Community Brag Posts

My first project build from Ana-white.com. My wife had been looking at these towers online for a while until we saw they were upwards of $200 online... So I was like, "I'm sure I could make one.". So I found Ana's website, and here it is... My 19 month old daughter loves it, she climbs in and out of it with no problems, she calls it "uppy". This is my first of many projects to come from this very helpful site. The plans are all so helpful and very detailed. Thanks Ana!

I built the American Girl canopy bed and closet for a family friend for Christmas. This plan was so much fun to make! I will definitely be making a few more for Christmas. I put a tutorial for the mattress I made and will be adding tutorials for the rest of the bedding on my blog tomorrow. Thanks so much!!

I'm not a carpenter by any stretch of the imagination. This is the first building project I've done in God knows how long. Having a brad nailer is almost a must. it make the assembly of this headboard a piece of cake. The hardest part by far for me was finding untreated 4x4's. especially since we wanted to leave them the natural color of the wood. I finally found a local lumber yard that also had a pallet shop where they make custom pallets for area businesses. They had some untreated 4x4's that they use to make pallets with. It took me quite a while to pick out some good ones from the bunch. Even after being very selective with the 4x4's I still had to take 80 grit sandpaper on a belt sander to them to get them to the finished product. They turned out great though. I would say that I'm a jack of all trades type of person, but had no experience building anything remotely close to furniture before. I am usually handy when it comes to figuring things out and doing work with my hands though. If you are looking for a good project to try out, then this one is a great one to start on. As for now, I don't plan to make the footboard and rails for this bed. These headboards cost me a total of about $52 or $53 each in materials. It took me a total of about 5-6 hours to build (2 hours of that was sanding on the 4x4's.)

We like to fly the flag in our family so 4th of July is a big deal for us. I built three sets of crates to share, each with a little difference but all three with red white and blue stain from HD.
Easy to build and the instructions/plans were perfect. Nine crates required four cedar picketts.

A Playhouse Under the Stairs for the Grand babies! A really fun space :) A fun project for me to build ... It lets the creative thoughts take shape. I had the perfect space for a playhouse under the stairs in the basement and thought that since we live in a cold climate it might be good to have an indoor play space. Inside I put down carpet to keep that area warmer since it is on the cement floor. I also installed bead board, chair rail and plywood with wall paper on it. I didn't use any plans from this amazing site but did see other plans that inspired me! I will be using some plans on this site soon. Look for a Murphy Bed soon from me :)

My parents have hated their fireplace since they moved into their house 18 years ago. When they moved in it was black bricks, so we painted it white, but it was still really sad looking. I finally got on Ana's site and found plans for Mimi's Faux Mantel and got to work. We just love how it turned out. Really warms up the space and now the fireplace in the focal point of the room. Thanks Ana!

Coffee table with built in toy storage with glaze coat top

We needed space, display space as well as gadget space. The Workbench Console and Rustic Hutch fit in well with the dinner table I modified from Ana's Farmhouse table. Instead of adding the 2x6 on the front and towel bar, I opted to leave the face clean with just a 2x4 and add some reclaimed antique drawer pulls on the side for decoration.

Instead of plywood or 1x4's for the back of the hutch I used the ever handy bead board. Same feel, but cut to size. We also raised the shelf up 12" from the bottom so that I could easily vacuum under it and it would be a great place for a basket or 2 just to hide linens.

Thank you Ana...my house is transforming one project at a time...

This took me for-ever to build but mainly because I have an infant plus two other children. I think the actual time in hours was about 15 for the build and about the same for finish work. We modified the plans to fit my sons full size mattress. We also spent a lot on lumber because, initially, I thought I would stain but ended up painting.

Built this bed and stool for my grandaughter's first "big girl" bed.

The plans for the small and medium picnic table came at a perfect time. Our two granddaughters were growing out of their plastic play table and a big party was on the horizon - a graduation from pre-school.

As it turned out, I had purchased some very nice pine pre-covid and decided to use it for the table. The only change I made to the plan was to use 1" x 6" boards for the top as that was what I had. It gave the table a lighter look. I'm not sure if the boards will cup over time but I'm hoping the 5 coats of Spar Varnish will prevent that from happening.

I was surprised at how easy the plans were to follow and that the level of detail was enough to get it build without questioning "What do I do next?" or "How do I do this?"

I must say that having a miter saw and drill press made the job go faster but I could see that using more basic tools would certainly get the job done. Having the material allowed me to build the table in a single day. The coats of varnish took time to apply and let dry but I believe it will protect the table better than polyurethane.

rustic bench, modified length and omitted x detail, painted numbers

My sister wanted a step stool for her grand-daughter via her daughter-in-law. Like our mother and grand-mother before us, we stood by the sink with our hands in the wash water "helping" with the dishes. She asked it I could build a stool. After searching through several plans, I came across this vintage step stool and changed it up a little for the personal touch. I added the cartoon characters to fit with my great-nieces theme and she now has something that she can "brag" about as she grows.

I saw this plan on pinterest and really liked the way it looked. I bought the wood, but let it sit for a year because it wasn't a priority. Well, we were getting a new dog and he needed a little more room due to hip surgery. So, I expanded the crate dimension and got to work. I added 6 inches to the width, and 4 to the length but turns out I was about an inch shy all the way around to fit a plastic liner tray. Next one will be better. I used birch plywood on the side panels and the bottom panel, but used 4 inch wide board to create a slatted top rather than a solid top. I put hinges on the top with a window latch style lock, and put 2 slider style gate locks on the door. the color was from using medium walnut Danish oil, finished with 3 coats of gloss poly. During the project, I took time to teach my 9 yr old daughter how to use various tools, from the drill to the power miter saw. It was a great bonding time for us, and for a worthwhile reason- the new dog.

Great Miter saw cart plans! Absolutely love how mobile my miter saw is now. I added adjustable shelves and drawers for a ton of storage.