Also, the smaller cubby areas over the doors... they aren't big enough to use a sander to get the insides.

I used invisible hinges for the first time on this project which worked out quite well, and I love those.

I would love suggestions on finishing... if I use flat paint because it's easy to work with, what is a good top coat for that? Or should I stick with gloss paint and no top coat, and try that for my next one? Paint with primer? Still learning...

They say it takes 10 years to become proficient at a skill.. I've got about 8 years of building left before I'll be good at it. :)

This was easily the most elegant and functional tower design I found on the internet and it does not disappoint! I made a few modifications that included a lower, squarer (?) profile to fit under our counters, a hand painted mural, some stain, and of course some Yeti-your-feet-go-here-footprints on the platform. As soon as the paint was dry, I set my son up at the counter in it. His little face lit up with delight at all the new details and things to see. He instantly started looking at everything with swift little back glances at me that said “Really Mommy?! I can stand here?!” Totally worth it!

Due to limited space and inclement weather, this table took us a bit longer than a weekend....in a perfect world, we would have been done a lot sooner...however, it was completed just in time for Thanksgiving dinner...hence the mis-matched chairs. I LOVE my new table. It turned out even better than I had hoped. Thanks Ana!

This is the third smaller sized chair that I've made. This was for my nephew's first birthday. Adjusted the measurements to suit smaller kids. My chair gift list keeps getting longer. I've got another 4 to finish before January.

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I started baking my own bread a few months ago, and storage was an issue. My husband decided to build me an old fashioned bread box and set out designing one on his own to fit in our small galley kitchen. I love it. It is a double decker, so I can fit two loaves in it just fine. The inside is coated with a food-grade sealer.

We followed the plans closely, and it turned out well for the first project. It was the perfect size for what we needed! My husband had never built anything like this before and after a little research on how to use the kreg jig, he was able to finish it in a weekend.