Community Brag Posts

We built this feeding area to complement the plumbing pipe open shelving we installed in our dining room. The shelves for the bowls are mounted to the wall (use anchors or screw into the studs) and the water bowl stand is free-standing. This new setup takes up much less space and is easier to clean around than the usual mat and bowls on the floor.

We built the shelves and water stand from reclaimed wood - each shelf is 8.5" x 22.5". The pipes are spray-painted in flat black. 

Tips: 

 - trace around your bowls on your piece of wood and then cut the holes out smaller than the circles you drew so that the bowl edges rest on the wood and hold the bowl in place.

 - to get a silky-smooth surface on the wood, after waxing and buffing, do a final buffing with extra fine steel wool.

See link to blog for details on the build and more photos.

I have wanted an outdoor sectional for our Atrium for a really long time, but I didn't want to spend the thousands on it that Pottery Barn/West Elm Charged. I built the entire sofa for $220, which is less than the cost of one armless piece from west Elm. (To get the pieces that I built from West Elm it would have cost $1116 which includes the extra delivery charge, but not tax or shipping.) I also sewed my own cushions to save a little extra dough (even though I'm a TERRIBLE sewer) for aprox $29 a cushion. (Their cushions are $59 a piece!) I also used leftover stain and poly that we had from some window trim we had freshened up a few weeks prior. So, total, I saved myself about $1000!

I mention that this project is probably a week long project, but that is only because there are so many pieces. In reality, I probably made one part of the sectional per day, including all of the sanding, staining, and poly.

I'm so proud to have such a beautiful piece to lounge around on and entertain this summer while still keeping a budget!

I gave away our piano and needed something to fill it's spot. I also needed some storage. I knew right where to look and eureka!! there it was, the Simple Rustic Modern Console plans.

It was inexpensive, easy, quick and perfect!! I modified it to the height I wanted and added some dividers for baskets and a bottom shelf as well.

Loving it!!!

As you can see, the theme is a little different then the original, but the storage remains! Because of the room I actually made the side drawers the full length of the bed, and put false fronts on the end. 

The plans for the table and chairs started with your designs and then evolved. The chairs are 2x2 an upgrade from 1x3s. We find them to be much sturdier. The total cost for the table and chairs is @$600 without finish. 

I used Ana's idea for the plan, but modified it slightly to stand up to my wrecking crew (aks the kiddos). I posted a step by step plan with photos on my blog if you want to use the information for yourself.

This was a collaboration between my father and I as a piece to add to my newborn daughters room.

I had seen a similar bookcase in a model home in my neighborhood and wanted it. That's when I remembered that Ana had plans for something similar on here. I used those and made modifications to suit my tastes by taking things I liked from Ana's plans and things I liked from the one I saw in the model home.

It was painted white with primer and then I painted the roof and accents with the same color paint I had used on my daughters' accent wall to make it match perfectly.

You can see photos of it from different angles and then a completed photo of it in her room.

I absolutely love this piece!

I built this table based off the plans from Rogue Engineer for an X based side table with concrete top, but I modified the angles to make the table 18" tall and 34" wide.  I also made the top from 2x8 boards instead of using concrete.  More details in the blog post.  A table base like this would cost $100 from Pier 1, but this plan helped me make my own base for about $8.  Awesome!

Toy chest made for grandson. The core made from tongue and groove boards. Lid supports hinge middle with two 90 Degree Stop Hinge on both sides.

Based off of this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bnEs0qjW-A&t=24s 

I took Ana's amazing easy upholstered bench from modern to "magnifique," with a simple pleated skirt and silk upholstered seat cushion! Now our oddly shaped breakfast nook has a built-in that doesn't look so--well--built-in! Ana was right, it truly doesn't get EASIER than this :o)

We decided to use redwood because it is sturdy and looks nice. We used the steel wool in vinegar to stain the wood, which FYI, redwood turns black. We were a little worried they were ruined and we weren't going to get that rustic look. After a lot of sanding and 3 coats of clear poly they look great! Thank you so much for the plans!

Just finished up this unique TV console.  Built from reclaimed pallet wood. 

Just want to thank you, Ana, for the wonderful plans and this site. I'm still so surprised that I was able to build something that looks so nice and is so functional. Since stumbling upon your site I've been able to put aside my fear of the "big" tools and do something that I've wanted to do for years. Since the media/wine cabinet I built for my daughter, using leftover material I built these end tables to match. She and my son-in-law are pleased, too.
I've got a couple more projects in progress right now for my son and my other daughter is putting her list together - I'm just so happy to be doing this!
These tables are similar to the narrow cottage end tables, but without the drawer.

I needed a filing cabinet but wanted something stylish and unique. At the same time, I was also looking for an excuse to build this beautiful ladder shelf. So I decided to combine the two and create a "ladder filing cabinet!" I adjusted the plans so that the legs were made of 1x3's for extra support and I used 1x2's for shelf trims. I also converted side-mount drawer slides into a bottom track for the drawer.

I built these doors to save some space from my old swinging door and to add some visual interest to the hallway since this is the first thing you see when you walk in the front door.  You can find full details and tutorial plus alot more pictures on my blog post:

https://chasingadreamblog.wordpress.com/2015/07/20/dress-up-the-mess-sliding-doors-to-laundry-room/

Another wonderful accomplishment.  Very easy to build, just took some time measuring and measuring again.