Community Brag Posts

My summer-long project (admittedly, I was lazy about getting it done) was to make built-in bookshelves for our huge family room. For the bookshelves themselves I cobbled together plans from different sites, and modified them all to fit our space/needs, and the cabinets are built after Ana's cabinet plans, modified to be as thin in depth as the bookshelves. Doors on the cabinets were a pain, but they are also my favorite part of the whole shebang with their beadboard inserts. Moulding at top and bottom finishes out the look, and caulking in all the gaps helps give it cohesion.
I could not be happier with my built-ins. I feel like I have a library now, and it got all of our books out of boxes and onto shelves. Yay!

This entire project cost around $80-$100 because I acquired quite a bit of free wood off Craigslist. I also got wood from the scrap bin at Home Depot for great discounts. Since this would've likely cost near 1k to buy, I am quite pleased.
Anytime you are making projects without real plans, it take quite a bit longer and more mistakes are made. But, to have something completely customized to your needs and space is better than any price tag/time you can put on it!

Tools used: drill, kreg mini pocket hole jig, orbital sander, countersink bit, miter saw, jig saw, HPLV paint sprayer, clamps, circular saw

This is our first time building this awesome table.  My husband used Ana's plans with the greatest of ease and then I was able to do the fun part, paint it! Did I mention that our table SOLD the very day we finished it? Yes, the same day.  We are in the process of building another table as we speak.  I am so excited!

Christmas 2010 my husband and I made our little girls a kitchen using Ana's plans. We used the materials on her cut list, and used paint for the finish. Used fabric scraps to sew the sink skirt, found the knobs at hobby lobby and habitat for humanity, and small bar faucet at Home Depot. It turned out amazing!

We made this table using the Rekourt Farmouse table plan. We used wider boards for the table top and simplified the angles on the legs a bit. We also built benches for each side of the table and dressed the ends with formal dining chairs. Used Dark Walnut Minwax stain and a clear satin epoxy to coat the top and bench seats. Had issues attaching the breadboards even with a Kreg Jig, Would probably do better if we did it all over again but totally happy with how it turned out.

Another project my husband worked diligently on! It took him forever because he's a perfectionist, but he finally got one done. He used a piece of 3/4" plywood framed with mitered wood instead of the planks for the top. Now, on to the other one.

Doubled the size of Ana's toy storage to accommodate my niece and nephew.

I couldn't find an exact plan for the kitchen table I wanted, so I used a combination of the farmhouse table and pub table to create the perfect table for my space. I liked the look of the 4x4 legs, but my local lumber store did not have a good selection of 4x4 boards. So I used a 1x4 and 1x3 kreg jigged together in an L shape to get the look of the 4x4 legs. The overall table dimensions ended up 44" square by 31" tall.

I tweaked the console plans to work best for my space, and to work with the reclaimed barn threshing floor boards that I used for the top.

I love how it turned out and it works wonderfully in my space.

Hi Ana! Thank-you for the detailed instructions on how to build the indoor playground! We had our contractor build this for our twins' 3rd birthday present. The kids absolutely LOVE the playground and use it every day. I'm planning to paint it, reinforce and install a rock climbing wall up to the bridge, and install some easels in the bottoms of the playhouses. You can see more pictures of the kids playing and the construction here: http://feedingtwins.com/body/the-best-3rd-birthday-present/ Thanks again! Julie

I decided to make the Clara table and the $4 stackable chairs for my daughters for Christmas. They were not for them though but rather for their American Girl dolls. I had to modify the plans to work for standard 18" dolls.

The Table:
It is a little taller than it should be but it allows the doll to fit under the table/apron while sitting in an appropriately sized chair (5" seat).

I also changed the length from 18" to 15 1/2" so the cuts could be made from a 4ft board.

3 - 1 x 6 @ 15 1/2" (Top) (1 @ 4ft)
4 - 2 x 2 @ 10" (Legs) (1 @ 4ft)
2 - 1 x 3 @ 10 1/2" (End Apron) (1 @ 4ft)
2 - 1 x 3 @ 9" (Side Aprons)

The apron is 1 1/2 inches. a 1x2 would probably work for the aprons too. You could then shorten the table legs by about an inch.

The Chairs:
The over all dimensions are now 12" H (back), 5 1/2" H (seat) X 6" W X 6 1/2" D

Cut List:
2 - 1×2 @ 4 1/4" (Side Aprons)
2 - 1×2 @ 5" (Side Supports)
3 - 1×2 @ 4 1/2" (Front Legs and Front Apron)
7 - 1×2 @ 6" (4 Seat Slats, 2 Back Slats and Back Apron)
2 - 1×2 @ 12" (Back Legs)

I followed the plans and everything went really well. Th bench was built to match a Farmhouse Bed and nightstand that I built. I added fake drawers and knobs to make it match the nightstand. The top of the bench is made from boards screwed together rather than plywood, to add a little character.

We built and designed this as we went while working within the existing closet.