Community Brag Posts

Elementary Trestle Table Inspired by Land of Nod

Such a cute, functional table that was easy to build!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$40
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Mission Oak Satin for table top
October Red (a quart of pain mixed at Walmart years ago) for table itself
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Princess butterfly bed

Submitted by kgbarone on Fri, 02/07/2014 - 19:51

I love the toddler upholstered bed plans, but my daughter rolls all over the place while she's sleeping. So I added sides and put cut out butterflies on ladder hooks in front. She named it her Princess Butterfly Bed because everything is princess.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$180
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

JoanneS

Tue, 12/02/2014 - 19:01

This is just darling - so cute for your little princess!  Love how you upholstered the sides along with the back. 

Mason jar chandelier

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 05/06/2016 - 10:17

This was a cool project to make 

I had saw this online but was very. Expensive to buy some one afternoon I decided to built one my neighbor had a ton of Mason jars so I got 8 from them and I started to put everything together and the end result came out nice I hope u guys like 

Thanks 

Estimated Cost
$90
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Dark walnut
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Coffe table

Submitted by rnkimg on Tue, 02/04/2020 - 12:23

Plans from the Tryde table plans. Added bottom shelf. Next up, Tryde end tables, one is done, other trying to plan it out to include a drawer. I added carriage bolts for looks, and black metal corners. So much fun! 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax provincial, sealed with Minwax clear gloss polyurethane.

Comments

rnkimg

Tue, 02/04/2020 - 12:36

Thanks Ana!  You really were my inspiration to try and build furniture. With every build I’m getting more comfortable. I talk about you all the time when people ask where I learned... Ana White! 

Thanks again. 
btw. I really need rocking chair plans!

Karyl75

Tue, 04/14/2020 - 20:32

What kind of mods could you add in order to open the table top for a bin. Nothing deep, but a great place to keep a firearm, hide remotes etc.

DIY Wood Bed

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 09/29/2023 - 09:13

Spruced up guest room by replacing full size bed with Ana's design for a queen size headboard and frame. Love the result! Thanks Anna

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Anna's Table

Submitted by tglife on Thu, 04/26/2012 - 18:41

The 'Clara table' was my hubbies first true build. He built this table for our daughter last summer. She loves it and it gets used on the daily. :) We went with a solid top instead of separate boards. It might have added a little extra cost but not much.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$20 - $30ish
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Dark Walnut (I think) ... it's been almost a year so that's iffy on whether that's right or not.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Kentwood Bookshelf - modified taller

I loved the rustic look of this plan but decided to use prime pine and sanded it smooth. I also used tongue & grove 6" cedar for the backing running horizontal instead of vertical to not make the shelf unit look tall and skinny. I covered over the 2 side edges of the tongue & grove cedar with a pine strip 5/8" wide all the way from the top to the floor. I also increased the height to add an additional shelf. I definitely suggest using a Kreg tool. I also recommend not plugging the Kreg pocket holes. They look terrific just stained. I also recommend not bothering to screw the top slates together. Just glue them using clamps.

Here are the plan modifications I made for the extra height & shelf:
- sides 76 1/2"
- legs 78 1/2"

My next project is to make another shelf just the same except to make the shelves 31 1/2" wide. This time I will use 1"x4" backing vertically.

The end product looks spectacular. You couldn't' buy a bookshelf like this anywhere.

Estimated Cost
$100 plus $100 for the Kreg tool
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Used Old Masters Dark Walnut penetrating stain #41004. Applied with the expensive Bounty paper towels. Used a 1" foam brush to stain inside the pocket holes. Don't bother trying to plug the pocket holes. They look better stained. Also applied BRIWAX light brown wax polish applied with a plastic scruff pad after the stain dried. Warning, stain the whole project at the same time. If you let parts dry and stain over them, it will show up differently.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Pallet Wood Planter

Submitted by sraper2 on Mon, 05/09/2016 - 09:58

I made this planter out of some left over pallet wood that I had.  It was pretty quick.  It went together in about 2 hours.  I have the step by step plans on my blog.

Estimated Cost
Free
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Modified Flat Wall Book Shelves

I modified Ana's plans a little for our own needs. The simplified design feels a little more masculine to me and matches my boys' bunk beds a little better, too. I used pine. The 1 x 2's are select pine, not rustic, because that's all our HD had to offer. I wiped the whole thing down in tea, let it dry and then used a rusty vinegar solution as a stain. Gave it a few coats of varnish and voila! Love the final product. Thanks, Ana, for an incredibly empowering and motivating website. :)

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Strong tea to bring out the tannins. Aged rusty vinegar solution (as per Shanty 2 Chic's instructions) as stain and a diamond varnish to finish.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Seasonal And Holiday

Entertainment center

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 02/16/2020 - 21:53

Hand made entertainment center

Estimated Cost
400
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Farm Style Headboard with Lights

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 10/06/2023 - 08:51

My daughter wanted a Farmhouse/Industrial look for a headboard, so I found a nice selection of hardwood pallets that had heat treated wood and put together this headboard & attached and wired a light set.

P.Schimmelpenningh

Built from Plan(s)

Fabric Covered wood Frames

This is a simple and cheap way to decorate any space. Just use some 1x2's to make a square frame. Stretch the fabric over the frame and staple it. You can make one large one or many different sized ones to cover a boring wall.

Estimated Cost
15 depending on fabric and size
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Pretty Fabric
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Cute wall shelf for my son's bedroom

Submitted by kristyzed on Sun, 02/16/2014 - 14:10

I saw this plan posted and knew I had to have it for my son's new bedroom. Most of the build was simple, it just got a bit tricky fitting in the angle piece at the top because I wasn't sure how to attach it without having a nail gun. Every time I line it up to nail it in with a hammer it would slip a bit. So I ended up using Gorilla Glue Epoxy to attach it. Since it's not hanging on the wall by the very top shelf, I didn't need it to be rock solid to support any weight, just needed it to stay in place.
I had scrap plywood laying around so it was free for me to make.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
30
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
I applied two coats of Valspar's Heirloom Red and didn't seal it. I wanted a matte finish.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Childs Bench with Arbor

Submitted by Fitz3636 on Tue, 02/18/2020 - 08:28

This was one of my first Ana-White projects. I am a hack builder and found this to be fairly easy with the back of the seat to be intermediate (However, I slanted the back and found that to be challenging for me.) Loved this little arbor bench and how it turned out. A couple coats of polyurethrane has helped it last outdoors all year through the sun and rain in Florida. Kept costs down using extra wood in the garage. Kids love to sit on it but mostly climb...!

Estimated Cost
45
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Paint and polyurethrane
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Easy Kids' Tent / Reading Nook

I had been wanting to make this for sometime but didn't have the curtains. I was at a friend house and she asked if I wanted the red curtains that she was going to throw them away. So I got to make the tent, her daughters got a cool place to play and the curtains got a new purpose also the tent was made to fold for storage!!!

Thanks Ana for all the plans and ideas you give us!!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$3 for hardware and wood curtains were FREE!!!
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project
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