New Year... New Table!!

This happens to me... Every year.

I move a few things around to make room for my Christmas tree and I end up really liking the new setup.  The only problem with this is that it leaves a hole.  Now I needed a table. Typically I know someone looking to get rid of one I can revamp but this year that wasn't the case.  After looking at the hole for more than 24 hours I decided it was time to go visit Miss Ana White.

You may remember her site from Ashley's entertainment center.  I remember stumbling upon Ana's blog when she had about 100 followers.  I immediately thought... This gal is going to be big.  I was right... She's huge!  She offers free plans to create your own furniture that is very similar to what you can find at PB and other stores.  I have never built from her site before but I was ready to give it a go.

I found her plan for a simple bookcase and knew it would be perfect with baskets for the space I am trying to fill.  I will tell you how I made mine... I basically copied her plan exactly.

I bought my wood.  I changed that up a bit because I can't fit 12 footers in my car.  Here is what I bought...

4 ~ 1x12x4

4 ~ 1x2x8

1~ 24"x36" bead board wainscoting

That's it.

I cut my pieces to the sizes she specified on the plans.

I started by making the box.  I drew a line the width of a 1x2 to mark where I would attach my bottom shelf.

I used Gorilla Wood Glue to assemble this and it worked perfectly.

Just add a line to your side piece and attach your bottom shelf first.

This was my first experience with my new brad nailer.  I purchased mine super cheap at Northern Tool.  I LOVE it.  It makes me want to put a nail in everything... for real.

I nailed the first shelf in place and then attached the other side using the same method.

I added a line of Gorilla Wood Glue to each side of my middle shelf and positioned it inside my box.  I used my brad nailer to attach the sides to the shelf.

Now I was ready for my leg pieces.  I cut the pieces according to Ana's plan and used a line of glue and my brad nailer to attach the each piece.

Here is the base of the leg.

Ready for my trim pieces...

I measured the space between the legs and used glue and my nail gun to attach the trim.

After adding all 4 trim pieces I attached my top.  I cut my 1x12 according to Ana's plan and used the glue and nail gun again to attach it.

Top attached...

Ana's plans call for plywood I think but I opted for the bead board wainscoting because I like the look so much better.  It dresses it up a bit. I cut it and attached it with glue and the nail gun.

This is where I was supposed to be finished.  I thought it was perfect but missing just a little something.  I had some leftover trim from a previous project in my scrap pile.  I thought it would look perfect on my new little table.  I cut with my saw and attached it with glue and the nail gun.

So cute... Right??  My last step was to caulk all my nail holes.  I let the caulk dry and then sanded the whole thing before I painted it.

Want to see it all finished?? Me too... But I only managed to get one coat on today so I will share that with you tomorrow!  I think you will love it.

Some advice now that I have built one of Ana's plans...

~ I will never build without my brad nailer again.  I seriously finished this baby in less than a couple hours and that is why.  It's an inexpensive "must" for those of you looking to build.  I LOVE it.

~ Your cuts must be perfect for everything to look good.  If you have Lowe's or Home Depot cut your pieces make sure to measure them before leaving the store!

~ Caulk covers up lots of mistakes (whoop!)

~It really is soooo easy and fun!  I think using the tools makes it so much easier so borrow your hubby's if you need to!

Hope that helps!!  I will be back tomorrow with it all finished up.  I can't wait to show you guys.

Have a great New Year's Eve!! I will be spending mine at home watching something on HGTV or Lifetime... Please don't be jealous :-)

~Whitney