Community Brag Posts

We followed Ana's detailed plans for the Stratton Daybed from her book and her blog. We appreciate the help!

We made this for our twin nursery, so that I could have a place to feed, sleep and read to the babies. It is much more comfortable than having to squeeze myself and two babies into a single chair.

It took us a few days because we work and have a three year old. We decided to paint the inside of the storage spaces underneath to go along with the rest of the room.

Designed to store 56 qt clear sterilite totes. Spaced 17” apart and used 5 2x4s so 23” deep. We have a lip of our foundation that sticks out so we had to adjust for the difference in leg heights. 

We're having a baby girl, and this was the perfect project for me. For my first project, I am pretty pleased with it.

I decided to make this bed when my little girl decided that she didn't want a little girl bed (toddler size) and wanted a big girl bed. Because of the size of her room and the fact I wanted her to be able to move the bed to a different wall if she wanted to in the future I added a front ladder rather than on the end. I also added 6 inches extra clearance under the mattress and 2 inches to the side railing height so she could have a pillow top mattress in the future.

As you can see in the second picture I was up there with Hannah so I know it can easily handle the weight.

In Ana's description it talked about the kids playing by themselves and not wanting to come out of the room. Well it's the truth. Hannah has been in there the majority of the time since we finished it yesterday afternoon. The first words out of her mouth this morning were "Momma thank you for making my new bed." Made all the work so worth it!

7ft Fancy X farmhouse table

This was my first project! We just bought a house and have no furniture except a mattress on the floor! But soon, we will have a home full of custom built furniture :)

I modified this plan quite a bit so it would fit in my space better. My husband really wanted a square table, so I came up with this one based on the farmhouse table. I changed the table top pieces to 2x10’s simply because I like how they look. It took me quite a while because I wanted the top to be super smooth with minimal gaps between the boards, so I ran the boards through a planer quite a few times until they were perfectly flat. Also, since it is square and smaller, we didn’t need the support beam along the middle.

I really wanted chairs that matched the table, so I ordered chairs that were unfinished and stained them to match the table. This took FOREVER and they were a little expensive, but they turned out great! We also got 2 barstools that match.

Like any other project, the finishing took the longest. I sanded for what felt like 20 years, then stained and poly’d for another 10. I am pretty happy with it considering it was my first try!

Great plans!  We love the end results!

This was my 2nd wood working project. I found it was nice to have a 2nd set of hands to line up the top boards and put on the hinges. I did use a piano hinge for the back like another poster mentioned. It is smaller (not as thick) and helps keep the boards all even on the end when the back is lowered.

I really like the look of this lounger. I was worried that the boards on the edges would need more support, but they seem sturdy enough. If I notice them sagging later or starting to move, I will put some braces underneath.

Thanks Ana for the great, easy plans!

Note: I used an exterior deck paint to paint this furniture. Although it has a rough texture, it doesn't bother us because of the cushions. Very easy to spray off, and has been through two seasons with no chipping or discoloration. Yay for less refinishing time and effort!

I made a few small changes to the plans. used 3x3's for the legs, and 1x3 slats for the top (instead of solid 1x12). used 1x3 for the aprons and the base and made them 2 inches shorter to account for the 3x3 legs. I used pocket hole screws for everything.

This little table is built entirely from scraps! My husband and I needed a table near the porch swing to set our coffee on and put our feet up at the end of the day, and it had to be small because we don't have a lot of space on the patio. It didn't cost a penny to build, and it's just the right size!
More details about how I built it can be found on the link.

This table is massive with the top being 96" x 42" and 2" thick and sitting 31" high.  The table can be done in a weekend and the bench was assembled the same way as the table out of scraps and was finished in about 4 hrs.  

Thanks so much for the plans. Built it for my visiting nephew. Had a hard time with wood splitting, definitely predrill once you have the pocket holes lined up. I finished with food grade mineral oil, may go over it with beeswax.

My first shot at the "easy" rustic X bench...not so easy that X.