Community Brag Posts

kids step stool made using scraps, personalized with name and flowers

My husband surprised me by making this sectional after I found the plans on your site. THANK YOU! We love it! It's been the centre of many cocktails and conversations over the years!
Note: cost includes the cost of the outdoor cushions which were purchased at Lowes Canada and slightly modified.

As the days have gotten shorter and the nights have grown colder I’ve found myself breaking out the winter coats and boots. The problem is, I didn’t have any place to store my coats or shoes. My house doesn’t have a coat closet. And in the past I’ve had a problem with scarves, shoes and winter gear clogging my front entryway. So I set out to come up with a solution. I needed inspiration. I needed guidance. My entry closet needed to be aesthetically pleasing because it would be near the front door and visible from the great room. So I went to Pinterest to search for a solution. I found these plans for an Industrial Style Wood Slat Closet System with Galvanized Pipes by Ana White.

We needed a place for our garbage/recycling bins that would look nice and was inaccessible to our dogs.  I decided to make two drawers for the bins and two drawers for storage.  I found a set of 10 drawer slides on Amazon for around $50.  They are heavy duty and full extension.  I measured our garbage bins and built to size.  The total height of the cabinet is 36" including the countertop.  The cabinet width is 35.5" and the depth is 20".  The butcher block countertop(25" by 48") was purchased from Home Depot for $98.  I only had to do a light sanding, router the edge, and apply a finish.  The cabinet will be located along a wall and have room for a counter height chair.  This will allow my youngest to have a snack while I work in the kitchen.  Although I didn't use a specific plan, I used ideas from several of Ana's designs.  Thank you for the inspiration Ana!        

Two weatherly sofas butted up against each other make a great sectional! The "Lego" table has a checkerboard on the bottom of one of the removeable table top sides, and the other acts as a water table for the little one to splash around in. Thanks so much for the plans! These were all fun projects!

Super easy candle ledges!

Made from the above plans. Instead of use pocket screws I just drilled through the table top and used wood filler to fill the counter sunk holes. It was an easy solution and really isn't noticeable. I used basic pine for it as I wanted a very rustic/reclaimed look and think I achieved that. We also didn't have a saw that could 4x4's so instead I just took 2 2x4s and glued/wood screwed them together. Gives the table another fun dimension. Used a few coats of stain and then poly over top. Went with 1x6s instead of 2x6 to save some weight.

Farmhouse table with walnut top and breadboard ends.  Edges of boards were put together with tonque and grove.  I use a router to do that and I used a router for the breadboard ends.  I have the ends held in with three dowls. The walnut made this an expensive project.  The wood for the top was around $600. 2 by 6 pine boards could be used instead for a lot less money.  I wanted to try something that required more advance woodworking skills such as tongue and grove and mortise and tenon.  It took awhile and I had plenty of mistakes tyring to get it right. I have built similar tables using pocket hole screws but I found that the boards tended to seperate and or crack over time. I did not use glue on this table top as I want the wood to be able to expand and contract without splitting. 

I built this sofa in one day, and painted it the next! I procrastinated all summer, and now that it's almost fall I decided to finally build it so that I could relax on the sofa in the back yard for the last month of nice weather here in Winnipeg. The plans were fantastic, the only problem I had was finding 24x24 cushions. The closest I could find were 22x22, so I adjusted the plans accordingly. It turned out well but I prefer it without the back cushions because that way there's more lounging room. Thank you so much for the plans!

I modified one of the cubby book shelves for storing my sewing machine, altered the plan to have only 1 drawer since it will be against the wall and added dowel pegs to the drawer to hold thread spools.
This was very challenging but well worth it. I am excited because I was able to make this. Thank you!

These were such a gratifying project to build! Used a 1x4” for the top front frame and cut a curve in it to give a Craftsman vibe. I really like the look of the retired IKEA Norna bookcase and that inspired the 2x2” framed base painted in a contrasting color. I also finished the top with a full 1x2” frame with mitered corners to make it look more “finished.” If I were to do it again, I’d cut the top plywood shorter to create less overhang on the sides. Eventually I’d like to paint a design in white paint on the top!

My dog is very scared of thunderstorms and was always trying to find the a place that she could hide, which was usually under my desk. I decided to build her the pet kennel so that she could have her own hiding spot.

This was my first project and I definitely learned a lot in the process. I learned how to use my kreg jig and that I much prefer using a hand saw over a power saw. I also learned about accent bases. This project probably took longer than it should have but it was my first! The husband and I are very pleased with it (and he can't believe that I enjoyed the hand saw so much!)

Sorry for the poor picture qualities, we have not finished unpacking yet...

We built a dining room table for some of my best friends. It was our first table build and a year later it is still beautiful! If you want to see a few 'in progress' pictures check out my blogpost on it at www.amusingmj.com/dining-room-table

Came together so well. Thanks to Ana and pneumatic addict for tips and plans

I built the coat rack along with the mail sorter and rustic bench for the long hallway to the garage since our new house doesn't have a mud room. I modified it to a length of 6'.  All but a couple pieces are made from poplar.  I burnt the stained pieces with a torch, then put a quick coat of Special Walnut on them.  The painted pieces are Rustoleum Weathered Wood.  Hooks are from Home Depot.