Community Brag Posts
Closet shelves
I needed to use my small coat closet more efficiently (observe the disaster in the before picture!), so I installed built-in shelves along a side wall for all our board games. Not a plan really, but just a simple solution. Measure the height you want your shelves to be, install a 1X3 at that height on either side wall, making sure they are level and secured to studs or anchored (Mine are 1 foot apart up to 5 feet). Then install plywood or solid wood shelves across the supports. Screw in to secure and you've got functional, inexpensive shelving, built to fit your unique space.
Clara table and chairs with chalkboard and cubbie
I made a few changes to the chairs and the table plans. Most notable, I added a storage box for chalk for the chalkboard table top. The build was incredibly easy. You could assemble the table and chairs in just a few hours.
Keurig holder
First project. Was a blast and turned out great. Mahagany strips with oak top.
Farm House Full Bed with Drawers
I built two beds one for each of my daughters using the Farm House Storage Bed with Drawers. The plans were very detailed and extremely helpful. I modified the plan to utilize a box spring and mattress set since the girls already had a full mattress set. This was my first piece of furniture to build so it did take a few weeks to complete. I added the trim molding around the drawers to add a little custom work to it. The original plan had the foot board below the mattress and I wanted it to be above the mattress and I extended the boxed to allow foe a comforter to be tucked down the bed. I placed purple knobs and blue knobs on the other bed to give the girls their favorite color to add to the bed. I used a semi gloss Sherwin William's interior paint on the beds to make it easy to clean. The girls love the beds and when we have company over they are amazed how the beds look and most end up taking naps on the beds. I spent $450.00 total per bed, which also included the knobs and the full extension / easy drawer slides.
Comments
Fri, 11/18/2022 - 08:19
Very pretty!
Love all the added details, very well done, thank you for sharing!
Extra Tall Upholstered Bar Stool
My sister needed an extra tall stool for the bar her husband built, so I adjusted the Parson Chair plans to make them fit. I included the Sketchup model that I used in my blog post.
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The perfect sewing table!
I have been looking at sewing furniture for years, but the prices always made my jaw drop. I have a small craft room, so I needed a table that could also triple as a cutting table and fabric storage. Thank you so much to Ana White for this plan! I built exactly to the plan in The Handbuilt Home, and it's the PERFECT size.
So the sewing machine can sit flush with the top, making working on big sewing projects way easier, I traced the outline of my machine on the MDF and cut it out with a jig saw. Then I built a small shelf using a 1x12 scrap and 2 1x3 scraps. Putting the 1x3s on top of the 1x12 made the shelf 3.75 inches deep, which is exactly the depth I needed. I attached it to the underside of the tabetop using a pockethole jig and screws.
I built 2 boxes using 1/4 inch plywood, and installed drawer pulls on them, giving the illusion that the table has 2 drawers built in. This is where I keep my ugly stuff--interfacing and fabric scraps.
I got the color scheme for the table from the entryway console plan in The Handbuilt Home. In order to make the MDF top look like it had a wood grain, I applied mahogany gel stain with an old washcloth in very thick strokes that spanned the length of the tabletop. It soaked in and lost the "grain" look in some places, but the majority still looks like wood. I did have to apply several coats of polyurathane over the stain; the MDF has a prickly texture that grabs fabric and makes it hard to feed through the sewing machine.
My only complaint is that I didn't quite think through the fact that seating is bar height and I'm 5'7". It's a little difficult to reach my sewing machine pedal. I may build a small stool for the pedal to sit on so I don't have to half sit/stand to sew.
This is the first woodworking project I've done alone from start to finish: from going to Lowe's and picking out the wood, to cutting the wood with a circular saw, assembly, and finishing. (My fiance did carry it up the stairs for me. :) )
I'm so in love with this table! And now to finish the quilt I started 6 months ago....
Comments
Mon, 09/23/2013 - 07:40
Beautiful!
I really like your colors! And that drawer idea is so clever! Nice work!
Val
artsybuildinglady
Mon, 09/23/2013 - 15:22
Great Work!
I love this idea!! I too have wanted a sewing table for a long time but the prices of them take my breath away. I may have to make myself one! Thanks for the inspiration!!
Marshall's Dresser / Changing Table
Delivered the nursury Furniture and have a ver satisfied daughter preparing to bring our Grandchild into the world. From Ariel "My sweet baby boy has the most beautiful nursery I've ever seen! I am so thankful for my father who hand built this furniture. It is definitely made with love and it's everything I dreamed of. I'm also thankful for my husband and brother in law who set up this entire nursery for me this morning. Thank you" For this project built with a lot of love, I give a lot of credit to Ed and his very well written plans. http://www.edhart.me/2015/05/how-to-build-a-kendal-extra-wide-dresser/ I followed the plans from Ana-White with Ed's varriations almost exactly except I added Blum undermount glides. This item may 300 pounds but it is well built. #anawhite
Comments
Thu, 02/22/2018 - 07:23
How did you get the middle
How did you get the middle drawer to be bigger and the sides smaller?
Fri, 06/08/2018 - 13:04
Thanks for the mention!
Your dresser looks fantastic! I really like the stain you used on it.
Ed
Sideboard
Really enjoyed making this! Thank you for the plans Ana White!
Comments
Thu, 08/22/2019 - 10:05
What a gorgeous sideboard! …
What a gorgeous sideboard! Thank you so much for sharing photos!
Thu, 09/05/2019 - 16:39
Cabinet door backing
I love the backing vertical board you used for cabinet door. Is that shiplap, beadboard, or 1x’s? Thank you!
Best Floating Shelves
I modified the size slightly and turned an old pallet into three matching floating shelves.
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A Pair of Twin Headboards
I built two of these headboards over Labor Day weekend for my girls.
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My first project - headboard
After looking through the Handbuilt Home longingly many times, I took the plunge with this simple headboard. I've never built anything from wood, but my main hobby is sewing so I'm good at following directions. I followed the plans exactly and I love how this came out! I used a nailer and glue for all the construction. I recommend this project for beginners! I chose to paint my headboard black to blend with my other furniture.
Now I'm already onto my next project, with a Kreg Jig in hand, the modern craft table from Ana's book. Thank you, Ana for sharing your plans and inspiring people to try building! I feel my skills and confidence increasing with each project!
Comments
Wed, 09/25/2013 - 11:06
Building this!
I've got the wood in my garage, marked for cutting this project out! Yours looks fantastic. You will love your Kreg Jig! It's one of my all-time favorite tools.
Rustic-Xless Coffee Table
I used the Rustic X Coffee Table plans to create this table and changed the dimensions to make the table square for better accommodation in our living room since we have 2 full size sofas instead of the standard sofa/loveseat combo. I still need to add the actual X's and will add an updated picture when I finish those.
2nd Stain on some areas - Varathane Weathered Gray
Polyurethane - Minwax Gloss Poly on tabletop and bottom shelf - 4 coats added and sanded all the way up to 6000 grit. Polished with Maguire's Polishing Compound and Carnuba Wax for mirror finish.
PolyWhey - Vermont Natural Coatings Satin Poly on table base
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Hidden slid top addition.
I wanted a add a safe spot to hide all my gaming controllers and remotes from my 1 1/2 yr old nephew. It was pretty simple and I got the idea from tactical designs. They make hidden storage! If you cant tell it is still dusty from sanding! Best wipe it off!
My New Farm House Table
I ran across Anas website in search for the perfect table, My boyfriend and I just moved in together and have gotten kinda excited about making his home our home. I thought about building a table that would be big enough for the whole family (my children and his)I wanted it to be special and mean something to us as it would be our first peice of furniture together. I was searching the web and run across this website with the exactly what I was looking for, rustic, homey, used and special... I got home showed Steve and we went right to the store to buy supplies, He had this table build within 1 hour and I went to work with the finishing touches. WE BOTH LOVE IT!!! we since collected 6 old chairs (not matching of course) and I am in love with our dining area! Thanks Ana for this wonderful website you so graciously share with us! Now we are planning our bed. It will be a farm house bed ofcourse!!! Cannot wait! Pictures will follow!
Comments
Fri, 09/09/2011 - 18:28
Great job!
I have been wanting to build this table. Yours turned out gorgeous! Love the color of the legs/frame! Beautiful job!
Thu, 10/06/2011 - 17:54
What is the exact name of the
What is the exact name of the color on the legs? I love the color, I tried using a turqouise on a bench and it doesn't look like this one....Thank you:)
Colonial Maple Bar Stools
My sixteen-year old son took this on as a summer project and built four bar stools. He did a great job! We lowered them by 4 inches from the plan specs to fit under the counter. He used a Miniwax Colonial Maple finish. This project took a lot of Kreg Jig screws and plugs - almost 100 of each. They are very comfortable and beautiful.
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Farm table and puppy version.
Table I built for my wife. She found it while browsing Ana's site. Loved it so much she wanted one for herself. Came out so nice we decided to make our puppy a version of her own.
LOVE THIS SITE!!!!
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Mon, 12/21/2015 - 09:16
This is awesome! Love the
This is awesome! Love the puppy "table" too! A few people have asked for plans for the puppy table so I put this together - please, advise any changes. Thanks! Ana
American Girl Dollhouse with Crawlspace
We had a lot of fun building this. We made the bottom floor 1/2 the size so she can use it as a storage (aka crawlspace). I also followed another posts idea of using 4 inch tongue and groove pattern board (beadboard) for the roof.
Comments
Wed, 12/28/2022 - 13:47
So darling!
Thank you for sharing, I'm sure it was a big hit! Merry Christmas:)
Laundry Basket Dresser/Kids Dresser
I was reading a book called "ADD Friendly Ways to Organize Your Life", and one thing that stood out to me is that people struggling with ADD RARELY are able to fold and put away their laundry. Well, with 3 little boys (ages 5, 4 and 2)and being a single mama, this is amplified for me. One of the suggestions the book had was to give up the though of folding clothes and get colorful baskets to throw the clothes into once they came out of the drier. . . I immediately remembered seeing these, and I thought, "PERFECT!!!!"
I've made for 2 out of the three boys, but will make for myself and the youngest soon. The older boys now have their own dresser; shirts on top, pants in the middle, socks and underwear on the bottom. Now all I have to do is sort straight into the baskets and put away! Problem solved!
I didn't put the backs on these, mainly because I was being cheap, and they seemed sturdy enough without. I may add backs at a later date if needed.
Comments
Wed, 09/14/2011 - 20:31
I tried to make mine without
I tried to make mine without backs and they just fell instantly. I had to seriously beef them up to avoid throwing away all the wood.
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Ana White Admin
Sun, 10/30/2022 - 07:50
That's awesome!
Looks fantastic, thank you for sharing!