Community Brag Posts

I made a counter top utensil organizer for our little kitchen and love how it solved a few utensil difficulties for us. I wish I could post plans, but all I can offer for now are photos and a brief explanation on my little blog: http://sunnysideup-stairs.blogspot.com/2014/07/compact-utensil-organize…

This was a fun project. I built it for our local county fair and it was a hit, I won an award.

I used all cedar 2x4 and 2x6 lumber. I used pocket hole screws. and glue and  I used carriage bolts to make it stronger. I used Thompson Simi- transparent stain/ sealer in a Honey color for the finish. It will last a long time and  will be perfect for  all kids, 

Built my wife’s the bench she wanted. We’re very happy with how it came out.

Such a useful and attractive way to keep the mudroom area organized. Especially needed in our house which has no dedicated mudroom--just an area carved out by the kitchen door where we need to stash our coming and going type stuff. Loved the plans!

I made a few alterations to the originals to customize the plans to our particular needs, which are outlined in the blog post on our site, http://littlehouseinthesuburbs.com/2012/09/my-ana-white-mudroom.html.

I made this cute kid-sized Adirondack chair to be auctioned off for charity. The pattern I used for this can be found in Ana's book, The Handbuilt Home.

This chair costs less than $5 for the wood!

If you want to see more details and pictures about how I built it, check out my blog post.

I couldn't see spending several thousand for outdoor furniture, so I looked at what you had done. It was so much easier and sturdier than I thought it would be. Thank you for all you do for the community.
I added the board on the back of the sofa to stop the cushions from slipping through. My wife wanted a fun color so we found a waterproof stain and had it tinted. I thought it came out very nice.

Decided to build this bed for my 3 yr old to free up some space in her room. It was a big success.

What's better than an Ana White play kitchen? 2 Ana White play kitchens back-to-back!

Slightly modified, we made 2 play kitchens, turning one into a garage workbench and laundry. We managed to just get the kitchen & garage done for Christmas morning (minus a latch & plexi for the microwave). We later added a window view above the sink, and a table and 3 storage stools to join the two units on one end. In a long mixed-use playroom with little wall-space available, they jut out from the wall, dividing the TV side of the room from the toy storage side.

Dad was excited to help put the garage-side together and bought his little girl some peg-board to hang her tools on, and installed garage lighting. As pull-out drawers cut into the storage space, her "tool cabinet" doors just fold-down. Grandpa sent her a full tool-set with power drill for her new workbench. Big brother helped piece the gas burners together and chose paint colors.

Little miss finger-painted in the garage next to me while I worked on this first woodworking venture, but she was not a bit interested in the contraption until we added the stickers! A local sign vendor we use was so tickled to be involved, he had the stickers printed in under an hour and for just $25 (which saved hours and hours of detail painting)!

Next up: the ana white dream dollhouse (which perhaps we should've started with).

Ana White's Fancy X Farmhouse Table with benches

I made 2 side/end tables, farmhouse style with X braces and distressed. Dark walnut water based stain on the top and slats.Coat of black paint on the frame and a coat of white on top of it. Had fun with my sander and gave it an awesome look.

Thank you Ana!

Long weekend project with my dad. First real project for me. Great learning experience can't wait for my next project.

I built this table shorter than the plans. Its 72in long. 

Table for 4 based off plans. I love the way this turned out! Really pleased with the finished piece.

Jenn

After an entire weekend devoted to work on our entertainment cabinet, it is finally complete.

As many of you may have noticed, we live in a 104 year old cabin so much of the wiring could not be hidden in the walls since they are made of giant logs. One wall contains huge tats of wires, panels and plugs. We did our best to place the biggest pieces of furniture and curtains in front of it to both hide and keep the kids out, but it has been a thorn in my side since day one. We originally thought we would pay someone to build a false wall there, then we thought we would build it ourselves, and then we decided to build a very large cabinet that would nearly perfectly cover most of the wall. These plans fit the bill perfectly and since we had such great luck with Ana White’s plans for our harvest table and Poppy’s bed, we jumped right in.

With the addition of a chop saw (an early birthday present from Mike’s dad) and a Kreg Jig the project, though time consuming, was fairly simple for us newbies. That being said I am glad it is done. It contains a lot of blood, sweat, tears and maybe even a little piece of our marriage.

We used pine and finished it with two coats of “White Oak” stain. We placed four drawer pulls and will be making the remaining door knobs from driftwood or cut antlers. Though we don’t have a big television (actually it is just an old computer with a 20 inch monitor) we decided to leave the large opening since we may one day get a real one again. It cost a bit more than we had anticipated, but when you factor in our learning of new skills, the quality and strength of the piece, and the feeling of pride we feel when looking at it, I would do it all over again.

Last night, the living room was put back together and, while I made supper, Mike chopped wood for the wood box. We sat fireside last night and again early this morning.

Fall is no longer a whisper and I couldn’t be gladder.

Visit www.erinellenbergermarch.com to follow our DIY journey from homeschooling to homesteading to furniture making.

go gently + be wonderful

e.

I used baltic birch ply (two sheets) plus some 1x3s and 1x2s. I had to modify the dimensions to suit my space (a wall space between a window and sliding glass door.

The dimensions of the 1x2"s we a little hard to adjust. Mostly my math.

 I still need to add drawers, but I like the color contrast between the top, base and trim.

I used General Finishes Java gel stain for the top. General Finishes driftwood for the bottom trim. Basic white paint for the bases. I also used General Finishes High Performance Poly (2 coats). 

If I had to do it again, I would paint the bases in the Driftwood color and wax the whole thing. Also, I wouldn't apply the stain in hot sun. It came out really dark and was impossible to wipe off the excess. Also, never leave a ironed on edge banding in the sun. This lost adhesion and I had to re-iron it on.

Fun project. First use of pocket holes. 

I love the fact that it's modular and the angle gives you twice as much surface area. I get the feeling this will be with me for years to come in some room or another.

-Dallas

We used the plans to create a basic bedframe.  I have used the farmhouse bed plans before and really liked the way this frame went together.  It is cheap, easy, and nicer than a metal frame. 

One of the adriondack chairs you have shared...made with wood scraps so it cost nothing only the time to make. It's comfortable and sturdy.....and I loved making it

I changed the plans a bit and added backs to the chairs. I've never used a saw or a drill before, but I am thrilled with how easy this was to do. I love the end result!
I found cushions to go with the furniture at Target.