Community Brag Posts

Although Ive done a lot of DIY projects this was my first real furniture build. I modified the plans for the Simple White Outdoor Sofa because my back cushions were quite short and I didn't need the back to be so high to support them. I also liked the idea of having some contrast to the painted finish so used some Sapele I had. I'm really happy with the end result.

I wanted it to be a little more substantial that the original plans and I wanted the arms to be arms to fully support a forearm (and a beer) so I used 3 x 3 for legs and a 4 x 2 ripped down to 3 x 2 for the arms. I also tapered the legs to soften the lines a bit and give it a bit more interest.

The armchair is made in the exact same way but I made the legs a little taller so that the arms were at a more comfortable height to rest both arms on while reading a book or newspaper.

Love the way this turned out!

After seeing the farmhouse bed with stenciled headboard, I knew I wanted something similar for my little one. Haven't decided what I want to do with the big empty space in the middle of the headboard yet, but I went ahead and built it. I also changed up some of the decorative pieces just because I wanted her to have a one-of-a-kind bed. The blocks in the corners have little flowers in the middle, the legs at the end have slightly larger flowers on them to mimic the flowers in the blocks. I only made one major mistake on this bed, and that's the height of the headboard. For some reason it looked sooooo tall, so I stupidly decided to cut a few inches off of the legs, and now it's too short. Still mulling over what to do to fix that, but overall I love this bed!! :D It's the second thing I've built, the first being a bench.
Proud note: I built this bed completely and entirely by myself. :) If I can do it, anyone can!

Recycle bin from Ana's Book. I mod poge glue on burlap to the top, placed on a piece of Plexiglas so I could wipe down, then stained the whole thing with an antique finish over the crackled paint. I also did an L molding around the Plexiglas to keep in place. Came out lovely! Added baskets for my veggies and done!

This project is a 4-drawer variation of the Easy Jewelry Box, made with select 1x6 for the top & bottom, craft boards for the box and drawer sides, with craft board overlay drawer faces. No plywood is visible on the outside on this build.

This version has a smaller footprint and is much lighter than the original plan, built using the thinner craft boards, and the drawers slide on S4S instead of full shelves. The drawers are 1/8" shorter than the box depth to ensure they don't touch the box back, so the overlay fronts lay flat to the box. The overhangs are ¾” wide mini colonial moulding, and the feet are squares of 1 1/8” lattice scrap. The design includes a toe-kick and top-kick which allows room for both overlay drawer faces and top/bottom overhang.

I spent a couple of hours redesigning the plan to get this as light as possible, while making the most of the usable space within the footprint, and leaving no plywood edges visible on the outside. The build itself took about 6 hours, including the build, sanding, finishing, and decorating.

My daughter wanted this for her first bed. I loved how it turned out to match her room!! The plans were super easy to follow. I am so grateful for the time and thought process that went into making these plans. Thank you so much!!

Simple open toy box with moulding detail.

We loved Ana's plans for the large pet kennel / end table combo but we needed a medium-sized one for our Welsh Terrier, Watson. I reduced all the dimensions, ending up with a kennel that's 18"(W) X 24:(H) X 28"(D), perfect for Watson.

To prevent Watson from using the rails as chew toys, I lined the inside of those areas with chicken wire. I also extended the table top an extra 3" to accommodate a swing-arm end table lamp (with the cord outside of the kennel, of course). We painted the kennel black to match our other end table.

This was my first time using the Kreg Jig (80+ times on this project!) and I love it!! In fact, I'm looking for more projects that require the Kreg just so I can play with it some more. :-)

Used the ideas from the kitchen island plan and coffee table plan to come up with a more elegant coffee table.

I made the legs from joined 2x6's cut down to 3x3. Mortised the rails in the legs for a really solid construction, and that way I could also eliminate any excess framing inside the table, and no screws. I was able to salvage all the wood for the legs and rails from a pile of scrap construction lumber.

Joined the top with fir strips between each 2x6 piece. The 2x6's and fir slats were purchased from a hardware store as I don't have a planer to clean up the surface of such wide boards...

I wanted to do something special for Christmas for my 4 year old daughter. I have no real experience so this was one big lesson. The site and the photos from others made it feel so doable... I got it done in time and we finally painted it. My daughter picked all the colors and we painted it together the last few cold weekend days. What a great experience. Thank you for making DIY  feel so doable... now I’m completely hooked and her twin brother told me he wants to build a chair with me.. but a big one ... uh oh. 

This build seems so long ago...it was over a year ago, and it's what got me on my building kick. I'm just now getting around to transferring my brag posts to the new website. It was my very first build, and one that I'm still extremely proud of. I'll forever be grateful to Ana for giving me the direction to do this so that I had the courage and confidence to know that I can do / build anything!

I modified the Fancy X Farmhouse Table plan to shorten the table to 6 ft instead of 8 ft and added breadboard-style ends. Jacobean stain.

Inspired by the ryobi dream workshop.  Shelving unit and the feed carts are complete.  Still working on the the organization of all our stuff!

You probably read a lot of amazing posts here about how people using the plans can make something in a day or a weekend. They deserve kudos for their diligence! But I don't want you to get discouraged if you don't or can't work that quickly. I want to encourage those of you who work more slowly that you can still use these plans. What slows you down? Maybe it's lack of time, health concerns, or cost. I have made and even designed furniture in the past. But prior to this, I always had someone helping out with the building process, used a kit, or the project was small enough that it didn't seem overwhelming. I made this completely by myself . . . and that's why I think you can, too. And while this project took me almost four and a half months to complete, the end result is the same--a place for me to sit and type up these tips for you!

I hope the things I learned along the way may help encourage you to just take that first step toward creating a piece of furniture.

Beginning Tips for Slowpokes:

* Bookmark and print out the plans from the Ana White website, and keep them in a safe spot that you will remember over the months to come. Check the site regularly for updates, corrections, and tips that members share.

* Break up what you're doing into a bunch of smaller projects. The desk, for example, can be broken up into up to seven different projects (the center desk section, the two cabinets, and four drawers), with each being able to be completed partially or completely before moving on to the next.

* Get as many cuts done in stores as you can. You'll need to be careful here, especially if you gather pieces over time. Everyone cuts wood differently, woods have different dimensions (even when they shouldn't), and your pieces may not match up exactly. However, having pieces cut will generally make things a lot easier for you!

* Taking time off from building is okay! If you plan correctly, you may even be able to use partially-finished projects. I took a break before building the drawers, but still used my desk, complete with open shelving units on either side.

* Do what you can, even if it doesn't seem like anything. At times the most I felt I could do in a day was to drive three nails. But then, I was a few nails closer to being done!

Finishing for Slowpokes:

* Pick your paint (or stain) color and manufacturer wisely. Initially, I used some leftover barn red paint for the center desktop piece, expecting to get more of the same paint. After I had put on one coat, it dawned on me that the paint line had moved from one manufacturer to another. I searched around online and discovered that the paint colors changed in the move, not just the manufacturer. Oops. Some paint companies are really static with paint colors. If you plan to create the project slowly, it's really important to be able to trust that the paint you went with will be available in the future if you run out, so that you don't have to go through the trouble of color-matching. I switched to an older brand and a less-trendy color.

* Distressing is your friend! Creating a beautiful stained or painted finish is tough to do, and if you leave your project partially finished, you up the chances of it getting dirty, dented, or otherwise marred. Choosing a distressed finish means you don't have to be as careful, and any little mistakes will be more accepted. When I was painting one of my drawers, a big chip mysteriously fell out of the moulding. I looked at it in shock. Then I thought, "Well, it's distressed!" I could write a whole list of things that are wrong with my desk, including crooked drawer fronts and the fact that they're not flush with the cabinet. But distressing the desk makes it look like a homemade antique, and perfection isn't necessary.

* Write down ALL your finishing steps clearly, including paint colors, brands, and type (example: matte or semi-gloss). Keep this list in a safe place along with the printed-out plans so that you can make each part of the project look the same. Some day it would be my dream to have the entire wall unit of which this desk is just a small portion of. I now have confidence that any future pieces would look at least somewhat similar to the desk!

I hope that these tips have helped encourage you to get started on your dream furniture. Just remember that no matter how long it may take to have that dream fulfilled, the end result is the same!

I loved the Parson Chair plans on this site and wanted them for my dining room! I modified the plan simply by making the chair 2" narrower and the seat back 2" taller. I also made the slipcover removable (and with fringe), so that I could change it up as I wish.

Used 2x4x10s instead of 2x4x6s. Shortened the length of the seat and legs by a tiny bit and was able to save a bit of money and waste less lumber by making better use of fewer pieces of lumber.