Community Brag Posts

I fell in love with the darling bunk bed built by so many of Ana's readers. Since seeing it I've made several for my granddaughter, neighbors, and friends. What I've learned is that although they're cute, they take almost as much time as a full sized bed!

We constructed the Rustic Kitchen Island with a few modifications. My dad, president of the Norm Abrams fan club, built fantastic drawers using rabbet joints and fashioned a maple cutting board top. We also chamferred the edge of the top and the leg ends, very easy and adds a beautiful touch. We finished the cutting board top with "Salad Bowl Finish" which facilitates food prep.

This was a Christmas present for my boyfriend, he is in love with it! I watched him play with it like a little kid for hours after opening it. Thank you, Ana, for your great plans! (Also, Santa brought me your book for Christmas so I will be sharing many more completed projects!)

This was my very first project in the workshop. I was able to complete most of it on my own, which is why I rated it a "beginner" project. However, construction of the drawers using rabbet joints and prepping the maple for the top were considerably more difficult.

Love it. 

It was easy to make and we decided to paint it instead of stain. It goes perfectly with our mid century modern home!

This project took us about a day. We made 15. Other then an incident where my boyfriend almost shot my father in the foot with a nail gun (accidently of course lol) it went pretty well. Way better then the paper and mismatched ones that I had before!!

My two dauirlghters wanted a stable to protect their beloved American Girl Doll Horses.

My niece had an area in her master bathroom that she wanted to make into a closet.   Since she is very interested in woodworking I was happy to assist her on her first project.  It was a challenge as one wall was out of plum by 1.5 inches but we managed to successfully address the problem. 

The project turned out very nice and now my niece has a large closet with lots of storage space.  But we also created a monster as she has definitely caught the woodworking bug!  Her birthday is coming up soon and all she wants are tools!

I have been wanting outdoor seating by my pool forever but couldn't afford anything I liked. When I came across Ana White's plans for the outdoor sectional I knew I had to build two. They are just what I was wanting and cost under $200. It took my brother & I one afternoon to buy the supplies and put it all together. Since this furniture is outdoors 24/7, I had to caulk the seams & paint the whole thing. That process took two days. The biggest expense was of course the cushions from Home Depot that Ana White recommends for this sectional. I have to admit, they are well worth every penny. They look amazing! Can't wait to spruce them up with some throw pillows.

We built this sectional for approximately $700. The wood and supplies cost about $200. The cushions were the most expensive, about $500. We wanted 24 inch wide and 5 inch thick cushions that were well made. I ended up ordering them online from Wal-Mart. The project could have taken about one day, but due to work and kids, it took us about a week.

I first saw this table on the Shanty 2 Chic website and when I saw that it was based on a plan from Ana, I knew we had to build it. I asked my husband David to get started on it right away.

It turned out perfectly!!!

Handmade rustic entryway table. Stained with Varathane Stain and made from 2x4s & 2x6s Canadian white pine

Here is my version of the modern farmhouse end table and coffee table. I used a 4/4 slab of live edge red oak for the tops and put a drawer in each end table.

I originally wanted the Hudson Dresser from Pottery Barn but I wanted it a little more feminine. I also really liked the Madison Dresser plans posted on this website so I combined the two and this is what I got. It took me a weekend to build and a week to stain (a layer of stain after work a day). I got the drawer pulls from World Market and I got the bunn feet on ebay. I'm overall very pleased with it.

So my son needed a bunk bed and we came upon the sweet pea bed. It was too girly for him so we decided to go with a theme that would be timeless, something he wouldn't mind having when he is 18 (or older, he is 10 now). What is better than Mario! (We are a house full of gamers, my 17 year old is super jealous of this bed lol). The build was fairly easy and the plans were straight forward enough, the time consuming part was the painting (without all the painting we could have probably build this in a long weekend). We changed a few things, like not arching the top windows, adding the 4 inch 2x4 squares to the top to give the castle look and stairs are made to look like stairs from the side so we stepped out the banister instead of angling it.

Modern outdoor chairs and loveseat with a slightly modified loveseat for my husband who insisted on having a backrest.

A friend needed an entry table, so I went with the Cheap and Easy Console plan and found the baskets at Ross. I modified to include lower shelf and did a single board top because I was trying to avoid buying more wood.

Men come in crates - who knew?

My crate is a gift for a friend, to be filled with manly foodstuffs, but in the mean time, the little 'un loved trying it out.

I didn't follow the plans rigidly, but I absolutely loved the idea and was inspired by all the great photos on this site. Mine looks the same from above and below, but the front and back side slats are attached to the lid while the left and right ones are attached to the box. Also, everything uses the same 18mm ply (what I had available!) which means you can easily lift it using the side slats, but lift the lid off with the front and back slats.

Enjoyed this project - will more than likely make others in the future. Maybe even spend a bit of time on the finish next time - the 'rough 'n' ready' look works well enough for this kind of project though, so it plays to my strengths!