Community Brag Posts

My first project

Loved how these plans were so easy to follow and certainly appreciate the accompanying video.

Comments

Dollhouse Bookcase from Santa's Workshop

Submitted by diydave on Sat, 04/16/2011 - 15:09

This past Christmas I built the dollhouse bookcase for my 3 year old daughter. I built mine out of plywood and made a few modifications. I routed dados for the shelves. I also added a pine face frame to cover the plywood edges. The back is beaded paneling. I painted it in the same princess pink colors that are in her bedroom. The final touch was adding a chimney and stuffing a Santa into it. She loved it! You can check out the full story on my blog http://www.homefront-dsr.blogspot.com/   


Thank-you Ana!
Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$45.00
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
One coat of white latex primer and one coat of pink latex paint applied with a brush.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Farmhouse bed

Submitted by Crysk on Thu, 06/20/2013 - 18:45

I used the farm house plans for this bed but I made my 4x4 taller because I wanted the post affect, I also added the" \/ " because I wanted a "rustic look. I used 2 different stains to get the old barn wood look. I had a great time making this bed and LOVE it Thanks for the ideas.

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

Comments

Weathered look Taylor’s Coffee Table

Submitted by dhoop31 on Mon, 12/25/2017 - 20:13

My daughter asked me to build this for her for Christmas but wanted it to have a gray weathered look to match some of her existing furniture that I had built.  Very enjoyable build!  Thanks Ana! 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Gray washed with a black wax finish
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Princess Maddy's Purple people eating loft bed!!

Submitted by cadamw on Wed, 04/20/2011 - 02:12

All the scratching of my head, calls for help to my brother and ill timed mistakes were all worth it when her little face lit up with a smile. 

p.s. if at all possible a 12" miter saw such as my porter cable is a huge time saver!
Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$250
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
"The most purplest purple there is" with semi gloss supplied by Home Depot
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

triple pedestal dining table

This table is enormous at 106" long made from pine boards and fir studs. A very easy build considering the final outcome, totally doable by any DIYer.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$200
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
1. Minwax provincial stain
2. Two coats Minwax polycrylic clear satin
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Nautical Picnic Table for Big Kids

I needed a picnic table for my kids to enjoy summer meals outside and when I saw the plans for the Pirate Picnic Table, I knew we needed it! But it was made for toddlers and my kids are 4 and 6 so it wouldn't work for us for very long. I decided to combine the plans for the Pirate Picnic Table and the Picnic Table for bigger kids. I turned out awesome! And then I finished it off with a nautical paint job to look like a bit of the beach was left in the backyard.

Estimated Cost
$50 (without umbrella)
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Resized modern chairs with table

Submitted by CarolinaL on Thu, 12/28/2017 - 16:27

I needed chairs that would fit on my narrow front porch. This plan was great because I was able to resize it to 20x20. I used 1x4s that I already had and some wood glue. They turned out solid. I made the tryde table with left over wood. That one is 17.5x17.5. Super happy with the results. We are doing the garage shelves right now. I have a list of other things I want to make thanks to Ana's wonderful website. 

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Exterior Valspar with a paint sprayer
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Stocking stand

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 12/26/2021 - 13:34

Thanks Ana! I made this Christmas stocking stand based on your plans. My family loved it!

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Antique Workbench Console

Submitted by momofaj on Sat, 04/23/2011 - 12:14

This was an easy project although it took us 3 weekends to get it finished.  My son loves to help now but it slows down the process.  We used wood we already had and reclaimed oak to make this table. 

We had to resize the table to fit our entryway.  The table design  was 64” long and we made ours 48” in length.  It was easy to do the math, the cuts for length were 75% of the original size.  For example,  the table top trim piece calls for a 64” cut,  take 64 x 75% and you get 48.  So that cut piece would be 48” instead of 64”.    We kept all other measurements the same, both width and height.   The only other change we made was in bottom shelf,  it calls for a 1x12 and we already had a 2x12.

 I am still looking for a metal piece(towel holder) to go on the front of the table.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
15.00
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax English Chestnut
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Simple Picture Frame

Submitted by ctgilbert on Sun, 12/31/2017 - 19:09

I used the Barnwood Frame as a base for this project.  Instead of all 1x2's, I used 1x3's for the interior frame and 1x2's for the exterior and stained each with a different shade.  This was my first real try at this project and allowed me to use my own frame, matte, picture from start to finish.  It took me a bit longer than normal due to some silly mistakes and the decision to build a jig for the miters.  Normally, this would cost ~$150 to have someone else do it, but this ended up being ~$30 (wood, double matte, print).

Estimated Cost
$30
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax (Honey) and Minwax (Puritan Pine)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

tv stand

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 12/26/2021 - 15:14

For mothers day I made this for my wife. First ever attempt at any wood working. It was downsized from your plans that was double this size. I only made half for an unusual space. So appreciative to find a place with great plans.

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Repurposed Rustic King SIze Headboard

Submitted by Mamasra on Wed, 06/26/2013 - 12:06

Made from reclaimed 1 X8 boards.
Nailed to 1 X 4 Boards on the back.
This was a very simple project to put together with nails and wood glue.
This took about 3 hours and most of the time spent was on carving the initials and painting.

Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Toddler daybed

Submitted by lazlolaz on Thu, 06/11/2015 - 17:44

I had quite a few 42" pieces of select pine left from the triple bunkbeds I made for grandkids and they needed a space for 3 of them and mom or dad to read bedtime stories so I decided to use the no longer needed crib mattress and build a daybed using that mattress as the cushion. I built it to incorporate a storage area underneath as in a small room every inch matters! My daughter-in-law decorated it with pillows for extra comfort when they are snuggled in for bedtime stories. Very easy build from leftover wood I had.

Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Oil based stain and wipe on varnish.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Farmhouse X Table and bench

Submitted by Tomguza on Wed, 01/03/2018 - 08:54

7’ long table using 4 2x8’s on top with 2 2x4’s in the middle. The bench is also 7’ long. I changed up the bottom on the bench to make it super sturdy (added angle braces). 

Estimated Cost
$75 for table, $40 for bench
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Dark walnut stain and 5 coats of urethane
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Deck Sofa

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 12/26/2021 - 17:13

I love working with wood and constructing the deck sofa is the largest wood project that I have done on my own. Outside if the necessary wood and screws I purchased a mitre saw and a Kreg gig. The instructions were clear and accurate. With the addition of custom box cushion made this project complete! Thank you Anna White for your encouragement and sharing your talent with us.

Comments

Playhouse in-progress

Submitted by DoctorEw on Mon, 05/02/2011 - 06:49

Due to rain (and horrible ability) this project has been taking a LONG time it seems. =) We had one of those "cheap" playsets from one of the warehouse clubs that would scare me to death anytime my girls got to swinging on it. So... we knocked it down and I took some liberty with the details from Ana's playset plans.

Estimated Cost
~$600 so far (concrete, wood, fasteners, shingles, etc..)
Finish Used
Will paint
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Teepee for Jenna's 6th Birthday!

Submitted by lmm7rn on Fri, 06/28/2013 - 08:07

We made this play Teepee for our niece Jenna's sixth birthday in June. The kids absolutely loved it!! It was a HUGE hit at the party. All of the adults asked where we ordered it and could not believe it was homemade. The most priceless moment was when our 10 year old niece Jordan came out and saw it. Her mouth dropped and she couldn't believe her sister got a tent! She turned to me and said, "Aunt Lisa, you know you're going to have to make another one of those!" meaning she wanted one too! At one point there were about six piled in the tent. Its really quite roomy. And when we took it down because it started to rain, there were still kids inside! Any child will absolutely love this secret little hideout. Thank you for the plans Ana and Jaime!! =)

P.S. The pictures are before we ironed it! Looked even better without the wrinkles! LOL

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$50
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Min wax Provincial stain / canvas fabric --

I am not a sewer by any means so I recruited my stepmom to supervise (and let me use her sewing machine). It took us about 4 hours to lay out the pattern and sew it all together. But we really took our time and were in no rush to finish. We used heat transfer paper to stick the letters in the name on and then I hand sewed around the edges to be sure they would stay put. We bought all of our supplies at our local Hobby Lobby. We also bought a strap at the local hardware store to secure the poles at the top. We just wrapped it around the poles once we had them in place and secured with Velcro. This is a very sturdy teepee and easiest as a two person set up once you have it made. We also found that it was much easier to set this up on the grass rather than on concrete or a flat service. The poles seemed to dig into the ground a bit and keep everything in place.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Zachary's Car and Truck

Submitted by jaime19861 on Wed, 06/17/2015 - 19:28

I made this car and truck for my nephew. They were super easy to make and he loves them!

Check out the blog link for more details.

Estimated Cost
$2
I used wood scraps and only had to buy the wheels. If I would have also needed to buy the board and dowel, it still would be under $5 a vehicle.
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Non-toxic acrylic paints sealed with many coats of mineral oil.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Rylee's Changing Table

My husband and I built the simple changing table for our son's first child.  It wasn't difficult yet is beautiful.  Our son and daughter-in-law are pleased with it.  

Finish Used
paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner