Community Brag Posts

I built this chair for my sister. I added small 2X2 support for the front legs and the arm rests because the pocket holes split. It was a little tough building this one since I had to rely on the HD staff's cuts, which are not always exact. But I'm happy with how it turned out, and my sister loves it too!

I was honored this past March to be Matron of Honor in one of my best friend’s wedding, and as a gift to the happy couple I made them a guest book bench. I wanted this one to look extra special. I started out with Ana White’s Fancy X Bench plans and made a couple of modifications. I reduced the overall length to 54″ to sit at the foot of a bed or under a table, and used only 2 pedestals instead of 3. To make the top better for signing, I decided to substitute the planked 2×6′s for a pine 3/4" thick “hobby board” that was 15″ wide, purchased at Lowes. I framed it out with some 1×2′s to make it look chunkier. Once it was built I gave it three coats of white semi-gloss latex, and then drew up the art for the center. It’s the same font used on the wedding invitations. I wish I had thought to take a photo of the signed bench at the wedding! But I was a little bit busier at the moment. I’m really proud of this pretty little bench. As I received in one of the messages on my own wedding bench, I hope it sees the butts of many friends for years to come!

I built this crate in about a week (a few hours at a time). It is big enough for my Lab but too small for my Rottie. It needs to be about 6 inches wider and three inches taller. Inside dimensions on this one were 23" Wide x 35" long. I will post pics of the next one when complete. Thanks Ana!

Memorial Box

King Size Farmhouse Bed

I absolutely love this table and couldn't believe how easy it was to build. It was a weekend project and gets so many compliments.

For the finish, I mixed steel wool with vinegar and brushed it on. The table really darkened up nicely and made the distress marks in the wood come out. I then applied walnut stain and followed up with 3 coats of poly.

In my post I have pictures of the finishing process and a video showing how to distress wood and apply the vinegar solution.

If you are looking for an affordable table that looks great, I'd highly recommend building Ana's table.

Now that I've completed several projects from the Ana White website, I've started accumulating scrap wood at various lengths. I have been in need of new nightstands for quite some time (seeing as I was using a Rubbermaid bin on one side of my bed ). I modified the plans to use my scraps; on the tops and bottoms are 1X4 cut to 18", and on the sides I had extra 1X8 that I ripped down to 1X6 because I wanted a sleek profile and rectangular finish. I also found them a little plain and added decorative 2 1/2" corner braces for look that I painted in black gloss.

Thank you as always for the awesome plans and the inspiration!!

A Christmas project for my sister

Inspired by a photo online and Ana's cheap and easy console table, I decided to make an entry table out of salvaged materials. I found a shutter at a thrift store for $5 to make the top, rescued some legs from an old kitchen table left on the side of the road, and some leftover barnwood from my rustic cooler project. I used the Kreg jig to put it all together, and now have a simple, rustic table that's the perfect size for my entryway!

I made these shelves to connect to a vintage sideboard that with a new granite top will become our kitchen island. Since the sideboard was dark and highly carved I wanted something chunky, sturdy and with a bit of style. Use links in the original post for all the building details.

Last year I built a "Cara Storage Console" and matching bookcase for my 12 year old granddaughter. Her 5 year old sister decided she needed one too, but a little bigger so she could store all her "ponies" on it. She and her mother planned it all out over a period of a few weeks and what ended up being built was 5' wide and 7'3" tall. It is 20" deep. Anna's plan was scaled up a bit and then had to be broken down in to two sections, upper and lower, so it could be brought in to the house. The sides and shelves are all 1x12 pine boards put together with glue and Kreg screws. The back took most of 2 sheets of 1/4" plywood. 1x2's were added for support under the front and back of the shelves.

Fortunately her other grandmother is really good at painting, so it was given a couple coats of semigloss pink along with pink heart wall paper. The grandbaby and her little brother started loading it up before Granny could even finish the sides.

The good part is that all her toys will fit on these shelves. The bad part is she won't pick up all her toys and put them on these shelves.

We needed to fill the corner in the house, wasn’t sure what project to do forever!  We liked the look of the rustic furnitures and decided to go forward with this truss shelf design.

We used a crackle paint with a black base and turquoise top layer and finished the wood planks with a pickling solution to weather the wood. 

Let me know what you think. 

Maldonado thanks for the prints for this awesome design!

I knew I had to make this the first time I saw the plans! It was super easy to make, I will definitely be making more of these. :)
I used duck cloth for the sling and embroidered a nautical design on the front.

I loved the plans, they were perfect~ hope to make more!

These were my first two Ana-powered pieces. They're not perfect, but I love them! We altered the size a bit since the 10" lumber was a bit more affordable than the 12"

I was too tired after building them to paint them, so "rustic" it is!

I used Ana's outdoor daybed with canopy pattern to make this awsome daybed. I made a cover and matching pillows.