Community Brag Posts

I'm building the farmhouse bed for my guest room and have a picture I wanted to put above the bed. The black frame it was in originally totally clashed with the new decor so I decided to make a frame that somewhat matched the finish on the bed.

I used a 1x3 for the inside pieces and 1x2 for the outside boarder. I used Minwax English Chestnut on the frame to match the distressed part of the bed and finished it with Minwax finishing wax.

The picture I framed is 24X36. I wanted to use glass and have the frame function like a normal frame so I made the inside dimensions of the frame roughly ½-¾ of an inch smaller than the picture. (this was after completely assembling it and realizing the glass and picture fell right through the opening, OOPS!)

I had some leftover scrap that I had to cut off of a 1x2 for my headboard (If you notice the small slats on either end of the bed, these had to be trimmed slightly to fit) that I nailed to the back of the frame to surround the picture, I used the glass as a template for where to nail these in to allow the picture to fit.

The “glass” and backing I used were from a cheap old poster frame that I am no longer using.

I wanted the back to be removable so I took a 1x2 and cut 10 slivers off of it to be the movable tabs on the back that hold it all in. It was great fun looking for these after I cut them as they will fly all over the place when you cut them! I screwed them on so that you can turn them like on a store bought frame to change out the picture.

My husband says I have impeccable timing with all of my projects – I say there’s never a bad time to start a project! Case in point – my farmhouse table. I was five months pregnant visiting my parents in Idaho (I live in Arizona) and I decided that it was a good time to finally build the table I had talked of for two years. There’s no time like the present, right? My dad questioned my ability to get the table back to AZ safely, but I threw caution to the wind and would figure it out later! I built the table and matching bench out of hard maple and followed plans based on the Pottery Barn Benchwright series. I had never worked with hardwood before and there was definitely a learning curve. Luckily my dad had some experience with hardwood and he was able to lead me in the right direction. I pieced together the table top and bench top, and then assembled the legs, but kept them unattached from the table top. I built a wooden frame to transport the table to Arizona and attached it to the top of my car. In the heat of an Arizona summer, I proceeded to finish the table by staining it with an espresso stain from Minwax and then attaching the legs. Finishing projects like this always take more time than I anticipate and this table was no exception. After days and days of staining and days and days of drying, I sealed it with a wipe on poly. I lost count of how many coats I applied, but I know it was more than 15. Yes, 15. Wiping it on doesn’t apply a thick layer, so I did a lot of layers. I had to protect it from my 4 kids! I finished just a few weeks before I had the baby. Timing is everything. :) To see more details on the project check out my blog at lifewithfingerprints.com

Thank you for the plans!  Love the shelves! 

This is my first build! It took a lot longer than I hoped, since I could only work during nap-times. I probably used way more screw than necessary, and I didn't have the straightest pieces of wood. I'm especially happy with the paint job. I used some leftover interior house paint and cut up an old dish sponge to sponge on the flowers and accents. But I got it done by Christmas and now I can't wait to use my brand new Kreg Jig on a new twin sized bed for Amelia, or maybe some raised garden beds!! :)

Amelia LOVES her new table. She loves to hide underneath it. She loves to dance on top of it. She loves to pile all of her blocks on top of it. And she practically demands that Mommy and Daddy go over to "Sheet Down" and "Culor" with her. (I apologize for all the camera phone pictures.)

*Edit: I added two more pictures to show more detail on my first ever paint a'la Scotch Brite attempt. :)

Modified the plans to shorten the sideboard. Inset the back into dadoes. Added four light windows. Lightened top by making 3/4" oak in 1-1/2" frame. Turned out not bad for a first furniture attempt.

I built this bed for my daughter as a X-mas gift. The build didn't take long at all to make. I followed the plan pretty close. I did a few things differently, but it turned out much the same. I used sanded plywood instead of the particle board for the headboards and foot boards. I was able to remove the feet that show up at the footboard of the bed by putting a long cleat on the back sides of the storage units that sat about 12 inches back from both ends of the head and foot of the bed. I finished the bed in gloss white latex paint. The finishing of the bed took the longest part, followed by sanding.

The Most difficult part of this bed for me was the hinges. I wish that I would have done them a little differently, but they work. Easy fun project.

This was a fun project that I made for my wife. I saw a Crate & Barrel table with legs that alternated directions. The plans were easily adapted to match. I stained the standard pine boards with Minwax Prestain, Minwax Red Mahogany stain (2 coats) and sealed with a matte polyeurathane. The matte finish cut down any shine and should prevent any fingerprints from showing up, though witha 2-year and 6-year old this is inevitable. I may still add some small 3-4" triangular braces on the ends of the table at the legs to add stability, but it seems quite stable as it is. The bench is next on the list, but this will have to wait until after Thanksgiving.

We needed a smaller kitchen island since my husband started using a wheelchair. The old one was just a little bit too big for him to maneuver in our small kitchen. I modified Ana's plans for the drop-leaf kitchen storage table making the base smaller (15" x 30") and taller (36") and only putting a leaf on one side. I also substituted slats (1" x 2"s) instead of plywood for the shelves. I love using pocket hole construction and ended up using almost 200 for this project! It turned out very solid and stable in spite of the increased height. We love it!!

I fell in love with the simplicity of this table. I had been wanting a new table for a good while and when I stumbled on Ana’s YouTube video of this table, I knew this one was easy enough for my husband and I to tackle! Thank you, Ana!!!!

I had a few hiccups in the early stages building those X shaped bases. I relied a lot on eyeballing it and firmly holding things into place by hand. Very touch-and-go. I took them apart multiple times and rebuilt them.

I wasn't quite sure how to go about attaching the table top, and I finally decided that NOT attaching it was the way to go. I built some braces that firmly held the top onto the base without actually being attached permanently. This helped to move it into the house and will help in the future if we ever want to move it, as it's two very separate pieces.

After that it was pretty much smooth sailing. I had some issues with the staining, but that was largely due to the humidity in the area at the time. Once the temp cooled, the stain dried and all was fine.

From start to finish this project took me about two months, but I only worked on it once or twice per week for a few hours at a time. I'd say I spent 20-25 hours of actual time working on this.

I received 94 likes on Facebook for my project which I consider a win.

First project

The Ana White corn hole board plans were straightforward and easy to understand. Building was a breeze. Our boards turned out great!