Community Brag Posts

Mirrored Monogram Craftsman Frame

Submitted by cece3660 on Tue, 02/26/2013 - 11:18

I only was able to complete this project for less than $10 because I happened to have most of the supplies I needed lying around the house already. If this isn't the case for you, it will cost slightly more, but not much.

I had 2 extra 12x12" mirror tiles left over from another project that I've been saving for something creative. When I saw the plans for this picture frame I knew I had a winner. I figured out how much wood I needed and purchased the cheapest type I could that wasn't warped. Since I wanted a bit of the "weathered" look, I didn't mind wood with knots in it. I followed the original plan exactly, the only exception being the specific measurements I knew I needed to fit these mirrors. I also had some extra burlap lying around and made my own stencils for my "M" and "L" monogram letters. After cutting them out, I simply hot glued them directly to the mirrors. Finally, I attached the mirrors to the back of the frames and hung them in place!

I originally wanted more of a rustic look with the paint (similar to the original blue one), but I think the burlap brings that in enough. Overall, I'm very happy with how this turned out!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
less than $10
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Since this is a small project, I just used acrylic craft paint. One 2-ounce bottle was just enough for 2 coats of paint on both frames!
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Our family coffee table

Easy to build 

Estimated Cost
$30-$40
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Black walnut stain s/g laquer
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Loft bed with side rail

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 04/03/2017 - 13:53

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Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Went thru 5 different boards

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 02/23/2021 - 08:49

Loved the ease of making this chair but the modern look needed to be adjusted. 1x4, 1x5, 1x6.... tried a bunch and landed on 1x5’s and couldn’t be happier. Easy to do a chair in a day start to finish (build, sand, paint, dry, protective coat).

Estimated Cost
40
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
A spray paint that shouldn’t but used. Grab a brush, easier in the long run!
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

14' dining room table

followed Ana's plan to a T!!  took 2 full days of cutting and assembling.  Then stain and many, many coats of poly.  14 foot dining room table seats the entire family together!!

Estimated Cost
$320
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
american walnut stain
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Smiling mudroom

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 04/06/2017 - 15:46

Made from birch plywood and painted. 

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Providence Bench

This bench is on my back porch. Its nice to have a few extra seats when entertaining!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$20-$30
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
I wanted this bench to have a weathered look. So I first applied Sunbleached stain all over & then applied Kona stain after, in random spots. Last, I used spar varnish since it will be outside!
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Counter stools for our breakfast bar

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 04/09/2017 - 15:48

I made these to use as counter stools for our breakfast bar. They're shown in the pics at our outdoor grill island but that's only until the finish dries completely. I built the set of three in "assembly line" fashion - in other worlds I built 12 leg assemblies, 3 seats, etc and then assembled it all. Total it took me around 8 -10 hours to build all three. My 11 year old daughter even helped.  I taught her how to use the drill press and had her drill and countersink all of the pilot holes on the legs. I used pocket holes to attach the cross braces and the seats are attached with just wood glue. A pretty easy project and we ended up with a nice, simple set of counter stools.

Estimated Cost
$30 per stool
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax colonial maple for base; Minwax English chestnut for seats. Three coats of poly coat. The distressed look of the seats was accidental but we decided it looked nice so we stuck with it. For some reason I had a weird piece of pine that wasn't taking stain well (it was not drying after 24 hours). I ended up re-sanding and re-doing the stain only to have the exact same results. This time I tried wiping off the stain that wasn't drying with mineral spirits and it gave me this distressed look, which my wife and I decided looked nice, so we kept it.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Vertical Star Planter for Succulents

Submitted by thediyplan on Mon, 03/08/2021 - 14:59

Are you looking to make a small planter for your succulents? There are many different shapes and sizes out there that you could choose from. Some planters are easy to make and some are more complex. The planter in this tutorial looks a bit intimidating to make, but it’s actually quite simple. Follow my step-by-step plans on how to build a DIY Vertical Star Planter for Succulents.

Since this project does not require any large wood pieces, I’ve built it using scrap wood that I had in my scrap pile. The overall size of this star planter is about 18” wide. You could easily adjust these plans to make the star any size you want.

See my website for additional pictures and how I've built it, TheDIYPlan.com

Estimated Cost
$15
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

My daughter and niece's new stables, they painted them themselves

my first project, the second went a lot easier. We are still waiting on the doors to dry to hang them but the girls are excited for their horses to have a place to sleep.

Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Lydia Daybed

I built the Lydia Daybed for my nephew's new big boy bed. Was a little worried about doing the fancy decorative corner pieces, but just adapted the design a little so it was not such an intricate cut. Everything turned out great and there are a few more pictures on the blog, www.atouchofarkansas.com. Thanks! JM

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
160.00
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Painted it black
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

PotteryBarn Benchwright Console TAble

Great Plans for this project from Ana-White. Took about 1 day to fabricate, 1 day to sand/prep, and 1 day for stain. I used Espresso Stain finish (two coats), and knobs from Home Depot. Kreg Jig used for most all joints, including the breadboard top.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$160
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Minwax "Espresso" Stain. Two coats.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Outdoor sectional couch

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 04/16/2017 - 07:33

Thanks Ana for the plans, we love our new outdoor sectional. I was able to find Redwood for my project I think it gives it a lot of character. I have an idea to make a chair similar to this. 

Estimated Cost
$800 for the whole thing
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Preservation Wood oil stain and sealer. Clear
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Modern farmhouse bed and nightstands

Submitted by Markb25 on Thu, 03/18/2021 - 00:59

Having recently moved house our current bed was too big to fit so, I took a break from building Wendy houses to build this. The size of the room meant the nightstands couldn't be built as per the plan. Not wanting to alter the size of wood used, I opted to do away with the draw instead installing a solid base with a flip down front.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
250
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Homemade, a solution of white vinegar and steel wool to force oxidation of the wood, followed by rustolium clear wax.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

My coat tree build

Such a great, simple project! Thanks for the plans Ana! I'm doing my best to send people your way via my blog, iliketomakestuff.com

Estimated Cost
$10
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
High Gloss Spray paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

yurra-bazain

Tue, 03/12/2013 - 22:56

I made Ana's coat tree recently as well, but I painted mine white. I love that high gloss red that you used! It turns your coat tree into an accent piece. :)

Brothers media wall

Submitted by DIYJosh62 on Sun, 01/18/2015 - 13:13

My brother saw me making a bunch of stuff at my house and begged me To do something with his basement TV room. So after talking with him and seeing what Ana had to offer i settled on the smith media wall collection. I loved he way it turned out and I have happy brother to boot. I modified the plans to fit his bigger TV. 

Estimated Cost
$550 for the total project.
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Rustoleum stain. Kona
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Sofa table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 04/18/2017 - 19:31

This was so much easier then I thought it was going to be. 

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Garden planters

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 03/23/2021 - 08:36

Great project to try and as you can see they turned out quite well

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Once assembled just use a course P80 sandpaper, then finish with finish with fine P120 sandpaper
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Dollhouse Bookcase

Submitted by sraper2 on Wed, 03/13/2013 - 18:33

This bookcase was really easy to make and provides tons of storage! I am doing my girls playroom in blue, purple, and pink so I painted one room each color and also modge podged matching scrapbook paper into 3 of the rooms.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner