Community Brag Posts

I have always been interested in some kind of projects and just to see what I can do with my hands. I am a father of 3 and hardly have the time to sit down must less pull off a huge project but I set aside some time and worked on this late at night after the kiddos went to bed. I came across this site when my wife was on pintrest one night and have been hooked ever since. I was at work one day and saw all these different projects that I wanted to do and that's when I ran across this bed and I could not wait to start working on it. I called my wife and sent pictures of the plans and said meet me at Lowes we got a project to work on lol. I had a blast working on this and yes I did run into a few problems here and there but overall it came out great. When I went in I originally was going to follow plans to a T but decided that I would make changes here and there as I went. Due to height contstrictions in my son's room I lowered the overall height by two inches which worked out perfect. I did build the steps but I also made the back where it would come apart for east movement. I only used actual pine boards on the steps and the rest is 3/4" MDF board. I ripped everything on a table saw to exact width and length and drilled all my holes with a Kreg Jig. Alot of people are afraid to use MDF but believe me I could shake that bed as hard as I can and it doesn't even budge one bit. It is heavy duty built for a monkey child like I have. The project overall took around 30 hours from start to finish. My only suggestion would be to paint every step of the way instead of waiting to paint until the end like I did. If you have any questions about the build feel free to ask and I will help out the best I can. Thanks Ana for the plans and thanks to atouchofarkansas for the original inspiration for you guys have gave my son years worth of enjoyment. Can't wait for the next project to start.

This is a toy box I made for my cousin's son for Christmas. 

Wanted a couch that could also fix my storage issue for all my paperwork.  I saw a plan for a filing cabinet bench and some plans for a storage couch and used them as inspiration to make my own.  The railings are made with PVC pipe because of my budget, they hold up under my weight, but probably wouldn't work for a heavier individual.  I'll eventually upgrade to iron pipe when it's in the budget.  Still trying to figure out what to do for the armrests.  

Easy Peasy!

Materials & cost: Framing grade pine and 1x3 furring strips. $110 including finish materials.

I used some of the excess 2 x 6 that I had left over to make the feet square instead of just using 2x4s like in the plans. just cut them to the same length as the 2x4 feet, then butt them up against the 2x4 feet and mount them to the frame.

Also, I made the support beam removable by using face-mount 2x4 joist hangars to hold it instead of bolts.

Total build time = less than one week

Next project will be a custom headboard for it..

I followed the plan for making the shell of the house, but since I have access to help and the on-post woodshop I made a few changes.  We cut a 2x4 to fit the doorway, and then used the lazer cutter to make the panels, after sanding and painting, I used a necklace bead as the doorknob.  We also cut some 1" square blocks and drilled the center, the used the grinder to round them out to make a holder for the dowl curtain rod.  I also used scrap frame wood for the window/door trim.  Then I covered the entire house in wallpaper!  The outside is a brick wallpaper, the inside is a gray/silver with sparkles, and the ceiling is white with sparkles.  I used cork for the floor so it would be soft and warm feeling.  It took me a long time, but I am very happy with the results.  My daughter was thrilled to recieve this on Christmas morning!  

Built a pair of these for the master bedroom as my first project... Not too bad, very functional, and I was able to use mostly wood I had laying around...

I saw Ana's tilt trashcan plan and I knew that I had to tackle this bad boy. I didn't want anything stationary because my 1910 kitchen is big but also pushed against the walls. My stove is 7 steps from a counter top so prep is kind of a pain.

I modified Ana's original plan to be taller and even (well, close) with the stove's height for extra counter space. I also wanted a slide out cutting board with a hole so that while I'm chopping my ingredients, I can scoop it into the hole that drops directly into the trash.

I'm a very ambitious girl who doesn't like to be told that I can't do something. This is also my second built....my first is a huge craft supply cabinet made from old barn wood that is lovingly referred to as 'The Outhouse'. My tools are limited to a 7in circular saw, drill, and Kreg Gig. I knew this would be tough but after a few head scratches, I have a pretty cool island.

If you have questions about what I asked, please ask. There are all types of wicked little tricks/fixes in this beast.

We made this bed in the king size. DEFINITELY sand each shim prior to gluing it down. It is definitely no fun rolling over in the night and hurting my hand on the rough shims. I would also recommend staining the headboard (the base for the shims) prior to gluing down shims so that any holes between shims blend in with the stain color underneath. We did not and there are a couple spots that you can see the plain wood under the shims. Also, we did what they recommended in the plans to secure the side rails. The bed is not very stable and squeaks. We keep talking about altering it somewhat, but it's so dang heavy that we have been putting it off. One other thing that I wish we had done would have been to sand off the corners of the end of the footboard. We've gotten a few bruises from walking into the ends. It cost more than we expected and it took longer. But overall, we love it and are very happy with it. Just wish we had known now to do some things differently. 

changed the dimensions some but thanks for the inspirations!  

I needed a new laundry system, and thank goodness I found Ana White's projects on Pinterest! I incorporated the laundry sorter and added casters to the bottom as well as a paper towel roll on the side since it is next to the sink. I also used a modified version of the washer/dryer platform into my space. It does not have the bottom platform and the 4x4's are inside the 2x4's and attached to the platform as well as the 2x4's. Sterilite makes organizer drawers that fit exactly in the opening of under the platform. And, voila! New colors, new organization, new light bulbs :0), new laundry room!

This was my first project using Ana's plans. It's a combination between the smiling mudroom and the shoe shrine altered to fit sneakers and boots. I was very happy with how it turned out and couldn't wait to get on with my second project which was the planked sideboard. We were doing renos at the time and I was able to build the closet organizer before enclosing the closet. That thing is never moving.

Made media center for new TV / speaker from Jen Woodhouse design I found on Ana White.  Turned out well. Changed some aspects to fit my situation.  I changed some of the joinery, and used a 12 inch piece of pine on the back to allow for stability and ample space for cord management. I used three hinges due to weight of the front and put some corner cushions for grandson's sake (toddler).  Most items bought at local home improvement store but index card holders bought on ebay for very reasonable price.  

Here it is. Our first building project (not attached to a wall) that we used plans for:) I am so happy with the way it turned out. We had been looking for a bench for months. I was thinking that I would find something I like, refinish it and then upholster the top. But then I came across this post from a wonderful blog (that I will be using TONS more ideas from) and knew that this was going to be our bench:) I am happy to say that I think I have finally found a hobby that we can ALL get use to:) The kids have fun, we have fun...and we actually walk away with a finished piece! Love that!

I bought my daughter an American Girl doll for Christmas and was very excited to make a few items to go with her. My first project was a kitchen with a sink and a stove. I plan to make her a fridge too, but haven’t had time yet. I looked around online at plans for a child’s play kitchen and kinda got ideas for the doll kitchen.  Most of my inspiration came from this play kitchen from Ana White.

I really liked the look of the kitchen island in the plans, but we needed something longer, so I added 2' to the length, an extra drawer, and some supports in the center (worried the shelves might sag otherwise). We also wanted an overhang for stools, so I added a foot to the width and some decorative corbels. For the top we used reclaimed bowling alley wood. A really fun project and were really happy with it. Thanks for the plans!