Community Brag Posts

This was my first project I've ever built, although I have wanted to build something for years. I needed a bench for my cat to sit on in front of the window, and also extra seating for my dining room table when we have guests. I didn't buy any lumber. I just used scrap wood that was left in our garage when we moved in for the base and old bed slats from bunk beds we no longer have for the top.

I made one HUGE mistake....I didn't have a carpenters square and didn't realize how important it was to use so my bench turned out a little wobbly, but I found a solution to fix that. It took me a couple of days to build because I kept having to stop and run to my sons school and do many other mommy duties. I found a tutorial for the finish on Pinterest.

Followed the Rustic X console plan except did not go for the rustic stain look. I am happy with how it turned out, even though this is my first wood furniture type project. I am not much of a handyman. 

I modified the Small Old English Style Farmhouse Dining Table plan to build a writing desk.   I used five 1x6 boards for the top for a width of 27.5 inches.   I made my desk 56 inches in length.  I put the drawer on the long side like a pencil drawer.   I did use the legs that Ana recommended in the plan.   I love how it turned out.  I used dark walnut danish oil and dark wax for the finish.  

My husband made the little helper tower for my son. After using it for a day I asked him to add a seat so that my son could eat lunch at the counter while I worked in the kitchen. I LOVE this tower!!!

This is my vision of what a fine lady’s treasure trunk might have looked like back in the days of pirates. It is made from the Pirate’s Treasure Trunk plan. I used another alternative hinge for this one. It is a 2 ¼” radius quarter-circle of heavy craft leather, attached to the box top with some super glue and decorative furniture nails. The bottom acts as the pivot, and is attached with a furniture nail.

The decorations are made from craft leather, and attached with super glue and furniture nails. The keyhole escutcheon is made from a piece of foam shelf liner, cut to the shape of the keyhole template from the plan, and spray painted gold.

The finish for this is 2 coats of Clark & Kensington paint (white, with a little brown stain mixed in to make it a cream color).

This build was nearly free – the furniture nails were left over from the prototype build, the wood was scrap, and the paint was left over from previous projects. The craft leather is from Michael’s (cost was about $3.99 - I think it was on sale, but couldn’t find it on the web site to attach a link, so a picture of the packaging is attached).

I’ll be using this one for trinkets, and it’s not going to get heavy use, so this was a good project for trying out the leather hinge idea. I’ve wanted to try that for a while. Not sure how durable it will be over time, but I think it looks cool. :)

My husband has some cherished knick knacks and I am hoping to give our little home a little charm. 

The most difficult part of this project was lining up the dowel holes for the shelf. 

2-1x6's cut to the length of the window 

2-1x6's cut to 6-1/4" for the sides

1-1x6 cut to 4-3/4" for the center support

Fostner  (sp?) Bit at 1" for the dowels, I centered them and put them 2" down on each side and the on each side of the center support

Then I sanded, sanded and then sanded some more.. .

I used the 1/2" fostner  bit and spaced the holes 3 3/4" apart on center for the rail and the top. 

I cut a 1/2" dowel into 2" pcs. 

The rail is a 2x2 that I trimmed down on the table saw, it finished out at 7/8"x1-1/16"

Lots of glue, more sanding and it was complete

Added 3 hillman heavy duty hangers to it and hung it over the living room window. 

I have a large master bedroom, but a severe lack of furniture. I love love love my king bed, but couldn't find any night stands to meet my needs or budget. So I built the farmhouse bedside tables! I love how large and tall they are, adequately flanking my large bed. I missed the mark on matching the stain color of my bed, but I worked so hard on these tables, I still love them.
I call this a master bedroom transformation because I also painted, added new bedding, and new lamps during this project. I'm so excited for my husband to come home from his month-long business trip to see all that I have accomplished in his absence!

I made this with the help of my dad. This was my first project and it turned out so well! Such a great addition to the house, it really warms up the room. So glad I found this!

What I really liked about this plan is its versatility. Relatively easy with pocket hole joinery and inexpensive materials, I used paint to match existing furniture and solid wood tops and drawer fronts to add just a touch of elegance.

Fairly easy and fun build! We followed the plans almost entirely and spent a few hours each day throughout a week working on it, painting it was definitely the most time consuming part. It came together very easily in the bedroom and was done just in time to surprise our 3 year old for Christmas, he loves it! And I love that we can fit another twin bed underneath to turn it from a loft to bunk beds in the future.

This is our very first building project from plans. We loved them. Our first night stand twisted because our 2x2s weren't as straight as we thought they were. With a few times of repositioning them, it turned out fine. The 2nd night stand went together much quicker and easier.

We are hooked! Thank you Ana for great plans!

Super fun and easy! This was my first kreg jig build! Not sure how I got by before I got one!

Loved building this table. This was my first time building anything! I have a lot to learn but I think it turned out great!

First coffee table build. Plans were perfect! Built for $50, sold for $255

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.