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