Community Brag Posts

My mom was looking for a new outdoor table, and asked me to come up with something. I found the link for these plans (http://www.thedesignconfidential.com/2011/04/free-diy-furniture-plans-t…) to knock off Restoration Hardware's $4000 Provence Beam outdoor table. Overall I liked the plan, with the chunkier look of the 4x4's. But there were a lot of errors in the diagrams, and the finished height is 34" which is ridiculously tall for a table. So we took it apart and cut the legs back down to change the finished height to 30". We chose rough-cut cedar for it's look and outdoor properties, not wanting to use treated lumber for a dining table. We couldn't find 2x10's like the plan, so we substituted seven 2x6's just like Ana's plan, but left a 1/2" gap in between so water can drain and not pool on top and rot the wood. Also, since we were working with 4x4's for the legs, we chose heavy duty lag bolts instead of screws to join them together. I love the finished look they give. Overall it's a sturdy, yet lightweight table that my mom loves and has already used for entertaining!

This Pioneer bed took me several weekends this winter, doing a little at a time. It was a challenge for sure because there were a few errors in the plans, but with some improvisation it was easily avoided. This bed is very simplistic but the design allows for some personal flare and variation to be added. Be sure to make precise cuts! Be sure to pick out straight boards!

I used specialized software to make the head and foot curves and printed them on paper, then transferred them to the wood. I did not put the two blocks on the headboard posts...because to me it just looked plain silly! I added two bun feet to make it look like genuine bed knobs and they look excellent. Also for the foot board posts I used specialized square pieces of wood found in the hardware store that have a nice design in them doe a decorative look. they indent far enough towards the bed that they actually hold the sheets in place!

I did not paint it. Instead I used a golden oak stain, one coat. Then put two coats of high gloss on it. This also strengthened the soft white pine I used to build it.

I did not follow the part about the slat placement nor where the bed rails should be mounted, as this will vary depending on the thickness of the mattress you get, or if it has a box spring.

I used bolts to hold the bed rails in as well, along with nails and screws.

Sandpaper! Use it a lot!

$65 to build, although I already had nails, glue, sandpaper, stain, and varnish.

My daughter just loves it and I know it will be around for years to come!!! Everyone in my family loves it too. I highly suggest anyone who is looking for a simplistic looking twin bed, and who knows how to take their time and follow directions, to make this bed. Feel free to write me if you need help. [email protected]

Made the bed using the Queen Farmhouse bed plans as a guide.

Wanted to include my box spring so modified the frame so the bed sits inside the frame.  Also had to increase the height of the head and footboard to accommodate the additional height of the box spring.  

Added middle legs to the frame, somewhat for support but mainly to make the connect to the head and footboard easier (since I was doing it myself).  

Used leftover prefinished fooring for the paneling.  Like the contrast with the white, plus really ties it in with the room.  Bed came out really well, wasn't sure since I've never used plans from this site before but can now say, will be doing so in the future. Next up, matching farmhouse mini nightstand! 

Working on getting furniture done for my kids. Gives me something to do when they are away on visitation. New furniture from a store is too expensive right now & gives me something to work on to keep my mind off of things.

Modified to fit a Twin XL mattress.

35X72 standard table height.
Made this Farmhouse table for my daughter for her birthday tomorrow. Hope she enjoys it as much as I enjoyed making it. Happy birthday my girl.

Used your plans but make changes to the planters since I do not own an angle machine.  They look great and the cost was less than $30

My bench sits outside my front door to welcome visitors and provide a place to set your packages while unlocking the door! I made it two years ago, and it's weathered three Baltimore winters with out repainting. I'll probably sand t and repaint it this spring. Folks are always asking where I bought it, and I give all the credit to Ana White, your site and your wonderful furniture ideas!

Finally a place to hold library books away from spilling milk and coffee cups!

I modified the plans like another brag poster did. How I built this is explained on my site. Thank you so much to the other poster for the inspiration!! And of course, thank you to Ana White for this amazing site!

Ana, thanks for the plans! I modified mine to have more of a roof to give my son more play space and added a toybox at the "back" of the boat. Still need to pick up sand but has turned out great so far! I think it will be the starting point for a full playset.

I saw this on the site, and I knew it would be perfect for my soon to be 4 year old boy's room. I wanted something that would be strong (hellloooo 4 year old boy!!) and not too "babyish" to last him through several years of preference changes and growth. This was not too difficult at all! Though I slightly modified some of the construction to make it easier to break down. I ended up using a box spring with a mattress, instead of slats to save a bit of money. (We got the box spring and mattress for free from a relative.)

I made this out of pine, and bought everything from Home Depot. Total cost for everything (including paint, sandpaper, wood glue, etc) was about $160! We are loving it!

This was my first project. I didn't even know how to use a drill. With the help of my husband I learned quickly. Everything came together rather well and making the cuts was fairly simple. I used a table saw instead of a skill saw which made the bigger cuts not quite straight. I will have to invest in one of those. Two problems I ran into was not having enough clamps. I had the one that came with the kreg jig but having another would have made it simpler when attaching the legs. I had to go out and get the right angle clamp for the jig and that was a lot simpler but will still purchase another clamp for the future. The other problem I faced was the table legs were not sturdy enough so we added a support post to the back of the desk you can see in the picture. I also made the mistake of purchasing wood filler the same color as the stain. So I have darker areas. Haha. It was great learning experience. And my ten year old is very happy with his desk.

I built this for my 3 year old so I made stairs to replace the ladder.

What do you want for your birthday? 'A purple kitchen'....

That's how it all started. My husband and I had no previous woodworking experience and we managed to build these guys.

The devil was in the details here! Building these didn't really take that long, It was the finishing and accessorizing.

Thank God that I know how to sew/craft. I loved the ruffle curtain from crafting chicks so I made that. The apron and oven mitts were made from the same set of fabrics. I ordered the butterfly stick on mirrors on line....they didn't stick that well so we added double stick tape. The front of the fridge is magnetic primed. The flower magnets I made and the imagine was a primed wood precut from Michaels that I painted. Stove burners are plaques for wood burning. Stove knobs, brush, and flower hook all from Hobby Lobby. Bar faucet from ebay and the sink is just a bowl.

The lights were my husbands idea....the fridge lights are magnetic drawer lights that come on when the door is opened and off when closed - just like a real fridge! The oven light is a push button LED light.

My baby was thrilled to receive this. While I loved the PB kitchens, I really think this was much better because it gave my husband and I something to work on together and it was priceless to hear my girl tell everyone that Mommy and Daddy MADE that kitchen just for her!