Community Brag Posts

Super easy chair for the little people in your life.

I followed the plan exactly. The only thing different is that I added decorative trim.

I am a beginner and this was fairly easy. The only part I had trouble with is when I went to attach the back panel to the bench. It didn't quite line up. However, once I started screwing it down, it got better.

Easy beginner project.

I was looking for a useful, cool, easy project I could make for my coworkers this holiday season. I stumbled on the DIY Cupcake Stand and thought it would make a perfect Christmas gift!

I made ten of them, so to keep the project affordable I opted to use an edge forming bit on my router instead of using molding.

To complete the gift, I'm planning to include jar of homemade cupcake mix and some cupcake liners :)

Thank you for the idea/plan!

I changed up a few things. Instead of plywood I used 1X6 lumber and joined it with pocket holes to make the sides, top/bottom, and shelf. I made the shelf one piece and added the dividers for supports. For the doors I cut down 1x4s to 1/4 inch thickness and glued them together. Then cut down 1x3 to 1/2 inch for the trim. I just didn't like the plywood look. But I like the plank look. The doors were a bear. I should have used bigger hinges. They were a learning experience for next time.

38lx37hx15w Rope decoration doubles as handles. Color is in Cabot oil stains (Sunlit Walnut & Sundrenched Oak.

- Built by James P

After Christmas I was talking to my cousin, she told me how she now needed storage to hide her new gifts she had received. Of course I wasted no time and told her about Ana's site.

So as we enjoyed lunch she pulled out her handy "smart phone" and began searching for the perfect plan for her needs.

It didn't take long for her to find the plan that suited her needs and we began planning. I got all the materials together and did some presanding so we could get this baby complete in her short weekend visit.

This plan was easy to cut and stain, however assembly was a bit more difficult as the angles made it difficult to get your bits into tighten kreg screws.

We didn’t make the bottom shelf adjustable however made it high enough for the mixer she wished to hide within it.

Other than typical door hanging issues the project turned out beautiful! The bottom cupboard doors even provided enough room for her large mixer and griddle.

Before she took her project home to enjoy she was already planning her next project.

These plans are beautiful, functional and do-able.

Thank you again Ana for making another person’s life’s organized!

My husband and I built a toy box for our nephew for Christmas. We were able to complete this project in a day and were very satisfied with how it turned out. We used rope for the handles. And for the lid we used a long hinge along with 2 shocks so the lid would not collapse on his little hands. Because the pine was so nice, neither of us wanted to cover it up. :)

We took on the rustic x table project and used the oxidization process described in the links (black tea then vinegar/steel wool mix). It turned out great! A few things I learned... When using the black tea if the tea runs it makes a difference. I had my wood up against a wall and was painting vertically. It pooled at the bottom, seeping into the wood. Didn't think this was a big deal but when I went to oxidize it you could see where it seeped. I couldn't sand it out without really lightening the wood too much. So, its there as part of my imperfect project. It kind of adds to the rustic look :) I let the vinegar/wool steep for a long time so it was more brown than gray. I ended up liking it (read: i didn't want to redo the whole thing) so I went with it. I really do like it though. I had to sand a lot to get it to lighten up some. We wanted a coffee table too- but something round. So, my husband invented the coffee table you see in the picture. He used the same kind of wood as the rustic x table and we used the same process to finish it. The time estimate mentioned below is just the end table.

First project we have done. We love how well the shelves turned out. We modified the original plans to 9 inches deep. We had one hang up with the original plans b/c the two inch screw at the end of the frame go in perpendicular to the wall and we didn't have a way screw the frame into the wall and hit a stud. We added a hidden bracket on the end directly to the outside piece. It was a fun project and opens up our small kitchen tremendously.

I wasn't planning on doing another project so close to Christmas but I saw this and couldn't resist. After the holidays, I will be making one for myself, because it is really comfortable to hold!

I did both versions, one with just the crayon holder and one with the lap pad. For the lap desk, I used 1/4" birch (purebond) plywood, just because its lighter.

Thank you ladies so much for all the fun projects! I have to catch up on my brag posts, I've been so busy building (and trying to finish my dissertation!)

Happy Holidays!

This was a great project to do. I have a family member that paid that full price for the real Pottery Barn piece. I then made this one and showed it to them. Ha!

I used Alder ply but because of the expense I only bought 1 sheet which will run $90-$105 from Menards or Home Depot. Other lumber yards ran up to $140. I got all the pieces out of 1 sheet except for the 2 adjustable shelves which I used birch ply. And you can't even tell. I was going to make my own jig but just bought the Kreg pocket mini jig. Invaluable! and about $20. I found the overall cost from the plans to be under reality. Acrylic, hardware, and hinges will run you $70-$80 easy. But I guess if you use cheap pine or something than maybe you can be close to the estimate. 

As queried by others, I too found the plans to specify how to attach the top. I used tiny "L" brackets around the underside perimeter and attached them with my screw gun to the frame (pic attached). For the doors, I didn't like the idea of just screwing the acrylic glass to the inside of the door so I routed the inside and attached some plastic tabs I found in the screen door section of HD to hold them in place. (pic attached). You could also use small mirror clips installed upside down.

I wrestled with the color choice for a long time but finally found the Minwax Gel Stain Mahogany (which is different than regular stain mahogany) to be the right color. After staining and a coat of sealer, I glazed, let dry, then sealed some more. Finished it off with some supa-fine steel wool and paste wax.

I love this piece now because I only glued certain pieces so that I can take it apart and put it back together as I am moving soon. (out of country). The European hinges were a bit of a pain to mess with since they have some movement to them and only lateral adjustments, no vertical. But it came out great. (I think)

Thanks so much for these plans!

Two hours and done!

I love my 3' x 5' shower and with all that space I thought that having a little spot to sit down would be really nice. After looking around online and at some stores I couldn't find anything that I liked that was also reasonably priced so in the end I decided to make my own.

For details about how I built it check out my blog: http://www.homeandawaywithlisa.com/blog/2012/2/18/simple-diy-shower-sto…

This was an upgrade from the Ana's project on the stable. I made the shingles from cut thin strips of wood nailed to a 1/4" roof with a pin nailer.

Standard cedar deck, as you can see not complete, . However the benches are complete. Seen a picture in a book and custom cut and fit peices on my own