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This is the very best thing about DIY: the ability to fill the gaps beautifully. This cabinet filled what was once a big, weird gap in my mother-in-law's kitchen (as in, hey why'd you take that cabinet out?? Oh, there never was one? Um, weird.). Of course the dimensions of the gap weren't standard...even if we'd wanted to buy a flat-pack cab, it wouldn't have fit. So I borrowed some elements of Ana's cabinets, some dresser plans, and some internet inspiration and came up with this.

I'm disappointed I never took any photos with the drawers open...they are pictured in the third "more" picture. The one on the left has a drawer box on top (holds silverware now) with two storage shelves below for flour and sugar and the George Foreman grill. The right drawer (the one with the angled strut things) is kind of odd, I know, and I'm sure there's a more elegant way I could have accomplished it, but this is what I ended up doing (it felt like I was making it up as I went along, and I'm just glad it works!). It has that first very low shelf to accommodate the stand mixer in order to get the mixer off the counter, but not so low that my aging MIL can't lift it onto the counter to use it. All she has to do is lift it about a foot and slide it back onto the counter to make her some cookies! The pull-out cutting board is the same maple butcher block as the counter (but the counter is 1.5", and the board is only 1"). It is 22" long, so she can pull it out for added prep space, then pull it ALL the way out to wash it in the sink.

The carcass is 3/4" ply with 1x2 pine trim and 2x2 pine legs. If I did it over again, I'd use the more expensive 2x2 poplar posts for the legs, simply because they had better edges. The counter supports are poplar, as is the middle divider, the cutting board supports, and the fancy footer. There are two strips of 1/4" ply backing the footer to keep bits and pieces from escaping under the cabinet. The "drawers" are a mix of 1/2" ply, poplar, and pine mounted on full-extension glides. The faces are made of 1/2" ply panels framed in cast-off maple floor boards. I took the floor boards, cut off the tongue, and cut off half the groove wall to make one single ~1/4" lip on each board so that the ply would nest nicely behind. You might have to see it up close to understand.

The butcher block is not DIY...after an extensive internet research session, I determined I would need to purchase planing and jointing tools and specialty glue to do this project correctly; so I purchased the top and the cutting board from a local cabinetmaker instead. The counter is sealed on the bottom, back, and sides with marine spar varnish, and given seven solid dosings of plain mineral oil (sold at the pharmacy, apparently it's a natural laxative). Once the block is very well seasoned, I may come over and wax it for added protection, but from what I've read, this should do it pretty well for now.

Recycled raised herb garden. Simply removed all the innards of an old grill I was going to throw away. Once it was gutted I pressured washed it and touch up the paint. Then I built a simple cedar box and placed it inside. Wa-la added basil, parsley and oregano.

Plans were great, thank you. We made our table a little deeper to accommodate 3 to 4 little ones, and purchased some little chairs at IKEA. 

It's such a solid piece and it's super heavy so I am glad we built it inside, because I am not sure the two of us would have been able to get it inside. Once it was built and the X's were fit in, we moved it to the kitchen to start staining.

I made a few changes. I added walls and a hinge to the table to allow for a cooler to fit inside. I also decided to paint mine. The was a fun project and I love how it turned out.

I built this bed frame with the general guidelines for the queen sized farmhouse bed. I adjusted some of the dimensions to better suit our layout.

I adjusted the plans to shorten the table to 70 inches, taking out one of the pedestals in the process.

For the finish, I used 6 different colors of the Miniwax Water-based Wood Stain. Working with 2-3 at a time, I blended them into each other (work WITH the grain!!!). I purchased custom stencils online for the border and used a Polycrylic spray (3-4 coats), then stained over top and wiped off the excess.

Similarly, on the stretcher, I taped off a chevron pattern with painters tape. Then I sprayed with the Polycrylic, and stained over top of it.

We love this table!

Rustic simple looking boats I have made for my Great Nephews

Chalkboard roof to write their names on and hand drawn windows by my step daughter.

I really like the rustic simple look.

Used A grey stain on the main part first. Then three coats of satin white each time sanding back with 400 grit until smooth.

Used a Forstner bit to drill a hole for the mast. I didnt want any screws or nails since it is being handled by a child.

My new garage shelves.  Not my first project, but I really liked the way they turned out.  Used 1/2" plywood at 16" width.   I attached the plywood with wood glue and 2" brad nails every 12 inches.  I used an impact driver to screw the 2x4 into the wall and to attach the vertical legs. Saved a lot of time and wrist fatigue.

We used Anna's plans for the farmhouse table. We did a skinnier top but it turned out great!

Definitely a more advanced project, but the end result was pretty nice. I used copper bars and fasteners to create a unique hardware look on this dresser.

A few words of advice for those looking to use these plans:

1. Verify that your plywood is truly 3/4". I used Home Depot's so-called "3/4" plywood, which is actually 5/8" or 11/16" plywood (I forget which). Without a true 3/4", the sides of your dresser will be slightly off. I discovered the problem too late, which meant I had to shim the drawer slides. Trust me, you don't want to go through that exercise!

2. You can recreate the copper look with simple supplies from Lowe's or Home Depot. You just need a length of copper pipe and copper plated steel bell hangers. After I cut the copper pipe to the right lengths, I washed each section using barkeeper's friend to get that shiny copper finish. Then I sprayed each piece with clear paint so it wouldn't tarnish. Still shiny even now!

3. Do NOT nail in the front boards of the drawers from the back! The directions call for 1" nails and when I nailed it in, I blew a chunk of wood right off the front of the drawer. I filled it with wood putty, but still, not a good plan. Just countersink a few 1" wood screws and your results will be much better.

Really enjoyed this project, thanks for the great plans!

I built the two wire basket tower but instead of wire baskets, I used the medium sized fabric baskets from Target. Dimensions are the same as in the online plan. In case you're wondering, the yellow top is actually the donation slip (I made them for my church to auction). The black and yellow one is in honor of University of Iowa and the red and yellow one is in honor of Iowa State.

Thanks, Ana, for your quick and easy plans. I added a Bahamian touch to these.