Community Brag Posts

I was in need of two more parson chairs. So, I thought that I could maybe buy them from the same place I originally purchased my set, but they only had something close. I don’t mind mismatch when it reasonably works together. These did not. So I started my search…. Anything I liked was either out of stock, or way too expensive. I’ve been making and updating a few furniture pieces lately, but never made any chairs or stools. Why not? I guess I thought that they were too intimidating. I started doing some research on the web and learned that they are intimidating. But then there is a very talented person out there by the name of Ana White. She has plans for a parson chair that really made me say that this is not as hard as I thought. So I used her plans as a basis for my own. I used left over pieces of wood I had from another project. So why not try one and if it works I’ll do the second one.

I did however make a few changes to make it my own.

So our oven died back in July and we ended up having an unplanned mini kitchen remodel. One of the things I wanted to implement was magnetic spice racks in drawers, simply because we had a little space left on either side of the oven. Note: we hired a contractor to modify the existing cabinets because we had already been without an oven for over a month by the time home warranty decided they would have to replace the oven and we knew us doing it would take too long - a whole different, LONG story (read about that here: http://christinashaw.com/?p=1203).

But if you want to read more about the magnetic spice racks (which I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, by the way!), you can read about that here: http://christinashaw.com/?p=1168

Floating headboard made for a friend of mine. Didn't have a picture of it mounted in their room but I wanted to get it up here anyway.

This was a very fun project for me!  I love turning unwanted-old things into something beautiful and usuable!  I built thit table using a reclaimed door and old railing spindles but you could easily improvise by using dimensional lumber for the top and buying new spindles or using 2x2's if necessary!  This took me a few days because I built as I went and made sure it was just right.

Guess what?  I built it for $37!!  The door and spindles were a great find at my local Habitat for Humanity store - check yours out!

I have a building tutorial on my blog so you can make one too!

I still have to coat the table top to protect against the elements. But I am super proud already!

This was one of my favorite DIY projects. It's so much more affordable than buying patio furniture, and the building instructions make it sturdy as ever.

I built this with my fiance, who you'll see in the image of the in-progress bench. It was a snap for us, since we have a fair amount of experience building our own furniture. With the right tools, this project can take only two days, including wait time in between coats of paint and varnish.

We made our sofa to fit the cushions we found, and thus, the sofa is actually 84" wide, instead of 72" wide. By doing this, we also eliminated the need for a love seat, and instead are in the process of making two chairs to match this sofa. All in all, our patio will seat 6, which is what we were aiming for.

TOOLS
The most important part of making this an easy, fun project is having the right tools. I highly recommend you purchase or borrow:
- Compound miter saw
- Kreg jig
- Square head screws (stripping these is nearly impossible)

I honestly think Ana is a mind reader. Whenever I need plans for a particular piece of furniture, they magically appear on her site. Of course if she was a true mind reader, everything will be exactly as I need it requiring no modifications. That's what makes her plans so amazing. I can build bigger and better because I've learned to modify her plans to fit my current needs.

This Cart was no exception. I had to make mine a few inches deeper and change the height of the legs and it was a piece of cake. I put this together in less than 2 hours and finishing was easy too.

I did a blog post all about what I did differently including how I constructed a towel bar instead of the pipe. Check it out at www.thepursuitofhandyness.com

Super excited for my new media cabinet!  I painted my cupboard doors white and added L brackets on the inside of the doors for support.  I had never worked with crown molding before so this was a great starter project on how to cut crown.  My cost was kept down by using supplies such as paint and hardware that I already had. 

I made this chair as a part of an outdoor furniture set including a loveseat and coffee table (also featured on this site). Very simple and easy to follow instructions..I did not have a jig to create the pocket holes, so I decided to leave the screws exposed and then cover them with wooden dowels sanded down. It created a little more work but added a little more character.

I needed this to be a little taller, so I added another drawer. Other than that, all the other dimensions were the same. I built it in one weekend, but the finishing took about 5 days (for drying time between coats). I was trying to match a baby bed (expresso) so I stained it dark. I also used plywood on the sides, top and drawer fronts instead of pine boards. It really turned out great and matched the bed perfectly.

I modified it slightly by leaving off the trim around the perimeter. I also shortened the table to 84" which then only required 2 legs for a custom fit for the mom space. The finish was distressed to conceal heavy use (more like spills :-D) from kids which turned out to be a home run with moms

Check out some tips during my build @ charitybuilds

Built this 2x4 deck furniture set. Stained in espresso color.

modified that bed, it is higher. We also paid our neighbor, who is an artist, to design and paint our foot board. Our cats love this bed too! We are putting the sideboards to cover up the mattress tonight.

p.s., If you live in GA and want to do something like this, let me know and I will give you the name of our artist

We built this out of solid Maple for my son's 30th birthday. He has a full-size bed, so we had to adapt the queen size plans. It turned out great....he was thrilled...but it was heavy to carry upstairs to his apartment!

This was my first attempt at furnature. I didnt use the best quality wood, and had a hard time finding straight boards at my local Lowes.