Materials needed:

Kreg Jig for pocket holes

Staples longer than ¼” or brad nails

Wood glue

Tools Needed:

Circular saw

Kreg Rip Cut (optional, but helpful)

Miter Saw

Drill

Table Saw

Router and rabbet bit (optional)

Sander

Clamps

Step 1: Assemble the sides

First, I cut four 2×2 legs at 40” long. Then I ripped two plywood strips from my sheet 14” wide using my circular saw and rip cut. You could use a table saw for this, but it’s easier with the circular saw and rip cut…especially when you are scrawny like me haha.

Then I cut a 26” long piece off EACH 14” strip. Don’t cut them both from the same strip, or you’ll have to cut another strip for the next part of the build.

Using ¾″ pocket holes and 1 ¼″ pocket hole screws, I attached two legs to each piece of plywood making two side panels like the picture below. Notice the pocket holes on the top…that’s to attach the top later.

Step 2: Assemble the carcass

I love using the word “carcass.” I think I’ve told you that before??

I cut 6 pieces of 2×2 at 60” long and used them to attach the sides together using 1 ½″ pocket holes and 2 ½″ pocket hole screws like shown.

The bottom 2x2s were attached 3” from the bottom of the legs and the middle 2x2s were attached so that the bottom of the 2×2 was 26” from the top of the legs.

The picture doesn’t show, because I didn’t add this until later (long story…I had to cut some more 2x2s), but you could also add 14” long 2x2s at the bottom along the sides (front to back) at this point. Or later…whichever.

Step 3: Add the bottom and shelf

The remaining pieces of plywood from step 1 should both be 60” long. Perfect fit for the shelf on the bottom and the cabinet bottom. See what I did there?

I drilled ¾″ pocket holes along the edges of both pieces and screwed them into the 2x2s and the sides like shown using 1 ¼″ pocket hole screws. This picture was taken looking from the bottom view.

And here, I still haven’t added the bottom side 2x2s…but I will, I promise!

Step 4: Add middle divider

I cut two pieces of 2×2 at 23” and attached using 1 ½″ pocket holes and 2 ½″ pocket hole screws in the middle of the piece on the front and back. Be sure to measure for the exact center.

Then, I cut a piece of plywood at 14” wide and 24 ½” long and attached using ¾″ pocket holes and 1 ¼″ pocket hole screws like shown.

PS see that other cabinet in the background?? It’s this dresser!

Step 5: Add back

I tried a new way of adding a back using my router. You could do this or simple staple the back on. Either way works just fine. I used a ⅜” rabbet bit in my router to make a ¼” deep groove around the back openings and stapled in the ¼” plywood for the back in so that it sits flush. Or you could just cut ¼” plywood to fit over the holes in the back and staple. It’s just an extra step to use the router. Either way, just get a back on that thing 😉

Step 6: Add those 2x2s on the bottom sides if you haven’t already

Talking to myself here…See?? I told you I was going to add them. If you haven’t already, add these things!

Now we are here…almost done.

Step 7: Build the top

Click over to my post here to see how I make table tops. I made this top 65” long and 18” deep. I used my 2x10s here.

Once the glue is dry, I screwed the top in through the top front and back 2x2s using 2 ½” screws and then used 1 ¼″ pocket hole screws to attach on the side and middle divider panels.

Step 8: Build the doors

Check out my post here on how to build these simple shaker style cabinet doors. I built 4 of them taking into account the width of the butt hinges and leaving a small gap between the doors. Because things can sometimes get a little “off,” it’s best to measure the exact size for these before you make them instead of me telling you. I usually leave ⅛” gap along all the edges for doors. You can do the math 🙂

Once the doors were made, I simply attached using small brass butt hinges.

I used double magnetic catches to hold the doors in place. My friend installed her own hardware after she finished it, so at this point, my work was done 🙂

I seriously love it just plain and natural. But in case you like a more finished look, check this out!

So what do you guys think?? Ready to build one of your own??

If so, I’d love it if you would pin this for later 🙂

Until next time, happy building!!

DIY Bar Cart from a Single Board

July 1, 2017 by Shara, Woodshop Diaries

Can you believe you can build a DIY bar cart from a single board?? Read on to find out how.

I built this project from a single 2x10x8 board.

Now, the 2x material you find at the building stores is what you typically call “construction lumber.”

It’s probably not the most glamorous stuff you’ve ever seen. You may have to dig through a large pile just to find some straight ones.

But, it’s cheap. And it’s readily available.

And, despite the bad reputation this type of wood gets, most of what I build is made from construction lumber.

When you get a little creative, you can make some really pretty stuff it–like this simple DIY bar cart.

I’m sharing how to build your owns DIY Bar Cart (I guess since I don’t drink, it’s technically a tea cart??) from a single 2x10x8 board that only cost $6.56 (in 2017 when I bought it).

I’ve got the project details, printable plans, and the how to for you below. If you prefer to watch, I even have a video tutorial, too!

To build this DIY bar cart, you’ll need:

This post contains affiliate links. See disclosure policy for details.

Materials:

Tools:

Table Saw
Miter Saw
Drill
Kreg Jig for pocket holes
Measuring tape
Sander
Clamps (optional, but helpful)

How to Build a DIY Bar Cart From One Board:

Grab the printable plans below after you check out the video here:

You’ll find the step by step building process in the tutorial below, but if you prefer a printable version, I’ve got the complete printable plans available as well.

Prefer to print your plans?

Step 1: Cut down the 2×10 board

First, I had to cut down my board to size using a table saw.

NOTE: If you don’t have a table saw, you can purchase four 2x2s and four 1×2 to make this instead.

I cut in this order:

First, I ripped two strips of 2” wide board from the 2×10 using a table saw.

I cut 12” off of ONE of these 2” boards with a miter saw and set it to the side.

Then, I cut what’s left of the 2×10 in half (two 4 ft pieces). I ripped three strips from one of these pieces at 1 ½” wide.

Lastly, I ripped the remaining wood and the 12” piece I cut from the 2” wide boards earlier all down to ¾” thick strips.

I know that’s a lot of instructions, but once this is cut, it’s easy peesy from here.

If you’d like to check out the cut diagrams, cut list, and printable step by step instructions, grab the complete building plans here.

Step 2: Cut Legs for DIY Bar Cart

The 2” wide strips are the legs.

NOTE: If you are using 2x2s instead, it’s fine that it’s 1 ½″ instead of 2″ wide, but you’ll need to add a little piece onto the bottom to attach the casters because…

I would have made these 1 ½” wide instead of 2”, but the casters had 2” long brackets to screw into the legs. So I made the legs 2”.

I cut two legs and a top from each 2” piece. The legs are mitered at 45 degrees on ONLY ONE END and cut at 34 ½” long at the longest point.

Step 3: Cut out the frame pieces

I cut down the 1 ½” wide pieces so that I had 4 pieces at 11 ⅞” long and 4 pieces at 23 ⅞” long. Why ⅞”??

If you cut at an even 12” and 24”, you won’t have enough board because you didn’t account for the blade width on the cuts.

Your last piece will be too short…helpful hint 😉

I drilled one 1 ½” pocket hole in each end of these pieces.

Step 4: Assemble the Cart frame

I measured up from the bottom of the legs 4” and made a mark, then 26 ½” and made another mark.

You can pick different measurements if you want–this is really just personal preference how high or low you place your shelves.

I lined the frame pieces up with these marks and assembled the frame like shown using 2 ½” pocket hole screws in the pocket holes I drilled in step 3.

RELATED: How to use a pocket hole jig

I checked to make sure the miters were turned the right way on the legs.

I found it easiest to assemble the two side frames first, then attach them together with the longer pieces.

You can see this in the video.

Also note that all the frame pieces are flush to the INSIDE of the legs.

Assemble cart frame using pocket holes and screws

Once the frame was together, cut the top pieces from what was left of the 2″ wide pieces from step 1.

The tops are mitered at both ends not parallel to each other and cut at 15 ⅞” long at the longest point.

Cutting bar cart legs to length on miter saw

I glued and clamped on the top pieces between the corner legs. Allow the glue plenty of time to dry.

Step 5: Cut the slats for Bar Cart

While the glue was drying, I cut 10 pieces of 11 ⅞” long and 7 pieces of 23 ⅞” long from the ¾” thick boards.

The longer ones will be the top slats and the shorter ones will be the bottom slats.

I drilled one ¾” pocket hole in each end of each board.

Slats cut and pocket holes drilled for cart trays

Step 6: Attach the slats

I screwed the slats in place using 1 ¼” pocket hole screws, making sure to space them out evenly.

I made the tops slats run lengthwise and the bottom run opposite.

I screwed them in so that the bottoms were flush with the bottom of the frame pieces.

This left a shallow “lip” around the edges so that they were more like a “tray” than a “shelf.”

You can make the top flush across if you’d rather. It’s just personal preference.

Step 7: Add casters to DIY Bar Cart

At this point, I simply screwed the casters into the bottom of the legs.

Screwing casters into bottom of cart legs

Step 8: Putty, sand and finish

I put a little putty around the mitered corners and sanded it down really well.

I’m really digging natural finishes lately, so I chose to leave mine as is with just a coat of poly on it.

Of course, you can stain or paint as desired.

Step 9: Roll DIY Bar Cart in place

Fill up your tea pitcher, grab your mason jars and get ready for a party.

Close up of Iced Tea on Bar Cart Top Tray

I love how it turned out and I think the natural wood color looks great.

If you plan on leaving your cart “naked,” look for a board with lots of large, dense knots to add some color variation and character.

Simple Modern Bar Cart with natural wood finish on caster wheels

I love this little cart for my kitchen.

That wood round was made from rough cut poplar I originally bought to cover a steel beam in our kitchen remodel, but changed my mind.

After I made lazy susans, I had an idea and glued some of that old wood up and cut it out.

Why I waited so long to make these, I have no idea!!

DIY Bar Cart from 2x10 with slatted trays

Okay that’s enough pictures…I may have gotten carried away haha.

Be sure to check out the video tutorial and all the 2×4 and More projects below, but first, I’d love it if you’d pin this for later! 🙂

Now, check out all these other awesome #2x4andmore Challenge projects from these other talented bloggers!

garden arbor | Remodelaholic
15 minute coffee table | The Ugly Duckling House
tiered corner plant stand | Charleston Crafted
single-board rolling bar cart | Woodshop Diaries
outdoor bench w/rope detail | At Charlotte’s House
wall planter and herb garden | Making Joy and Pretty Things
upholstered x-base bench | Frazzled Joy
jumbo tic tac toe | Ginger Snap Crafts
porch bench | Everyday Party Magazine
console table | Hertoolbelt
farmhouse patio table | North Country Nest
easy flower planters | Our House Now a Home
treadmill incline | Practical and Pretty
patio side table | Small Home Soul

Easy DIY Scrap Wood Carrying Caddy

June 28, 2017 by Shara, Woodshop Diaries

Hey everyone! Today I have a super (I promise SUPER) easy scrap wood project for you that is not only cute, but super practical. But first, I have to confess something.

I was afraid of plywood for the longest time. I’m not really sure why…it’s just big and heavy and I hated asking Danny to help me lift it up on sawhorses so I could cut it up. Plus, I swear, you get like 20 million splinters just by looking at it. And I don’t have enough time (or bandaids) to deal with splinters. #aintnobodygottimeforthat

But recently, I make a trip to the lumber yard just about every week for another sheet or two of the stuff. It’s become a staple in my shop and I use it ALL THE TIME. Once I realized how useful the stuff is, I can’t stop using it! (For some of my favorite plywood projects, check out this plywood entryway bench, pantry cabinet, and DIY bathroom vanity.)

BUT, what stinks about plywood (besides the splinters) is that no matter what you’re building, you will just about always have random scraps. With all my recent builds using plywood, I have accumulated an entire shop corner FULL of plywood scrap. See it all back there behind this table in the corner??? (PS if you want to build this table, I have the plans for you here…I’m full of building plans haha)

So I built this little caddy to make a small dent in my scrap plywood collection.

I originally made it as a cleaning supply caddy. But after I built it, I realized my drill fits in there perfectly and it would make a great tool caddy, too! Instead of loading up my tools in the floorboard of my car’s back seat when I have to do on site jobs, now I can shove them all in here and look more professional. #winning I actually found it super handy when installing these built ins in my friend’s house 😉

If you’re a crafty person, you could also use it for craft supplies.

Or if you do gardening, it would be great for that, too! Sorry, no pictures of that because I literally have nothing garden related to stage it with since I have a black thumb haha.

I’ve got the super simple plans for you over on Pretty Handy Girl today, so if you’re ready to build one for whatever your needs and interests are, be sure to click over.

But first, I would love it if you’d pin this for later 🙂

If you guys have any scrap wood projects you’d like to see, let me know in the comments!! I’d love to hear what kinds of things you’d like to build with your scraps!

Until next time, happy building!

How to Build an Aquarium Cabinet Stand

June 20, 2017 by Shara, Woodshop Diaries

In this post, I’ll show you how easy it is to build your own DIY aquarium cabinet stand!

How to Build a DIY Aquarium Cabinet Stand Pinterest Image

When my husband, Danny, decided he wanted a “man cave” with an aquarium, that meant I was tasked with building him a new DIY aquarium cabinet stand.

He was so excited about his aquarium, though, that it made it worth it…I think 🙂

I built this stand to be extra sturdy since it was going to be holding quite a bit of weight with all the water. His tank was 30 gallons and fit perfect.

But even if you didn’t want to use this to hold an aquarium, it would also make a great TV stand, storage cabinet, coffee bar, whatever.

This post contains affiliate links. Please see disclosure policy for details.

What You Need to Build Your Own DIY Aquarium Stand

Materials:

¾” plywood (½ sheet)
¼” plywood (¼ sheet)
2x10x8
(3) 2x4x8
(2) 2x2x8
(2) 1x3x8
Cove molding
Crown molding
Base molding
2 sets hinges
2 knobs/pulls
2 ½” pocket hole screws
1 ¼” pocket hole screws
Brad nails
Wood Glue
Wood putty

Tools:

Step 1: Build Sides of Aquarium Cabinet

To keep this cabinet as sturdy as possible, I build the majority of the frame from 2x4s.

I used 1 ½″ pocket holes and 2 ½″ pocket hole screws to assemble the 2×4 frame and installed a ¾″ plywood panel in the middle using ¾″ pocket holes and 1 ¼″ pocket hole screws.

Notice that the middle panel is installed FLUSH to the inside of the frame and that the bottom 2×4 is installed so that the top is 4 ½″ off the ground.

I made two identical side panels like this.

Two side frame panels built for DIY aquarium tank cabinet

Step 2: Build Middle Support of Aquarium Stand

To help hold the weight in the middle, I built another frame piece from 2x2s.

I assembled this using 1 ½″ pocket holes and 2 ½″ pocket hole screws as well.

Middle 2x2 support frame for aquarium cabinet to support weight

Step 3: Assemble the Aquarium Cabinet

Now it was time to assemble the middle panel and the side panels together to make the cabinet frame complete.

I used 2x4s at the top, bottom, front and back to attach it all together. I used 1 ½″ pocket holes and 2 ½″ pocket hole screws to assemble.

Notice that all the 2x4s along the bottom are attached so that the tops are 4 ½″ from the ground.

Side note: You can see below that when I built this, I used 2x2s along the back edge and 2x4s at the front. You could do that, but in hindsight, I think 2x4s are better for this project.

Aquarium cabinet frame assembled using pocket holes

Step 4: Add the Bottom of Cabinet Stand

I cut a piece of ¾″ plywood to fit in the bottom of the cabinet and installed using ¾″ pocket holes and 1 ¼″ pocket hole screws so that the inside of the cabinet bottom was flush across the top.

You can see the panel rests on the 2×2 on the bottom of the middle frame.

Step 5: Attach the Top

I used a 2×10 to build a top for the cabinet. I made it 36” long and 16 ½” wide. You can use a circular saw or table saw to trim it down to size. See my post here on how I build table/cabinet tops.

Once the top was trimmed down to its final size, I attached it to the cabinet.

You can attach this top several ways–you can either “toenail” (drive the screw at an angle) through the top 2x4s and into the top to secure it, drill pocket holes along the top of the frame and secure it with 2 ½″ pocket hole screws, OR use figure 8 tabs.

I discuss figure 8 tabs in this post. That is the better method to allow for wood movement, but pocket holes or toenailing will secure it as well.

Step 6: Add Doors to Aquarium Cabinet Stand

You can see my post here on how I build these simple Shaker style doors.

Doors for DIY cabinet gluing up in clamps

Or if you want to get a little fancier, I’ve got a tutorial to make another style cabinet door here. I made the doors 14” wide and 23 ½” tall.

Step 7: Add Trim and Moldings

Finally, I added crown molding around the top, base around the bottom, and cove to the insides of the side panels. (Note: I added the cove and base before the top…it doesn’t matter whether you do it before or after except for the crown molding.)

Cove molding added to side panels and baseboard added to bottom of aquarium stand

Crown molding added around top of aquarium cabinet stand

Step 8: Finish Aquarium Cabinet

I puttied and sanded where needed then, I stained the cabinet in Minwax Golden Oak and polyed with Minwax Polycrylic.

DIY aquarium cabinet stand finished in Golden Oak Wood stain

I attached the doors with semi concealed ½″ overlay hinges and added these pulls from D Lawless Hardware to the doors.

Then, Danny took it from there and filled his aquarium tank with plants and fish…and water of course.

How to Build a DIY Aquarium Cabinet Stand

Simple DIY Aquarium Cabinet Stand with Aquarium tank stocked

He requested that I didn’t add a back, because he wanted to hide the extension cord and power strip in the cabinet, but if you wanted a back, just staple or nail some ¼” plywood on the back side.

I catch Danny in here all the time just staring. I know he’s not staring at the awesome aquarium cabinet stand I built him–he’s just appreciating the fish.

But I know deep down he appreciates the cabinet I made him 🙂 Well, I THINK so anyway haha.

Danny watching fish in aquarium tank sitting on aquarium cabinet stand

We ended up moving into our garage apartment before Danny completely finished his man cave, but whenever we build our future home, he will redesign himself a new man cave so stay tuned for that.

In the mean time, check out the DIY couch I built him for his man cave here.

But for now, I’ve got to get back to my to do list 🙂

If you enjoyed this project, don’t forget to pin it for later!

Until next time, happy building!

How to Build a Modern DIY Dresser Armoire

June 16, 2017 by Shara, Woodshop Diaries

I have a bad habit of wanting to build, like, EVERYTHING. But, like, EVERYTHING won’t fit in my house. Or in my yard. Or in my garage. Or in my parent’s house. Or in my sister’s…

You know…all those places I keep trying to add things to.

That feels kind of limiting.

So I was so thankful that some friends of mine let me build them a dresser I’ve been DYING to build for their new baby. Supportive friends are the best friends 🙂

A similar dresser idea has actually been on my “to build list” (AKA the screenshot album on my phone) for a LOOOONG time. I kept thinking I would make one for my own bedroom. But I gave up finding room for it. Luckily, my friends had room…so I could finally make it!!

I LOVE the idea of a “dresser” that also has a cabinet on one side. Sometimes you need more than just drawers, amiright? You could also make a larger version as a kind of armoire or wardrobe….which I’m also DYING to build…any takers?? 😉

This post was sponsored by Build Something. As always, all opinions are my own.

You can find the full plans and tutorial over on Kreg’s site for building plans, Build Something. While you’re over there, check out all the other awesome building plans, including a few others from me like the Lutyen’s Bench and the Louvered Planter Boxes.

My friends wanted to use this as a baby dresser, but also as a changing table, so I added a little tray on the top to accommodate the changing pillow they had for her. I didn’t have the pillow to actually stage it with, but you get the idea, right?? But you could use it with or without the tray.

I’ve made similar doors like this for my bathroom vanity and for the cabinet above the toilet in my bathroom remodel, but they were a lot easier to make than this one haha. But after some trial and error, I got the door glued together and I really love this style. Which means, you may be seeing more like it soon…after I develop a little more patience…

But, you could also make a simple shaker style door as well.

The brass pulls were a perfect match to the style and color (Minwax Early American if you were wondering).

I’ve been digging the modern style lately and love the straight clean lines. What do you guys think?? Let me know in the comments 🙂 I’d love to hear your feedback.

If you want to build your own, be sure to click over for the full plans on Build Something.

But before you go, I’d really love it if you’d pin this for later 🙂

Until next time, happy building!!

A New Home for Lucy–Modern DIY Dog House

June 12, 2017 by Shara, Woodshop Diaries

I’ve always considered myself a dog person. Growing up I HATED cats.

But, you guys, never say never. Growing up, I said I would NEVER have a cat and IF I ever did, I wouldn’t like it. Now fast forward past a long story about vicious animals and a ton of mouse turds in our kitchen ceiling (if you want to know the whole story, just ask…I’ll tell it), and now, we have PET…that’s right PET…cats. How did this happen?! Like, they go to the vet and everything…PETS.

So, in order to save some of our dignity (you know…after I said I would NEVER…then I did), we discussed getting another dog (because then I could say I was still a “dog person”), but never could bring ourselves to get one. Then one day, Lucy came into the picture.

She showed up skin and bones and filthy. After she stayed around for a week or so, we took her to the vet to see if she was microchipped…no luck. And we posted it all over Facebook and never heard a peep back from anyone claiming her. So, we took her in. She really loves Danny. And laying in people’s laps.

Only problem was…we weren’t really prepared for a dog, so we didn’t have a dog house ready for her. And that’s kind of important.

So I reached out to Jen Woodhouse from The House of Wood to see if she would want to help me with some plans for Lucy’s new house. Jen is like the best at drawing plans…and designing furniture…and singing…and blogging…I was kind of starstruck working with her. #fangirl

Thankfully, she was happy to help me with the dog house and drew up some plans for it. You can click over here to her site for the full building plans. But first, I have a picture and video (YES, VIDEO!!) tutorial, but all the dimensions and details can be found in the plans on Jen’s site.

NOTE: You will see Lucy in these pictures on a tie out. As some have questioned this, let me be clear that she is ONLY on a tie out right outside my shop while I am working in there. That way, she can come inside with me, or go outside as she wishes. She always has water available and she enjoys just sitting outside my shop door and watching the cats run around the yard. She comes inside with us when we are inside the house and she only stays outside (under shelter and in a LARGE lean to by our barn–not tied up) while we are at work all day. Lucy is well taken care of. Now that you know Lucy’s daily schedule and living conditions, here’s the details on her dog house 🙂

This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. If you purchase through these links, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. This helps keep the content here free. Thank you for supporting this site! See policies here.

For this build I used all the basic tools:

Miter saw

Jig Saw

Table Saw

Drill

Kreg Pocket Hole Jig

Nail gun

Nothing fancy was required for this build. But, I will warn you…it’s big and it’s heavy and it’s best to build it outside or you won’t be able to get it out of the door. You’ve been warned 🙂

I wanted Lucy to have a place to lay outside the house on those hot summer days. The inside is mainly for winter time when it’s cold (it’s insulated, too…more on that further down). But in the summer, I thought she would like a nice deck to chill on.

So first, I built the deck. This is the easy part. I assembled the frame just like the plans show from 2x4s and screwed 1×4 slats in for the top. You can see more in the video 😉

Before moving on, I moved this outside and stained it with outdoor stain and sealant. It’s easier to finish the deck before attaching the house…especially if you are doing two tone like I did. But it’s not required.

Then, I assembled the house frame according to the plans. Meanwhile, Lucy enjoyed her new deck. See? I knew that was a good idea 🙂

I screwed the back frame together first with pocket holes and screws, then attached the side 2x4s and the front frame. You can see more on this in the video below and in the plans. (You guys!!! I MADE A VIDEO…so go check it out at the end of the post and tell me what you think 🙂 )

I set the frame in place to make sure Lucy would fit. Good news…she does!

Then, I screwed the house in place. You could use pocket holes and screws here, but I just “toenailed” screws in at an angle through the frame into the deck.

Then, it was time to add the siding. This is where it starts to actually look like a house. In order to make it a little more airtight (it gets cold in the winter, here, so we wanted to keep her warm), I used tongue and groove 1x6s instead of regular 1x6s. Either works fine, though.

I nailed on the siding along the sides of the house first, and as I got to the top, I marked along the boards where they needed to be trimmed to fit the angle and cut it with a jig saw.

Once the sides were finished, I added slats on the back. Once I got to the top, I ripped the last board to fit. I beveled the board at a 15 degree angle when I ripped it, so it would follow the angles on the side.

Then, I added the front slats the same way, leaving the door open and beveling the top board to fit.

Next, I primed and painted the house. Because I was doing a two tone house, it was easiest to paint now. But again, depending on your color scheme, you can paint it later.

I painted the house in the same paint I used for my front door refresh—Sherwin-Williams Snap Dry in Anchors Aweigh. I love this navy color. Paired with the wood, it looks like of mid century modern…or is that just me?

Once the paint was dry, I added some door trim and a canopy. I also made a small “toy box” with some scraps and screwed it into the front of the house. I would plant flowers here, but Lucy has a tendency to eat everything in sight (she actually was chewing on the house frame when I was seeing if she fit in it…), so I skipped the flowers haha.

This isn’t in the plans and is totally optional, but in order to keep Lucy warm in the winter, I chose to insulate the house. I stapled insulation between the 2x4s in the frame, then lined it with ¼” plywood. I added the roof without insulation (I was in a hurry), but will go back before winter and do the same on the roof. This should keep Lucy nice and warm 🙂

Lastly, I added the roof slats just like the plans show and finished them in outdoor stain and sealant.

As a finishing touch, I made Lucy a little sign for the front of her house and a floating dog bowl shelf for the side from some scrap pieces.

Then I talked Danny into helping me move it and realized it was way too heavy, so we drug it across the yard. Whatever works, right?

I think Lucy likes it 🙂

What do you guys think?? The house will be in a lean to by our barn, so it shouldn’t really ever get wet, but if yours will, I would recommend maybe adding shingles to the roof for a little more water protection.

I’m pretty sure Lucy has the brightest dog house (or actual house for that matter) in the neighborhood. Only the best for our Lou 🙂

Check out the video below for more of Lucy’s reaction to her new house and for a few more building details. Also, be sure to click over and get the plans from Jen’s site if you plan on building your own! Thanks so much again to Jen Woodhouse for the plans for this build!! If you aren’t already following her, you should be (and honestly, if you aren’t already following her, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!). Her builds will blow you away!

Oh yeah, one more thing…be sure to pin this for later 🙂

Until next time, happy building!

DIY Lutyens Outdoor Garden Bench

June 5, 2017 by Shara, Woodshop Diaries

Hold up. Can you believe that Spring is basically over and Summer is only a couple weeks away?? I feel like I was JUST vacuuming up Christmas tree needles like yesterday…how did we get here?? I’m not ready!!

My farmer’s tan isn’t ready for tank tops yet.

The garden isn’t planted yet.

The pool isn’t open yet.

And let’s not even talk about getting into a swimsuit in public yet…

But I do have one thing ready for summer. And that is my outdoor seating situation.

This post was sponsored by Kreg and Build Something. All opinions are my own and you can see my disclosure policy here. This post also contain affiliate links for your convenience.

I’ve got the plans for you posted over on Build Something, which is Kreg’s site for posting step by step project plans for everything you can imagine.

I love the detail of the Lutyen’s Bench. By the way, did you know this is a common garden bench design? It’s named after an architect who originally came up with this design way back a long time ago (1800s maybe?? don’t quote me on that). It’s apparently been a crowd favorite all these years because people are still making them. You can find them for THOUSANDS of dollars on some websites. Luckily, mine will only run you a small fraction of that 🙂 You’re welcome.

PS, I totally want to be remembered 100s of years later for a super sweet furniture design…I should probably start working on that, huh??

The size is fairly easy to customize, but it’s big enough to fit 2-3 people comfortably. I let Danny play around with the camera while I tested it out.

I like to throw in my “World’s Greatest Do It Yourselfer” mug when I get the chance….just to remind everyone 😉 hahahaha I wonder how many people have this exact same mug…and which one actually IS the world’s greatest? Because I’m 100% sure it is not ACTUALLY me.

One more interesting tidbit of information…I drew out the template for the top design in Microsoft Word. WHAT?! I know, right?? I have limited resources and had to work with what I had. Lucky for you, I provide an easy template in the plans here on Build Something, so you don’t have to waste ten hours making circles in Word. (Not that I did that….just kidding…I totally did that…).

I used my new Band Saw to cut out the curves and it worked out TEN TIMES better than if I had tried it with my jig saw. Highly recommended.

I used my trusty Kreg Jig for most of the assembly and finished it in a accidental combination of Thompsons Waterseal in Harvest Gold, and Olympic Maximum Outdoor Stain and Sealant in Canyon Brown. I tried the harvest gold first and it was way too light, then covered it in Canyon Brown and it ended up being something in between the two. I like it, though 🙂 and it’s super water proof now haha.

The blanket on the bench is also one of my favorite blankets/towels for outdoor. It’s lightweight and is great for covering up on those crisp mornings or for laying out on in the grass. But just in case you want to get a good look at the design, I’ll show you a picture of it naked…without the pillows or the blanket.

Be sure to head over to Build Something to see how I made it and you can make one of your own! But before you go, I’d LOVE for you to pin this for later 🙂

For more outdoor projects, be sure to check out these:

Louvered Planter Boxes

Spring Wreath

Front Door Refresh

Until next time, happy building!!

How to Build Floor to Ceiling Built Ins

May 19, 2017 by Shara, Woodshop Diaries

People always ask me, “what’s the biggest thing you’ve ever built?” I’m not sure why everyone wants to know this, but I never really know how to answer.

Are we talking “big” as in the budget?? If so, then it’s the kitchen remodel…which I technically didn’t “build.”

Are we talking “big” as in the volume/cubic ft of the piece of furniture?? I haven’t measured exactly, but I guess it would be the farmhouse table.

Or “big” as in the thing that took the most time?? Or the most material?? Maybe this pantry cabinet??

I give a different answer to everyone who asks.

Until now. Now I know for sure what the biggest thing I’ve ever built is. It’s so big I can’t even get it all in one picture…

I built these huge 4 ½ ft wide and 10 ft tall built ins in a family friend’s bathroom recently and this is by far the biggest thing I’ve ever built. BUT, it wasn’t too difficult, and I’ll give you a break down of how I did it 🙂

Built ins are a bit tricky…every space will require different measurements. So I’ll give you an idea of the HOW I did it, but if you do something similar, you will have to figure out the measurements for your own space.

I wanted to build these built ins as much as possible in my own shop, not on site. It’s just easier for me to do things like that with my schedule.

So I measured the space to know what I needed. When in doubt, build slightly smaller and cover any gaps with trim.

The space was about 54 ¼” at the largest part and about 53 ¾” at the smallest. I measured in SEVERAL places in the front, back, top and bottom of the space. Walls are NEVER perfect, so you want to find where it’s smallest. It was slightly shorter than 10 ft at about 119″.

So, once you have your measurements, build cabinet carcasses to fit the space.

At this point, you have to consider the width of your face frames in this part. I used 1×3 face frames—one on each side and one in the middle. When all three face frames are attached, you want the total width to be the smallest measurement you took when you measured the space. That way, you know it should fit. So my actual cabinet is slightly smaller because the face frames stick out the sides a little. This is to make it easier to mount the drawer slides.

Once the carcasses are together, you can add the face frames EXCEPT the middle one. I didn’t attach the middle face frame until I was on site. Just in case I mis-measured and needed to trim it down a little for the cabinets to fit the space.

Once the carcasses are together, add drawer slides and drawers. You can see my post here on how I make drawers. I almost ALWAYS use the “cut the slit for the bottom” way now that I’m more comfortable using the table saw. This just makes the drawers nice and clean. By the way, these drawer cabinets were made about 4ft tall.

Drawers are fun, but a little time consuming. My cat got tired just watching me.

Then you can add drawer fronts. These can be decorative or plain…whichever fits your style. I added some shaker style drawer fronts. I glued 1x3s together for the frame (you could use pocket holes as well), then routed out the back (like I did when I made these doors…and these doors too), and glued and stapled a piece of ¼” plywood onto the back grooves. Then I glued the fronts onto the drawers. You want to make sure everything is lined up right before you clamp your drawer fronts because once the glue is dry, that sucker isn’t going to move. If you are using plain solid drawer fronts, you could glue and screw from the inside instead of gluing only.

The cat is apparently still tired from watching me.

The bottoms are pretty much done at this point except for finishing and install. So it’s time to move onto the top.

But first, cut a piece of plywood to go over the drawer cabinets if they are deeper than the tops. I made the drawer cabinets 22” deep and the top cabinets only 18” deep. So for the “countertop,” I cut a piece of plywood to fit over the cabinets and put some edge banding on the front. This may need to be trimmed some during install. Keep that in mind.

For the tops, you can do the same thing…build the carcass then attach face frames except for the middle one. For these I used pocket holes to add a shelf about ⅔ of the way up. You could do more than one shelf or no shelves if you wanted. I also built these so that (based on my space measurements) the top was about 1 ½” from the ceiling. If you plan to add crown, this will give you some wiggle room that you can cover up later.

The tops were pretty simple. Once the carcass is built and the face frames added, you can build doors for the openings. You can see how I build shaker style doors in this post.

Because the doors on mine were so large, the design was pretty plain.

So I ripped some strips to glue onto the middle of the doors to break it up some. I had never made doors this large, so I didn’t think about the style looking strange with the doors so large. Here’s a picture of them installed where you can see the strip. Hindsight is always better.

While the doors were gluing, I used my Kreg shelf pin jig to drill holes for adjustable shelves. You could add stationary shelves if you wanted, but the Shelf Pin jig allows for adjustable shelves which is really cool. You will need to cut shelves to fit in the cabinet and then attach the doors after the glue is dry on them.

Then it’s time to finish!! I stained it with Minwax Provincial and polyed with Minwax Polycrylic.

I also cut a piece of clear crown, some strips of cove molding, and baseboard a little longer than I needed and stained it as well. I trimmed it all down during install to the exact length it needed to be.

Then it’s ready to deliver and install it. You will need to shim up the bottom cabinets and screw them into the wall. This is where you will attach the middle piece of the face front. Luckily mine fit perfect, but JUST IN CASE they are too big, you could always rip a little off one side of the 1×3 in order for it to fit. This was the easiest way I could think of to cut down on any on site work needed in order to install them.

Then add the “countertop” with glue and brad nails, and cut the baseboard to fit at the bottom. It was also attached with brad nails. Then put the top cabinets in place and shim them as well. Once they are screwed into the studs, you can add the middle face frame just like on the bottom. It can be ripped to fit as necessary. Once the face frame is attached (with brad nails), then cut the crown to fit and nail it on.

Finally, you can add some cove molding along the outside corners to cover any gaps between the built ins and the wall.

You may have a totally better way of doing all of that, but that’s exactly what we did haha.

A huge thanks to D Lawless Hardware for the drawer pulls and knobs for this project. They looked so good with this color.

I only had a few feet to step back and get the picture, so I had to take pictures of the top and bottom separately. Ten foot tall is no joke. This thing was huge!!

So what do you think?? Something you would try?? The homeowners wanted a more rustic look, but these would look great both painted or stained and could go in a bathroom, living room, or any spare nook you wanted to fill 🙂

If this looks like something you’d like to try, don’t forget to pin for later!!

Keep your eyes out for more fun DIY storage ideas coming soon (smaller scale projects!!) and some REALLY fun outdoor projects too 🙂

Until next time, happy building!

Mid Century Modern DIY Pegboard Cabinet

May 8, 2017 by Shara, Woodshop Diaries

I’ve always had a bit of a “retro style.”

Long, straight, boring hair: check.

Likes tie dye: check. (This was taken in 2003…what a great year. I was 13.)

Plays guitar: check. (So even though I still play, this was the most recent photo I could find…it was also from 2003…)

Favorite sneakers have tie dye shoe strings and peace signs: check.

Still wears bell bottom jeans: check.

Likes furniture that looks like this:

Double check.

(For kicks and giggles, I’ll also let you know that when I was in elementary school, during the summer, spring, and fall breaks, our school system offered “enrichment classes” and I took all the 60’s and 70’s pop culture classes that I possibly could. Oh, and I spent hours decoupage-ing my first guitar case with old Sunday comics. #coolkidforsure)

So, I can’t deny that my style leans a lot more toward the retro mid century modern than the wildly popular modern farmhouse. I’m always the weirdo.

So when I saw a picture of a super retro, mid century modern style cabinet using pegboard for the doors, I KNEW I had to make one!! PS Danny HATES this thing. Like he wants to set it on fire and watch it smolder. He says it looks like it came straight out of the Brady Bunch house. I don’t see the problem.

If you are on Danny’s side and hate it too, it’s cool. I understand. But maybe I can sell you on it because it’s SO STINKING EASY to make. And of course, as always, I’m going to show you 🙂

This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase from these links I may receive a small commission at NO extra cost to you. This helps pay to keep this site running and the content free. Thank you for your support! See disclosure policy for more details.

Materials:

(1) sheet ¾” plywood

(1) sheet ¼” plywood

(1) sheet pegboard

(1) 1 ½” diameter x 48” long dowel rod

2 ½” wood screws

1 ½” (or 1 ¼”) nails for nail gun

Wood Putty

Wood Glue

Tools:

Circular Saw

Kreg Rip Cut (optional)

Table Saw

Nail Gun

1 ⅛” hole saw

Step 1: Cut the 4 sides of the pegboard cabinet

I ripped my ¾” plywood down to two strips 13” wide using my circular saw and Kreg Rip Cut. If you don’t have a Rip Cut, you could use a long straight edge. Then from those strips, I cut 2 pieces 48” long and 2 pieces 16” long using my circular saw and a straight edge.

Using my table saw, I beveled all the ends off all four pieces at 45 degrees. Make sure your bevels are NOT parallel to each other.

Step 2: Cut the grooves for the back and sliding doors

You can do this a million ways. You could simply nail ¼” plywood into the back of the piece once it’s assembled (in which case, you can skip this part about the backing grooves), route out the back so that you can “inset” the ¼” plywood on the back, or do it this way. As long as you get the back on somehow, it doesn’t really matter.

I used my table saw to cut a ¼” wide and ¼” deep groove about ¼” from the outside edge of the 4 pieces of plywood. A dado blade would work for this, or you can do what I do and cut one blade width, then adjust about ⅛” over and do another to get the ¼” wide part. (Similar to how I make shaker style doors.)

This groove will house the ¼” backing when it’s assembled.

I made a boo boo on the next step…I accidentally cut part of the groove in the short pieces before I realized I was an idiot and wasn’t supposed to. So the grooves on the front side of the short pieces were NOT supposed to be there.

This is what I SHOULD have done:

Then, I set aside the two short pieces and cut two more grooves (¼” wide and ¼” deep) on the opposite edge of the plywood on the long pieces. This is for the sliding doors. I cut the first groove about ⅜” from the outside edge and left about ¼” between that groove and the next one.

When you get done, your pieces look like this:

Step 3: Cut the backing and peg board

I measured the short side of my long plywood pieces (the length NOT including the beveled ends) and added ½” and did the same with the short pieces. This is the size the ¼” backing should be. Depending on how close you cut your bevels to the ends, it should be about 47” x 15”. I cut my ¼” plywood backing this size.

Then I added an inch to the width of the backing and cut a piece of pegboard this size, then cut it in half making sure not to cut through the circles on either side (this just makes it look nicer).

Step 4: Assemble the cabinet

Using wood glue and my nail gun, I pieced the cabinet together at the mitered corners. Before adding the last side, be sure to slide your backing and pegboard into the grooves. Also make sure everything is square.

One piece of pegboard should go in the front groove and the other in the groove behind it.

I puttied all nail holes and along the corners, then gave it a good sanding.

I also used the 1 ⅛” hole saw to drill holes on the top corners of the peg board doors so you can stick your fingers in to slide the doors back and forth. (I actually did this after the next step…so that’s why there are legs in the picture.)

Step 5: Add legs

I cut my 1 ½” dowel rod into four 9” pieces.

Then I marked on the bottom of the cabinet 4” from the outside edge and 2” from the front and back. I held the legs centered on these marks and predrilled through the bottom of the cabinet into the legs. After it was predrilled, I added some glue and used 2 ½” wood screws to secure the legs to the cabinet base.

Step 6: Finish…or not

I left mine unfinished. I’m becoming a fan of the natural wood thing. I liked how it looked with this design. However, you could finish it however you’d like. I plan to (whenever I get time…which is probably never) give it a quick coat of polycrylic, but for now I’m still deciding where to put it, so it’s not getting a lot of use, so it doesn’t hurt to stay bare.

I wish SO BAD I had one of those weird, psychedelic posters from the 70s to stage this with. But I don’t. I just have this cat picture, and pendant light.

This would be great to for a modern TV cabinet, but if you do set your TV on top of it, I recommend adding another support in the middle between the top and bottom pieces or maybe a support along the bottom.

I love that I didn’t have to pick out hardware for the doors. I’m too indecisive when it comes to that. The holes are perfect for just sliding with your fingers. Ps no hardware (hinges, pulls or knobs) saved me some $$ too. #heckyes

It would also make a great shoe cabinet, or a great place to house your blankets or extra pillows and accessories. Remember those sneakers??

So do you guys love or hate the mid century modern trend?? I’m loving it, but I may be the only one (according to Danny haha).

Let me know what you think of my new favorite furniture build in the comments below and be sure to pin it for later!!

If you are like me and LOVE the mid century modern trend, be sure to check out this MCM dresser, these modern pendent lights, and our modern bathroom remodel.

Until next time, happy building!! 🙂

DIY Modern Farmhouse Dining Bench

April 26, 2017 by Shara, Woodshop Diaries

Remember how I built a modern farmhouse dining table a few weeks ago and showed you how to build your own?? Well, that was great and all, but where are you supposed to sit?! What good is a table if there are no SEATS?!

Luckily, I FINALLY got around to posting the how to for the matching bench. I know, right? I’m slacking. You’ve had to stand at your new table for WEEKS while I piddled around not posting the matching bench. Just kidding….I know you probably didn’t think twice about the matching bench…until now, right?

But, now that you know there’s a matching bench, you totally have to make one!!

First, I want to show you a some pictures of it, though, because I think this part is funny.

The good thing about this bench is it can be used anywhere and made to whatever size you need. It doesn’t even have to be a “dining bench.” I say this because I staged it as an outdoor bench because I don’t have room in my house to set up the table and bench together for nice pictures hahaha. <–that’s the funny part FYI. So, bear with me and use your imagination 🙂

Now that you’ve seen it in all its glory on the front porch (I’m still laughing), go grab the how to.

I’m sharing the whole tutorial over on Pretty Handy Girl today as a brand new contributor! I am excited to be working with Brittany and several other very talented (how I got grouped in with them I have no idea!) contributors! You’ll see a new post from me over there once a month, so be sure to follow along!

I’ll be back here soon to post some more builds I’ve been busy working on AND some more fun spring projects (speaking of spring projects, don’t miss out on these: front door refresh, spring wreath, and DIY louvered planter boxes)…including how we dug up every living thing in the front yard…fun stuff.

But, until next time, happy building!! 🙂

Let’s Take This Outside–A Front Door Refresh Worthy of all the Heart Eyes

April 19, 2017 by Shara, Woodshop Diaries

When we moved into our house a little over two years ago, we really never dreamed we would be remodeling basically….everything. To be honest, the house hunting process was so depressing that we were just happy to find a house we liked, could afford, and was in the right location. Paint colors, cabinets and flooring were the least of our concerns.

But, two short years later, almost EVERYTHING on the inside looks completely different. You can see plenty of before and afters here.

However, the outside….well, it’s been…let’s see…what’s the right word for this?? Um, neglected?? Have you ever wondered why I literally NEVER show you pictures of the outside of our house?? Well, now you know…YIKES!

So this spring, we decided it was time to improve the curb appeal. And it started with the front door. Here’s what we were working with:

.I oftentimes refer to my dad as a “bull in a China shop.” I’m starting to realize he passed this onto me. Moving furniture in and out of the house over the last two years has taken a toll on the front door. Scratches and paint chips everywhere. (You can see them all if you zoom in.) Oh, and you know that tree slice fall wreath I have??

Yeah, it scratched the paint right off the large majority of the oval trim on the top of the door. NICE. Helpful hint…use felt pads if you make one for your door 😉 You’re welcome.

So it was time for a fresh coat of paint. But, instead of going with the original red, I wanted to switch things up a bit (surprise, surprise, right?) and chose to do white and navy.

.Disclosure: I received paint from Sherwin-Williams as compensation for this post. All views and opinions in this post are my own. However, I would highly recommend Sherwin-Williams paint whether I was compensated or not.

Because my door was in pretty rough shape, first I sanded down all the loose paint and places where it had chipped. Then, because I live in west Kentucky, I wiped off the layer of pollen that had started forming on the door (how nice of spring to bring that as a welcome gift…). You want to make sure your door is clean before you paint it. Trust me!

Then, I primed the door. If you have a door like mine, you want to paint in this order. First, the outline of the decorative panels, then the actual panels, then the horizontal parts and last, the vertical side areas. PS, I could have/should have taped everything off. Here’s the deal. The previous owners got paint ALL OVER the vinyl trim around the door. So instead of replacing all the trim, I carefully primed over the red that was on it. I was afraid if I left it, it would stick out against the new white. That’s why I didn’t tape. Since the vinyl is such a light color, unless you’re looking for it, you don’t notice it. One day, when we replace the door, we will replace all the trim too. But not today…

Now to the good part…the COLOR! I was so eager to see the navy on the door, that I painted it first. I used SW Anchors Aweigh (SW9179) for the door and SW Extra White (SW7006) for the trim and sidelights.

Sherwin-Williams recommended using their Snap Dry paint for my door and sidelights because it literally dries in minutes. How did they already know I was the most impatient person in the world?? It’s like they looked deep inside my soul and found my worst personality trait and made a paint just for it. Or, they just knew that everyone is impatient when painting their doors, so they made the perfect solution. That’s a lot more likely…

I painted my door in the same order as the image above–the border of the decorative panels first, the actual panels next, all horizontal areas, then the vertical side areas. I quickly learned that you have to work fast since the Snap Dry paint dries so fast. It’s completely dry within an hour, but mostly dry within minutes.

To avoid “mixing” brush stroke directions with half dry paint, it was easiest (and cleanest) to work in one area at a time, then come back to it after it dried. For example, after I painted the decorative panels on the doors first, I painted the bottom horizontal piece, then the middle, then the top. Then, when it was time to paint the vertical sides, I started at the bottom, because by that time, the paint on the bottom horizontal piece was already dry, so my brush strokes wouldn’t “mix” and make a mess.

I used three coats of paint on the door. In between coats on the door, I painted the sidelights and trim with the Extra White. Because everything dried so fast, I was able to complete the whole door in just a few hours.

.It really helped brighten up my front porch and my new spring wreath looks awesome against this gorgeous color.

What a difference a little paint makes!! AMIRIGHT?! The navy was definitely a nice change. I’m obsessed with navy lately if you haven’t already noticed.

I added some more color to the porch with ferns and a new front door mat. You can find the tutorial to build these modern louvered planters here. You may have also noticed that we changed out our door handle (affiliate link to it here).

Oh and remember me telling you about the Snap Dry paint was awesome because of my lack of patience?? Well, it’s also nice because we have a herd of spoiled cats that hang out with us everywhere we go and they like to go inside (but aren’t allowed). Luckily, I could shut the door shortly after painting to keep them outside with me 🙂

They’re our official welcome committee, so it’s best they stay outside anyway 🙂

.By the way, just in case you’re rough on your front door like me, I’ve moved several pieces of furniture in and out of the house since painting the door and even with the bumps and scrapes, the paint didn’t scratch or chip. WIN!!

So what are you waiting for? Go grab some Sherwin-Williams Snap Dry in your favorite color (like Anchors Aweigh!) and get that door painted in a snap!

Stay tuned for the other changes we are making to the exterior!! You won’t believe the before and afters!!

Until next time, happy DIYing!

DIY Louvered Wood Planter Box–An Easy Spring Project

April 10, 2017 by Shara, Woodshop Diaries

I hope you guys are ready for a flood of DIY spring projects coming at you in the next several weeks (or months, who knows?). I’ve never been much on the “seasonal” projects on here (if you haven’t noticed, I have very few), but this year I got spring fever (you can see my new spring wreath here) and I’m excited for outdoor projects and sprucing up my yard. (This totally has nothing to do with the fact that I can’t fit anything else INSIDE my house at this point, so I’ve taken to filling up the outside….TOTALLY irrelevant…)

So, in case you haven’t noticed, yet, it’s spring outside!!! And, this makes me both happy and a little sad. I’m kind of sad because I had to take down my favorite winter snowman wreath (whose name is George…but we won’t get into that right now), and all winter I hoped for snow and winter came and went with only ONE measly inch of snow (that quickly melted away in the same day it fell). Sad day.

BUT, now that it is spring, there are flowers and ferns EVERYWHERE. And that makes me happy because my porch is naked and needs some life on it like ASAP. See?? It’s shameful…all that nakedness on display for the whole world to see.

So once the ferns come out for spring, I am the first in line to get some.

Side note…I kill most flowers (I really have no excuse except I forget to water them), so we stick with ferns on the porch 🙂 Any other black thumbs out there?? #blackthumbsanonymous

But, even with just ferns, my porch still seemed naked…and the ferns needed up off the ground…they’re hard to sweep around. And if it takes extra effort to clean, I’m probably not going to do it. HAHAHAHA no, seriously.

So, I actually built some DIY wood planters (you can see them in the picture above) to house my front porch ferns during the spring and summer months (and my mums in the fall) almost two years ago and never actually shared the how to on here. I’ve had several compliments on them and questions about them from you guys, and since my mom needed a matching set this year, it was the perfect time to finally share them with you!

You know, just in case you need plants to cover your porch’s nakedness…and are also a super lazy sweeper. (Or because the inside of your house is too full, so you want to start filling up the outside…which, again…is totally unrelated to my situation…)

I’ve got the whole how to for you on these DIY louvered wood planters over on Build Something so be sure to check it out!! Build Something (if you don’t already know) has TONS of awesome building plans for you to look through with easy step by step instructions. So when you’re done with the planters, look around and see what else you can build!

These louvered planters are such a super easy build, and EASILY customizable to whatever size you need. Mom needed bigger ones than I did (I have a tiny porch), so hers have five side slats, but mine only have four. I also made her slats about 2” longer than mine, but that’s so easy to modify.

And I love the louvered look…it’s simple, but adds some interest.

Mom wanted her planters painted black, but I like the unfinished wood color. They look great with ferns and mums. I’d tell you they look great with anything, but I only have experience with ferns and mums haha…I kill just about anything else.

So if you’re ready for a super easy weekend project, be sure to get the plans here and add these to your list 🙂

And don’t forget to pin for later. Let me know in the comments what other plants you would put in your planters…or what other plants are okay in the hands of a black thumbed woodworker 🙂 Or just tell me what other spring projects you hope to see on here soon 🙂 I love hearing from you guys!

Until next time, happy building!

Super Easy DIY Spring Wreath {using Magnolia and Cotton}

April 6, 2017 by Shara, Woodshop Diaries

Today, I’m taking you on a trip down memory lane. Well, not really. Today, I’m showing you how to make a super easy DIY spring wreath. But wreath making was where it all started. So it’s kind of like memory lane.

Years ago, my sister helped me make a Christmas wreath…my very first DIY wreath. Actually, my very first DIY project in general. It was literally a GIANT glittery ball of deco mesh (is that even still popular anymore??).

I was about as clueless on how to make a wreath when I was done, as I was when I started on it. BUT, it turned out nice, so when spring rolled around, I made a spring version. What’s so hard about wadding up a bunch of deco mesh

and throwing in some pipe cleaners and hoping and praying the whole thing stays together?

Everything. Everything is hard about that. Deco mesh and I don’t get along anymore.

BUT, since then I discovered a game changer. The grapevine wreath form. Literally life changing.

If you remember from my 5 minute Christmas wreath post, grapevine wreaths are the absolute best because you just shove stuff in it and when you’re ready to change seasons, you take it out and shove other stuff in. Not only does it save money, but it’s like the easiest and fastest way to make a wreath. Like. Ever.

And it looks like a million bucks!

For this super easy DIY spring wreath, all you need is:

A grapevine wreath form

Cotton stems (I got mine from Hobby Lobby)

Magnolia leaves (I chopped them from the tree in the yard)

Some ribbon

Monogram or small chalkboard

Floral wire

First, cut your magnolia. You could buy the fake stuff, but the real stuff lasts quite a long time and since we have a small tree, it’s free! And Danny hates that tree anyway so he was happy to cut it with me. I took this picture to document how much fun we were having.

See his face? It’s got fun written all over it. SO. MUCH. FUN. He loves me…he just really hates the tree 🙂

So anyway, once you have your magnolia cut (you’ll only need a few stems), then, stick a stem of your magnolia into the grapevine wreath form like the picture below. Kind of weave the magnolia stem in and out of some of the grapevine. That way it will stay “stuck” better.

Then stick some more magnolia in like the picture below so that the stem from the first piece and this piece kind of meet in the middle of the side of the wreath. Keep adding some outward until you get it as full as you want.

Next, add the cotton. You could use something else besides cotton here if you wanted. I just had cotton leftover from winter and thought it would be cute (and didn’t have to buy anything else). Stick one stem in beside each piece of magnolia so that you have one on top and one on bottom.

Then, add the other two stems of cotton. You literally just shove things into the form, weaving in and out so they stay in place better.

You can arrange however you want, but I just fluffed and worked my way out as I went.

Next, add a monogram or little chalkboard. Or whatever decorative item you choose to the “empty” side of the wreath.

Finally, you can add a bow on the side between the top and bottom set of magnolia and cotton. You can check out my 5 minute Christmas wreath for one way to make a bow or my super easy Christmas swags for another way to make a bow.

And that’s it! Hang her up and admire 🙂

It literally takes 5 minutes and a few bucks. AND when you’re ready to change it up, pull them out and stick some other fake flower (or real flower) stems in the form. Easy peesy. Now pin this thing for later 🙂

PS stay tuned for plenty more spring projects coming soon. I have been BUSY BUSY BUSY working on them so you will not want to miss the excitement!

Until next time, happy DIYing 🙂

Pottery Barn Inspired DIY Entryway Storage Bench–#PlywoodPretty Challenge

April 1, 2017 by Shara, Woodshop Diaries

You guys!! I’m so excited to be participating in Remodelaholic’s #PlywoodPretty Challenge along with several other super talented bloggers! (How I got included in a list of super talented bloggers, I’m still not sure…) So, what’s the #PlywoodPretty Challenge? Basically, Remodelaholic challenged us to make something…ANYTHING…from plywood and you won’t believe the super cool ideas we all came up with! Who knew you could do so much with a simple sheet of plywood?!

You can scroll down to check out links to all the awesome projects (and videos!!) from the image above, but first, let me show you which one I came up with for the challenge. It’s a DIY Entryway Storage Bench!

And, what do you know, it’s also another knock off project. Do you guys recognize this entryway storage bench from the Pottery Barn catalog?? I have no shame in knock offs. Knock off purses, knock off clothes, knock off furniture and decor. (If you’re a fan of the knock off, too, be sure to check out some of my other knock offs like the PB Grinch Pillow and the Ballard Inspired Pantry Cabinet.) #noshame #imcheap

But, I mean, what’s there to be ashamed of when you spend a tenth of the price tag to make your own version and it looks EXACTLY. THE. SAME?? For real.

So, I’m going to show you how to make this DIY entryway storage bench “tutorial style”, as usual, but this time, I have an extra special surprise for you. I made my first “build” video for this project (check it out below)!! I’m sure it’s terrible, so take it easy on me in the comments 🙂 I’ll get better…I hope… (PS Danny says I’ve got to stop saying “super” so much…do you guys agree??)

Now, let’s do this thing.

This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. If you purchase from one of these links, I may receive a small commission at NO extra cost to you. Please see disclosure policy for more details. Thank you for supporting this site so I can continue to bring you great content!

Materials:

1 sheet ¾” plywood (I used birch)

¼ sheet ¼” plywood

2 pair 16” ball bearing drawer slides

Edge Banding (optional)

Kreg Jig for Pocket Holes

Tools Needed:

Circular saw

Kreg Rip Cut (optional, but helpful)

Table saw (also optional, but helpful)

Miter saw

Sander (again, optional, but who in their right mind wants to hand sand everything?!)

Step 1: Cut plywood down to manageable pieces

I’m scrawny. The first thing I do when I get plywood is cut it down to pieces I can manage on my own. Those are pretty small pieces haha.

You can make this whole bench from a single sheet of ¾” plywood, but you have to be smart on how you cut it. Here’s a diagram to help you out. You’ll cut in the order of the rainbow colors. Since I just realized how confusing that last sentence is, let me make it a little more clear: red first, orange second, then yellow, green, blue, and the white part remaining will be left to cut to fit the openings for the drawer fronts.

I used my circular saw to remove the 12” strip first, then used it to cut off the 26” and 33” pieces. I cut the rest on my table saw, but you could use a circular saw and a straight edge instead. (You can see me cutting these in the video below 😉 )

Step 2: Make the side panels

After I cut the 26×36 piece from the plywood, I ripped it in half using my table saw (to make two 26×18” pieces). Make sure both halves are the same width!!

Once the panels were cut, I made a mark 8” from the top on both pieces. That’s where the top of the bench seat will be attached. I cut out a decorative curve shape on the two side panels making sure not to cut below the 8” line. I tried to use some paint/stain cans to help me draw nice curves, but ended up mostly free handing it. (You can see this in the video below as well 🙂 Can you tell I’m really pushing you to watch it??)

Once the design was drawn, I used a jig saw to cut out the shape on each piece.

I also cut out a design along the bottom of each side panel making sure not to cut further than 3 ½” higher than the bottom.

The designs are totally optional, they just add some character to the bench. But after you cut them, be sure to sand the crap out of them to smooth everything out 🙂

Step 3: Cut and attach the bench seat

I ran the 33×36” through the table saw just like the side panels to make two 33×18” pieces.

Once they were ripped to size, I drilled pocket holes in both ends of each piece and attached them to the side panels with pocket hole screws.

I attached the bottom piece 3 ½” from the bottom of the side panel and attached the top bench seat piece 13” above the bottom.

Step 4: Add the bench seat divider

I used the blue piece from the plywood drawing and cut a piece of 13×18 to fit between the top and bottom bench seat. I drilled pocket holes and attached using pocket hole screws making sure it was perfectly centered.

Step 5: Add back rest

I cut the 7 ½” green piece from the plywood diagram down to 33” long and drilled pocket holes on both ends and along the bottom. I attached it to the bench sides and top seat using pocket hole screws like the picture below.

Step 6: Add Drawers

This step is optional. If you wanted, you could leave this open for storage, or use storage baskets. I liked the large drawers from the original Pottery Barn version, though, so I made drawers. You can see my post here about how to make drawers.

Basically, I used the table saw to cut grooves in the 12” red piece from the plywood diagram above to accommodate ¼” plywood drawer bottom. Once the groove was cut, I trimmed it down to size to make the drawers using my miter saw. I attached the drawer back to the drawer sides using pocket hole screws.

I used the white part of the plywood from the diagram to trim down two drawer fronts to fit the openings in the bench. Depending on how accurate your cuts are, it may vary slightly, so you will need to determine the size. I cut grooves in the drawer fronts just like I did with the drawer sides and attached them to the drawer body using pocket holes and screws.

Then I installed ball bearing drawer slides and attached the drawers. You can see more details on this process in the video 🙂

Step 7: Finish

I added iron on edge banding (which is the devil if you don’t already know) to cover the plywood edges. I need a lot of practice with attaching it, but it looks good once it’s on (just don’t look at mine too close). I puttied and sanded as needed, then stained the entire piece in Minwax Early American. (You can see all this in the video below, too!!)

I attached these large chest handles (that I spray painted black) to the drawers. I need to add a few coats of polycrylic, but first, I had to bring it inside to take pictures…because, you know….priorities.

Not bad for a knock off, huh? Looks just like the real deal…AND it’s not even MDF like the original. Plywood > MDF every time.

I’m loving these huge storage drawers. They are perfect for winter gloves, scarves, extra shoes, purses, whatever you want to shove in there right before guests come over so they don’t know that your house is really a train wreck 🙂 Not that I have any experience with that.

So what do you think?? Don’t forget to check out my first ever build video for this project and all the other super awesome projects in the #PlywoodPretty Challenge below!! Tell me what you think in the comments! But, quick! Before you do that, don’t forget to pin this 🙂

Now, find even more inspiration from these awesome #plywoodpretty projects! This is just the start to Remodelaholic’s #PlywoodPretty week, so go join in on the fun all week long and link up your own projects!

And find all the videos in the playlist:

And my video here:

Until next time, happy building 🙂

How to Build a Modern Farmhouse Dining Table

March 27, 2017 by Shara, Woodshop Diaries

Have you guys ever noticed that I have never posted a “farmhouse dining table” on here before (besides this one that doesn’t count because it was my very first build and I didn’t have a clue how to write a tutorial about it)?

I’ve posted my mom’s X-base kitchen table, and some coffee tables and end tables, but never a “farmhouse dining table.”

It’s not that I’ve never made one. I’ve actually made a few, but EVERYONE has one on their blog, so I figured I didn’t need to flood Pinterest with another identical dining table. Plus, they’re all made the same. Add an apron to some legs, add supports, add top. Ta-Da! You’re done. I had nothing to add to the already popular table design.

But, what do you know, here I am posting a farmhouse dining table. But this one’s different. This one’s a “modern” farmhouse dining table. “MODERN.”

PS Are you guys imagining me finger quoting all these things I’m putting “” around?? If I do one thing too much, it’s quotes…that or say the word “super.” There I go with the quotes again. PSS stay tuned THIS SATURDAY for a “super” (<–see what I did there??) exciting post that I can’t wait to show you. It’s got my first ever build video where I say “super” eleventy billion times in 4 minutes and Danny thinks the background music is hilarious. So it’s sure to be a great time 🙂 Keep your eyes out for that.

Anyway, back to the table. So here’s how to build a “modern” farmhouse dining table. And, in case you are wondering what defines a modern farmhouse table, I call it modern because it’s a little bit more straight lined, and clean than a regular farmhouse style. In other words, I don’t have a clear definition 🙂 hahaha. But here we go.

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This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase from one of these links, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. This helps keep this site’s content free. Please see disclosure policy for more details. Thank you for supporting this site!

Materials Needed:

(2) 4x4x8

(4) 2x4x8

(4) 2x10x8

2 ½″ pocket hole screws

4″ wood screws

Wood glue

Wood Putty/Filler

Tools Needed:

Table Saw (optional, but recommended)

Circular Saw

Kreg Jig for Pocket Holes

Pipe Clamps

.Sander (optional, but who in their right mind wants to hand sand?!)

Husband to hold pieces while you attach them (sorry, I don’t have an Amazon link to that)

Side Note: Like I said before, most of the “farmhouse dining tables” are built the same way. You attach the legs together with the apron, then add supports, then the top. This table is built kind of backwards. We will build the top first, then attach the legs, then add the supports underneath. So are you ready? Let’s do the thing.

Step 1: Build the top

Okay, so we are doing this a little backwards, right? But trust me, it’s better this way. I give you the whole run down here on how I build table tops. There are countless ways to do it, but that is what I do.

For this table, I squared off the edges of 4 pieces of 2x10x8 on the table saw and glued them together. Once the glue was dry, I trimmed the top down to 70″ long using my circular saw. The final table ended up being about 7 foot long. If you want a longer or shorter table, adjust this length. I used 70″.

You could attach the boards using pocket holes and screws, or biscuits, whatever. Just make a top. After trimming, my top was slightly under 36″ wide and 70″ long.

Once it was trimmed, I sanded the snot out of it. I used my belt sander and got all the boards level and smooth. Once you have your top good to go, then we move to the legs. Pause for ~~glamour~~ awkward shot of me with belt sander.

Okay, and resume.

Step 2: Build the “Side Stretchers”

Anyone else out there like “what the heck’s a side stretcher?” I don’t know what to call them, but it’s the legs and end piece.

Cut four 4×4 legs to 30″ long. That’s the easy part.

Now, measure the width of one end of your table top. I told you mine was slightly under 36″. You want exact width…so go to the 16th or 32nd…whatever your tape measure will read. Cut a piece of 2×4 whatever length needed to get it plus two of your 4x4s to be exactly that width. For example, if your top is 36 ⅛″ wide, and two of your 4x4s together are 7″, then cut your 2×4 to 29 ⅛″. I planed my boards, so my measurements were different. But, whatever you do, when you assemble this, you want it to match the width of your table top. Do both sides separately to make sure they match each side of the top perfectly.

Once you cut your 2×4, drill 1 ½″ pocket holes in each end.

Attach the 2×4 to the legs using 2 ½″ pocket hole screws.

Step 3: Attach the legs to the top

This is where it helps to have the husband, or wife, or anyone willing to help that has a little strength and two hands.

Drill 1 ½″ pocket holes into the ends of the top like shown below. I did two per board. These are basically just to hold everything together until the glue dries, so one or two, whatever you want to do.

Then, add glue along the end of the top and screw it into the side stretchers using 2 ½″ pocket hole screws.

It was easiest when placed on the ground sideways and one person held the top vertical and the other one drilled into the side stretcher making sure everything was flush on the top.

Do both sides. Here’s the view from underneath.

Step 4: Add the supports

This is the part that usually goes first, but because I like to be difficult, I’m doing it last 🙂

With the table upside down, cut four pieces of 2×4 to fit between the legs. You’ll have two long and two short. Cut to fit these so they are snug and the legs are square to the top.

Drill 1 ½″ pocket holes in each end of these pieces and screw them into the legs using 2 ½″ pocket hole screws like shown. I attached mine 1 ½″ from the table top edge, but you could do closer or further from the edge. As long as it’s consistent, it doesn’t matter.

After the supports were in, I used long wood screws (4″) to screw the supports to the top. You could do pocket holes and screws if you wanted.

Lastly, once the supports along the sides were installed, I added two more support pieces between the two long side supports and screwed them in with pocket holes and screws, then screwed them to the top using 4″ screws as well. I flipped the table over before I got the pictures.

Step 5: Finish

I recruited Danny again to help me flip the table over and puttied any cracks and sanded down any high spots.

Once the sanding was finished, I stained it in Minwax Early American and finished it off with Minwax Polycrylic.

This is actually built for a friend of a friend, so it’s not mine, but I had to get some pictures, so I staged it in the only place in the house I could fit another seven foot table haha. So just imagine it’s in the middle of a beautiful kitchen, not shoved on the only blank wall I can find in my house 🙂

So what do you guys think of the “modern” farmhouse dining table? I guess it’s about time I finally posted one, huh?? Do you guys like this style and design?

So, I’m really excited about the video that will be posted on Saturday, so be sure to stay tuned for it. Plus the build on it is spectacular! You won’t want to miss it!

But, in the mean time, don’t forget to pin this build for later, because it’s pretty spectacular, too! 🙂

Until next time, happy building!! 🙂

DIY Ballard Designs Knock Off Pantry Cabinet

March 13, 2017 by Shara, Woodshop Diaries

Want to know how to save $1800 in one weekend? It’s so easy! You don’t have to pick up a side job. You don’t have to create a new budget. You don’t have to clip a bazillion coupons for random things at the grocery store. You don’t even have to sell a body part…or a body fluid. (Everyone together now….) EWWWWWWWW.

All you have to do is build this cabinet/pantry/linen storage.

Now, of course, you’re wondering…how’s that supposed to save me money? Well, first off, does it look familiar? Have you guys seen it possibly HERE?? With it’s shiny, flashy, super inflated price tag of (cough cough…I’m choking on my coffee over the insanity of the number I’m about to type) $1,900?? NINETEEN HUNDRED DOLL HAIRS. Also known as ONE THOUSAND NINE HUNDRED DOLLARS. Oh, plus shipping…and the extra $30 handling fee for it’s enormous size. What the?!

You guys, I just made it for about $100. #howboutdat?

Let me show you how.

This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase from these links, I may receive a small commission at absolutely no extra cost to you. This helps keep this site’s content free. Thank you for your support. Please see disclosure policy for more details.

Due to space constraints, my cabinet is slightly smaller than the original. The following instructions are easy to modify to make larger if desired. Final dimensions of my finished cabinet are 12 ½″ deep, 73″ tall and 24 ½″ wide.

Materials Needed:

1-2 sheets ¾″ plywood (this used one sheet, but if you want any larger, you will need two)

1 sheet ¼″ plywood

(1) 1x4x8

(1) 1x3x8

(2) 1x2x8

(1) 1x6x8

Cove molding (one 8 foot stick optional)

Half round molding (four 8 foot sticks optional)

6 hinges

2 door pulls (I got these from D. Lawless Hardware)

Wood putty/filler

Wood glue

1 ¼″ pocket hole screws

Shelf pins

2 magnetic door stops

Tools needed:

Circular saw

Kreg Jig for Pocket Holes

Kreg Shelf Pin Jig (optional)

Nail Gun

Jig Saw

Step 1: Build the carcass

Seriously I LOVE building cabinets because you get to say carcass all the time and it’s so fun. Try it. CAR-CASS. Or, if you’re like my mom with the thick southern accent, CAR-CUSS. Oh, hey mom, thanks for reading 🙂

Okay, so…I ripped the plywood using my Kreg Rip Cut down to two 11″ strips.

Then I cut both strips into a 23″ piece and a 73″ piece. I drilled pocket holes in the bottom of the two 23″ long pieces.

I marked 3 ¼″ from the bottom of the two 73″ pieces and drew a line.

I screwed the 23″ pieces onto the top of the 73″ pieces and at the bottom. But at the bottom, I lined the top of the 23″ piece with the line I drew at 3 ¼″.

That gave me a carcass.

Then, I stapled a piece of ¼″ plywood onto the back of the opening.

Step 2: Add face frame

To make the face frame, I cut two pieces of 73″ long 1×2 for the sides. I cut two pieces of 1×4 at 21 ½″ long for the top and bottom, and one piece of 1×6 at 21 ½″ for the arch.

I screwed everything together like the picture shows above with pocket holes and screws. Just a note: I screwed the top 1×4 in 1 ½″ from the top. It’s a long story. You could do this, too, or use a 1×6 instead of a 1×4 OR you could use a 1×10 to replace both these boards OR a 1×12. It really doesn’t matter as long as you have something up there to attach the top of the face frame together and is tall enough to make an arch.

Before I screwed the arch piece in, I used a large metal barrel to trace the arch and cut it out with a jig saw.

Once the face frame was screwed together, I just nailed it onto the front like the picture shows below.

Step 3: Cut the doors

For the doors, I cut a piece of the remaining plywood to be ¼″ narrower than the door opening and about ⅛″ shorter the tallest part of the arch. I placed it on the inside of the cabinet and traced the shape of the face frame arch onto the piece and cut with a jig saw. You can see the piece I ended up with on the right side of the picture.

Then I ripped this piece exactly in half to make two doors.

At this point, I attached the doors to the cabinet with three hinges per door to make sure they fit. Adjust as needed. You may have to sand the arches to get them to match as good as possible. I sanded A LOT. I’m not perfect on a jig saw 🙂 Just sand slowly so you don’t make anything misshapen.

Step 4: Add Trim

I added trim to the doors and the cabinet itself. Once I made sure the doors fit, I removed them and cut to fit half round molding on the front. I used wood glue and held it in place until the glue was dry with masking tape.

The weight of a shop cat helps hold it in place too…silly shop buddy.

While the glue dried, I nailed pieces of 1×3 to the top and bottom. I cut all these pieces to fit. Make sure trim on the sides are flush. I added a piece of cove on top of the bottom 1×3 and on the bottom of the top 1×3. I also added a strip of half round across the joint in the top of the face frame. You can see all this in the pictures below. Putty and caulk around the trim as necessary.

Step 5: Add Shelves

I used my Kreg shelf pin jig to drill shelf pin holes for adjustable shelves. If you don’t want adjustable shelves, you can use pocket holes and screw shelves into the sides for stationary shelves as well.

I used the remaining piece of plywood to cut three shelves to fit in the cabinet. I made them about 9″ deep and ¼″ shorter than the width of the inside of the cabinet.

I used these shelf pins to hold the shelves in place.

Step 6: Finish

I primed the entire cabinet with Kilz water based primer, then painted the inside of the cabinet with Sherwin Williams Extra White and the outside with Sherwin Williams Dorian Gray. Once the paint was dry, I put the doors on and realized I had put the top part of the half round too far down. (commence horror movie sound effects!!)

NOOOOO! So I spent two days convincing myself it was okay, then one day I came home from work hangry (you know….hungry and angry) and I ripped them off. Which was a mess. And I made it taller and puttied and repainted.

So don’t be like me. Get it right the first time, or just leave it alone. Five sessions of puttying later, we were good to go. FIVE TIMES.

PS totally tried to bend the half round. It just wasn’t working out. I tried kerfs…kept breaking little pieces out of the molding. Tried soaking in water and bending, broke three pieces. Tried bending by hand, cried. So I left it straight. I don’t think it looks bad straight. Next time, I may try thinner molding though. The ¾″ stuff just wasn’t going to budge.

Oh and PSS, huge thanks to D. Lawless Hardware for these AMAZING door pulls. This cabinet needed something long and sleek and these were the perfect fit. I added these and the magnetic catches after the paint was dry and put the doors back on.

Anyway, when all was said and done, it looked like this:

On Ballard Designs website, they had a whole article on what their cabinet could be used for. Craft cabinet, kitchen pantry, linen closet. Pretty much anything. Oh and side note, I made this cabinet so shallow (due to space constraints) that it wasn’t practical to add the slide out drawers, so I only did shelves. However, these plans are super easy to customize to make your cabinet deeper and then you could add drawers like the original.

You could also add more shelves in here if you wanted as well. It’s pretty versatile and can be customized for whatever your needs are.

So, what do you think? How about that for saving $1800 in a weekend? For reals.

Do me a huge favor and don’t forget to pin if you plan on tackling this knock off this weekend. Or, you know, if you just liked the project. Oh and let me know what you spend your extra $1800 on 😉

Until next time, happy DIYing! 🙂

DIY Entryway Cabinet–And A Giveaway!!

March 7, 2017 by Shara, Woodshop Diaries

When I was in college, x years ago (x=more that I care to think about), I got a degree in math.

I’m convinced that if you are good at college math, you would probably also make a decent lawyer. College math classes are basically writing long explanations about how this random fact is somehow related to this random fact and that somehow proves this statement (they’re called “theorems”). SO. MUCH. FUN.

Anyway, I feel like that’s what’s going on today. I need to explain how getting a new watch meant I needed a new cabinet. I promise this all makes sense. Stay with me.

When Jord Wood Watches sent me this awesome new watch, I was ecstatic! I mean, what better watch for a woodworker than a WOOD WATCH?!

But, I’m not a big jewelry and accessories wearer. So I don’t have a big collection with a fancy storage box. I literally only have a wedding ring. And now a watch haha. Usually, my wedding ring stays on my nightstand in its original box, but when I put this pretty wood watch storage box (that comes with the watch!!) there too, it seemed way too crowded.

Luckily, I have this random space in my bedroom that’s almost like a “bedroom foyer” that was begging for SOMETHING pretty to cover that boring wall. Plus, it would be nice to have a designated spot (that wasn’t my crowded nightstand) for my glasses, ring, and watch.

So that’s how getting a new watch inspired me to build this:

So if you need a cool place to put your awesome new watch (because I’ve partnered with Jord to host a giveaway at the bottom of this post!), I’ve got you covered with the how to 🙂

PS, about that giveaway…here’s the deets: You can enter the giveaway at the bottom of this post. Everyone who enters will receive a code for $25 towards the purchase of a new super awesome wood watch, but one lucky winner will get a $100 code! The giveaway ends at midnight on March 26^th. All codes will expire May 31st.

Now, onto the building stuff!

This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. Please see disclosure policy for more details. Thanks for supporting this site and the brands that support this site!

Materials needed:

(3) 2x2x8

(2) 1x2x8

2x8x8

¾” plywood

¼” plywood or other backing material

2 ½” pocket hole screws

4 small hinges

Knobs/pulls as desired

Wood glue

Wood putty

Tools needed:

Circular saw (or table saw) to cut down plywood

Kreg Jig for pocket holes

Scroll or jig saw (optional)

Staple gun

Step 1: Build the sides of the cabinet

I cut 2×2 legs at 38 ½” long and tapered two of them using my miter saw. I also ripped ¾” plywood to a 9” wide strip and cut two pieces at 33” long.

Then I cut four 1x2s at 9” long and drilled pocket holes into each and attached two legs together with them and 1 ¼” pocket hole screws like the picture below.

Then I drilled pocket holes on the sides of the ¾” plywood panels like shown below.

I placed these between the 2×2 legs and attached to the legs with 1 ¼” pocket hole screws.

Step 2: Attach the two sides of the cabinet

When I ripped the 9” strip of plywood from step one, and cut two pieces of 33” from it, it left me with a 30” piece. I drilled pocket holes in the ends of it and attached it ¾” from the bottom of the side panels.

Then I cut 30” pieces of 1×2 and attached at the top front and back using pocket holes and screws.

I cut another 1×2 and attached at the bottom in the back using pocket holes and screws. And finally, added a 2×2 on the front at the bottom like the picture below.

Step 3: Add the drawer

I cut one more piece of 1×2 and attached it between the two front legs using pocket holes and screws. You can make your drawer as deep or as shallow as you want. Just attach this about ¼” further down than you want your drawer height to be.

You can see my post here about how to make a drawer.

Because this cabinet is so narrow, I didn’t use metal drawer slides. I screwed some scrap 1x pieces into the sides for the drawer to slide on.

Step 4: Make doors

I wanted a little different design on these doors. I cut a piece of ¾″ plywood slightly smaller (¼” shorter and about ⅜” narrower) than the opening for the doors. Then I ripped it in half.

I used ¼” plywood and a scroll saw to cut out a ring for the middle of the design. Then I ripped ¼” pieces of 2x material. You could cut off a piece of the 2×8 you will use for the top and do this. In hindsight, you could also have ripped 1 ½” wide strips of the plywood as well.

Then I laid it out on the door and pieced it all together and cut to fit on the door. DON’T ATTACH ANYTHING YET. I marked where I needed to trim the pieces that meet the circle and cut the curve on the scroll saw. Trust me, this won’t be perfect (that’s what putty is for), but I tried to get it to fit as best I could.

Once it was dry fitted together and fit the size of the door, I glued all the joints then stapled them (NOT TO THE DOOR YET). I clamped them, too, until the glue dried. Then I puttied the crap out of them and sanded.

Once the ¾″ plywood was stained and the design piece was painted (see step 7), I glued the two together and attached them to the cabinet with small brass hinges.

Step 5: Add a backing

This part is easy. Just cut a piece of ¼” plywood to fit on the back and staple it on.

Step 6: Make a top

I don’t have pictures of this (OOPS), but you can see how I make tops here.

I made my top 13×30. You can make this from two 30” pieces of 2×8 and trim it down to 13” wide. Once everything was finished, I attached the top by screwing 2 ½” screws through the front top 1×2 into the top and 1 ¼” screws through the back top 1×2 into the top.

Step 7: Finish

I stained the top, drawer front, and back of doors with Minwax Puritan Pine, and painted the cabinet and door design in SW Naval.

I really liked how my new watch matched the cabinet colors.

I’m super into navy and light toned wood. You can find the same color scheme in my latest bathroom vanity build and my office redo from last year.

So, it’s no surprise I wanted a navy and wood watch, right?

And, now I’ve got a super cute place to house it, too!

Hey, fun fact…when I got my watch, I saw that it was made ON MY BIRTHDAY!!!! WHAT?! Danny told me I was the only one that thought this was THE coolest thing ever. But, for reals…it is.

What do you guys think??

Don’t forget to enter the giveaway here ->>(GIVEAWAY!!)!! A huge thank you to Jord Wood Watches for providing me with my new watch and for hosting this awesome giveaway!! Don’t forget, either way, you get a $25 credit just for entering, so be sure to get in on that!

Until next time, happy building 🙂

Watch Gift Ideas

DIY Baby Gift Idea–Ultrasound Picture Frame

March 1, 2017 by Shara, Woodshop Diaries

THIS IS NOT A PREGNANCY ANNOUNCEMENT.

I had to make sure this was clear from the beginning. Since the day I got married, everyone (except me) keeps hoping that announcement is coming. However (sorry mom…well, sorry, not sorry), I hate to disappoint (really, I don’t), but this is not it. 🙂

But, I have a friend who is expecting her first little girl very soon and, of course, you know me…I’m like what can I make for a baby?!!

Wooden diapers?? Probably not very practical.

A crib? Let’s not even talk about shipping costs for that thing.

Personalized picture frame for the ultrasound?? Okay, now we are talking.

And this is something that I honestly think could go one of two ways…this is either super creepy, or super cute. SOOOOO, you tell me 🙂

Let me explain how I made it, then at the end, you tell me….creepy or cute, okay?

This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through one of these links, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. This helps pay to keep this site running and the content free. Thank you for supporting me and this site! Please see disclosure policy for details.

Supplies and Materials Needed:

Small piece (2×2 is plenty) ¼″ plywood

Small piece (quarter sheet is plenty) ¾″ plywood or 1×10 or 1×12

1x2x8

Jig saw

Miter saw

Scroll saw (optional)

4 vanity legs (Osborne Wood Part #5050)

Paper and pen

Step 1: Draw the Silhouette for the Frame

This is the part Danny thought was creepy. I got on Google and searched “pregnant silhouette.” (As if that’s not weird enough, the creepy factor gets worse…keep reading…)

But nothing looked like my friend. Some were too “cartoony” looking, some of their hair just didn’t match hers, I just wasn’t liking any of them. So, being the creeper that I am, (here’s where it got worse) copied a picture of her showing off her pregnant belly at 20 weeks on Facebook and pasted it into Microsoft Paint. I used the eraser tool to erase around the outline of her body so I could see it clearly to trace around.

I followed the same steps here as I did when I made the Grinch pillow and just traced the outlined image onto a sheet (it took two sheets to get it as large as I wanted) of paper. Then I cut it out. I drew some extra details for a different idea I had, but then changed my mind…so ignore that. So here is my stencil.

Step 2: Cut out the Silhouette

I traced around this silhouette onto ¼″ plywood and cut it out with my jig saw.

Then I used my wood glue bottle to draw a circle for the ultrasound image to go. I used a drill to drill into the center of the circle and then cut it out with my jig saw.

Side note, you will need to sand this really well. The Dremel is awesome for sanding these edges nice and smooth.

Step 3: Add a Name

Obviously, my friend’s baby’s name is Sophia…because you know I didn’t just cut that name out for fun…

For the name, I got on PicMonkey and found a font I liked and typed out the name. (I used Great Vibes.) PicMonkey is free for a ton of cool fonts. You can pay for some extras, but I just use what’s available for free (helloooo, I’m cheap). It’s super easy to use. Just go here, click on design and then click the Tt button on the left, then add a font. You can enlarge the font however big you want it. Once I got it how I wanted it, I just traced it again onto a sheet of paper and cut it out. You could also do the same thing in Microsoft Word and just print it, but I couldn’t find a font on there that I liked.

Then I traced it onto ¼″ plywood and cut it out on my scroll saw. You could use a jig saw as well, I just needed some practice, so I used the scroll saw. Then I sanded the crap out of it.

Step 4: Make a Backing

This is exactly the same as the backing I made for the U.S. Destination Map Frame, except a different size. You can use ¾″ plywood, or cut a 1×10, or a 1×12 for this. This piece is only to glue the silhouette and name to. Cut it however large you want it to be (but make sure it’s big enough to fit the name and silhouette). Then I framed it out with mitered 1x2s. I glued and nailed these around the edge, but that’s an optional step.

Step 5: Finish and Attach

I painted the silhouette, the name, and the back piece and once the paint was dry, I used wood glue to attach the name to the back piece.

I taped a ultrasound picture (that my friend sent me….so that’s a little less creepy than stealing that off Facebook, right?) onto the back of the silhouette, then glued it on as well.

Okay, so you tell me…cute that this is literally the actual mother’s silhouette??

Or creepy that I stole it from Facebook, traced it out on my computer, and cut it out on plywood?

Cast your vote in the comments below!! I think it’s cute. She thinks it’s cute (yes, I asked her if she was creeped out…we are cool like that). Danny thinks creepy…but what does Danny know?? HAHA Let me know what YOU think.

Don’t forget to pin for later 🙂

Until next time, happy DIYing!

DIY Bathroom Vanity for Single Sink

February 19, 2017 by Shara, Woodshop Diaries

Once upon a time I, alongside a VERY reluctant husband, remodeled a bathroom. And it was a nightmare. After the bathroom was done and the new bedroom floor was laid, I swore to Danny that I wouldn’t even THINK about another remodel “anytime soon.”

Oh memories, such a fickle thing. How quickly I forget all those late nights covered in crawl space dirt, exhausted and sweaty, and hating myself for ever starting this thing to begin with and turned my thoughts to how much “fun” it would be to remodel our guest bathroom. Someone PLEASE define “soon” and “fun.” Apparently I can’t figure it out.

Within three months of swearing off remodels, I’m back at it, already planning the next one—starting with a new DIY bathroom vanity. The actual remodel will probably be in a few more months (Danny takes some time to convince), but I’ve already got the idea in my head. We are replacing the double vanity cabinet here with two smaller single vanities.

I’ve only made one so far. I wanted to make sure I liked it before I made the other one. Good news…I do 🙂 So the other one will be coming soon. But I’ve got the whole how-to for you below!

A huge thank you to Osborne Wood Products for providing the vanity legs for this project and to D. Lawless Hardware for providing the ring pulls. All opinions are my own. This post also contains affiliate links for your convenience. Please see disclosure policy for more information. Thank you for supporting this site and the brands that support this site!

Materials needed :

¾” plywood (1 sheet)

¼” plywood (quarter sheet is plenty)

(2) 2x2x8

(2) 1x2x8

Cove molding (optional)

(2) 2x8x8 (for the top)

2 sets of hinges

16” drawer slide

4 brass ring pulls

Wood Putty

Sandpaper/sander

Tools needed:

Circular Saw (or table saw to cut down plywood)

Kreg Rip Cut (optional, but helpful if using circular saw to cut plywood)

Miter or chop saw

Kreg jig for pocket holes

Jig Saw

Nail gun (if using cove molding)

2 ½” pocket hole screws

Measuring tape

Step 1: Build the vanity side panels

Okay, first, let me explain something. Used to, standard height on vanities was 30” tall. It’s become standard now to do 36” tall (have you guys used both? 36” tall is SOOOOOO much nicer because you don’t have to bend over so far to wash your face, which is nice on the old back).

These vanity legs come 34 ½” long to accommodate a 1 ½” thick countertop to make it a total of 36” tall. HOWEVER, I purchased an above mount sink that is 5 ½” tall. So, in order for the top of my sink to be 36” off the ground, I had to make my vanity 30 ½” tall. Are we all on the same page? If you are using an undermount sink or a drop in, you don’t have to cut the legs. And your measurements will be a little different as far as the height goes.

Okay, so now that I’ve explained that, first I cut my vanity legs to be 29” tall. I’m going to be honest. These legs are so smooth and pretty (unlike my own…HA!), it kind of hurt my soul a little to have to cut them. But, you gotta do what you gotta do.

Then, I cut two pieces of 2×2 at 13” long and drilled 1 ½” pocket holes in both ends. I attached the 2x2s to the top between two legs using 2 ½” pocket hole screws making sure the outside of the 2×2 was flush with the outside of the legs. See image below.

I used my Kreg Rip cut to cut my plywood down to a 13” wide strip. Once I had my 13” strip, I cut two pieces 18” long and drilled pocket holes along the sides with my Kreg Jig. I slid these pieces in between the vanity legs and attached to the 2×2 and the legs using 1 ¼” pocket hole screws. See image below. Make sure the inside of the plywood is flush with the inside of the 2×2.

Then I attached another 2×2 to the bottom using 1 ½” pocket holes and 2 ½” pocket hole screws. I screwed the plywood into this at the bottom as well. That makes two panels that look like the image below.

Step 2: Attach the vanity sides together

I made my vanity 33” wide overall. Subtract 1” on each side for the top overhang and 6 inches (3” per leg) for the legs, and that gives 25”. If you want your vanity to be wider, just adjust this measurement.

I cut two 2x2s at 25” long and drilled 1 ½” pocket hole screws in each end and used 2 ½” pocket hole screws to attach the side panels at the TOP OF THE FRONT SIDE as shown below and at the bottom as shown in the next picture.

Then I used a piece of scrap plywood (but you can use a 1×2) to attach across the top of the back side using pocket holes and screws. (When installing the vanity, this will be the piece you screw to the wall.) Notice the bottom front side 2×2 in the image below.

Step 3: Add the drawer

I forgot to take a picture of part of this, but you can see most of it on the image below. I cut two pieces of 1×2 at 13” and screwed them into each side panel between the vanity legs using pocket holes and screws.

This is so you can attach the drawer slide as seen above. I attached the drawer slide to this 1×2 making sure to leave space in the front for the depth of the drawer front (which is about 1 ½”)

You can see my post here on how to make drawers. You can make them lots of different ways, but your overall size of the drawer (without the front) should be 16” deep and 24” wide. I used 1x4s for the sides of the drawer, but 3 ½” strips of plywood would work just fine, too.

Once the drawer was made, I attached it to the slides.

Step 4: Add the shelf

I made my drawer front 5 ¼” tall (more on that in a second). So, I cut a 1×2 at 25” and drilled pocket holes in each end and attached it into the legs as shown below. I measured and made sure the distance between the top of the 2×2 and the bottom of the 1×2 was 5 ½” to allow room for the drawer front. Sorry, I have the top gluing up in the picture…that’s actually step 6.

I cut two more 1x2s at about 16” and screwed them into the legs as shown below so that the top was flush with the bottom of the 1×2 on the front.

Then, I cut a piece of ¾” plywood at 17 ½” wide and 28” wide. I cut notches in each corner like the picture below.

Then I attempted to put the shelf in and there was NO WAY I could get it to go in as one piece. So I ripped it in half and put it in as two pieces.

Here’s why I did this: I have long hair. Long hair and P-traps don’t get along. Although I won’t be using this guest bathroom as my main bathroom, inevitably the P-trap will eventually get clogged and need to be cleaned (the fact I wash my paint brushes in the guest bathroom sinks probably won’t help the matter…). I want to be able to remove this shelf when cleaning the P-trap so that 1. It doesn’t get covered in nasty P-trap grime on accident and 2. So there’s more room to work on it in here when the time comes.

If you are totally okay with not removing the shelf, you could do this step BEFORE adding the drawer and screw it all in as one piece that can’t be removed. Up to you.

Step 5: Add drawer front and doors and trim

I already said that my drawer front was 5 ¼” tall. I cut it from the leftover ¾″ plywood and made it ¼” shorter width wise than the drawer opening (24 ¾”) and added cove molding around the edges.

I also cut two doors from the ¾″ plywood and nailed cove molding to them, too (my joints look bad below…they aren’t nailed in yet). The size of the doors will depend on the type of hinge you decide to use. My doors ended up about 11 ½” tall and 12 ¼” wide.

Then I nailed cove around the side panels for a little extra detail

Putty the cracks and nail holes. Once the putty dries, sand everything well. Don’t attach the drawer front or doors yet…it’s easier to paint them first.

Step 6: Make the top

You can see how I make table tops in this post, but I made my top 33” wide and about 22” deep. I will likely trim the top down to 20-21” once the vanity is installed. I’m not sure how far from the wall the top of the vanity will be when it’s installed (because of baseboards and the fact that walls are NEVER perfect), so I’m waiting to trim it down until I know how far off the back it will hang. I want only 1” overhang in the front. Sorry, that’s a lot of extra information. But, it’s free so there you go.

I drilled pocket holes along the sides and back to attach the top later.

Step 7: Finish

I stained the top with Minwax Puritan Pine and finished it with Minwax Polycrylic. Since this will be in the bathroom, I plan to add SEVERAL coats before it’s actually installed.

I primed and painted the vanity in SW Naval (I’m using the same color scheme as my office). Once the paint was dry, I attached the drawer front by screwing it in from the inside of the drawer and attached the doors using small brass hinges. The sink isn’t installed yet, but I set it on top to get the idea. Once it’s ready, we will drill the hole in the top for the drain.

Then I added these brass ring pulls from D. Lawless Hardware. Aren’t they gorgeous?! I think they really add so much character to the vanity. Plus I’m a sucker for brass and navy 🙂

I plan to paint the bathroom the same color as my office (SW Eider White), so I took it in here to take some pictures to see what it would look like with that wall color. I love it!! This sink is gorgeous, too, and I cannot wait to find the perfect faucet to pair it with.

How about those legs and pulls? #hearteyes

I cannot wait to get the other one made and get these babies installed in the new bathroom! I’m loving this design and color. What do you guys think?? Let me know in the comments! If you love it too, don’t forget to pin for later 🙂

Until next time, happy building!! 🙂

DIY Destination Map Picture Frame Thingy–Yes, You Read That Right

February 14, 2017 by Shara, Woodshop Diaries

Can I be honest for a second? I really hate football. It’s not that I hate the game, or the players, or the coaches. I just hate that you run the ball for 5 seconds and it’s 30 more seconds before the next play. And I’m REALLY impatient. Guys, what takes that long? GET ON WITH IT ALREADY!!!! I just can’t deal.

On a semi-related note, do you guys ever watch the Bad Lip Reading videos on YouTube? The football ones CANNOT BE BEAT. So there is that.

But, why am I talking about football? Well, because sometimes you have a friend who likes football (she’s obviously got more patience than me) and she wants a map of all the stadiums so she can put pictures of all the ones she’s been to in it.

Which…that’s kind of a really cool idea. So even though you (I) don’t like football, you (I) go with it because how cool is this?

And I’m going to be honest again, I have no idea what you would call this thing. A destination map picture frame thingy? Sounds good to me. Someone is TOTALLY going to search that exact phrase on Pinterest, I just know it.

But, what if you’re just like me and hate football? This idea can be used for just about ANYTHING…not just football (phew, that’s a relief, right?). Vacation destinations, family members who live all over, places you’ve lived previously, or even basketball stadiums (because basketball > football #sorrynotsorry). The possibilities are endless!

Ready to make one?? Great 🙂 You can make this as just the U.S. cutout alone, or you can also add a back and frame like I did. The backing and frame is optional.

This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. If you purchase from one of these links, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. This helps to pay for the cost of maintaining the site and keeping the content free. Thank you for supporting this site! See disclosure policy for more information.

What you need to make a Destination Map Picture Frame thingy:

For the cutout only:

¼” plywood (I made my map about 2 ft wide and bought a quarter sheet)

Jig Saw (or scroll saw)

Boring bit or hole saw (I used 1 ⅛” holes)

Sandpaper

Dremel tool (helpful for sanding)

Orbital sander (helpful, not necessary)

Stencil (I made mine from regular printer paper…details below)

For the backing and frame:

¾” plywood (optional for mounting to-quarter sheet is plenty)

1x2x8 (optional—used to make outside frame)

Miter Saw (only needed if using 1x2s for frame)

Circular Saw

Nail gun, or 1 ½” screws, or hammer and nails (if using 1x2s on frame)

Create your stencil

You can probably purchase stencils, but I used the same method as I used with the Grinch Pillow project (because I’m cheap) to get a stencil of the United States. By the way, you can do individual states, countries, whatever for this.

I found a picture online of the country and sized it as needed to get it to be about 2 ft wide. I traced it onto printer paper from my computer screen (it took a couple sheets) just like in this post. Then I cut it out carefully. And there I had my stencil!

Cut out the shape

Now that I had my stencil, I traced it out onto ¼” plywood with a pen. (Yes, I know the that in second picture the drawing is mirrored…my bad.)

I used my jig saw with a scroll blade for careful cutting to cut out the shape. Go slow and be careful. If you are good with a scroll saw, you could use that instead. I still need A LOT of practice on my scroll saw (I’m pretty much the worst at it), so I just used the jig saw.

Once it’s cut out, the Dremel tool with the little sanding attachment makes the edges pretty smooth.

Map out and cut your holes

Here’s where it might get hairy (oops, I forgot to mention a razor in the list of supplies! Just kidding…no shaving required for this project.). Depending on what you are mapping, you may have trouble getting all your holes to fit. With my football example, I mapped on my stencil where all the stadiums were. Since most of them are along the east coast, the holes are pretty close together. My only advice is to be as careful as possible to place the holes where they won’t overlap. Go slow.

I used a 1 ⅛” hole saw to cut the holes. It took a while, but once the holes were cut, I sanded them really well with the Dremel tool again.

I accidentally sanded a little too far on one hole close to the edge and it broke.

If this happens to you, you can mix a little glue and sawdust and “mold” it in to fill the gap and let it dry really well. Then carefully sand around it with the Dremel again. Good as new 🙂

Build the Backing and Frame (Optional)

For the backing, I simply cut a piece of ¾” plywood large enough for the cutout to fit on it. I used my circular saw for this. Then I cut some 1x2s with mitered ends (45 degrees) to fit along the edge of the plywood. I nailed it on with a nail gun, but you could also screw them in with 1 ½” screws, or use a hammer and nails. You can see this post for more details on making a similar frame.

Finish

I spray painted the cutout black and stained the backing with Minwax Puritan Pine. Once everything was dry, I used some small screws to attach the cutout and slipped a few pictures in place. Each year she plans to visit a new stadium and add a picture. It would be fun to make one and watch it fill up with ~~memories~~ pictures. Let’s not go getting all sentimental and stuff.

If you didn’t do a backing, you could simply glue or tape the pictures on the back. With the backing, you can just slip the pictures in place and the screws hold it tight so it doesn’t fall out.

I also suggested to my friend that when she starts putting pictures in those east cost places, to cut it fairly small, then once it’s placed in the right hole, use an exacto knife or a pocket knife to carefully cut the picture out of any holes it might spill into.

So what do you think? Is this something you’d try? Also does anyone have a term for this? Something better than “destination map picture frame thingy”?? HAHA

Because no one will be searching for that on Pinterest, do me a favor and pin it for me so people out there can see it 🙂

Stay tuned for more fun projects I’ve got in the works in the next couple weeks! Until next time, happy building!

Tips for Surviving a Remodel–And Tetanus Shots

February 6, 2017 by Shara, Woodshop Diaries

Three things occurred to me this weekend:

It’s been almost two years since we remodeled our kitchen and many of you have followed only within the last several months. So likely, you’ve never seen it before.
I’ve never told the story on my blog about getting a tetanus shot after an incident related to that remodel.
I have several tips to share that will benefit those of you who are considering doing a kitchen remodel in the future.

So, let’s kill three birds with one stone and take care of all the above with one blog post packed full of before and afters, funny stories, and helpful tips. By the way, I don’t advocate killing birds with stones. I just let my cats take care of them…

Okay, so…let me first show you the before and after…just so you can’t say you haven’t seen it. And I’ll sprinkle some more pictures throughout…because I love it so. Also, if you want to check out the final reveal post of it, you can see it here.

This was before. Complete with nacho cheese wall color, Spanish style wall tile, and 7 foot ceilings.

And here is after:

Now that we’ve seen the power of a remodel, let me give you the important stuff, the tips for surviving one. We learned MANY MANY things during our first ever remodel and several of them may be helpful to you…most will still apply even if you aren’t DIYing your remodel. So here we go:

TIP #1: Have a plan

Now, I know this is like “thank you, captain obvious.” But, I mean it. PLAN THIS THING. About a month before we actually took a hammer to the walls, I had a list of EVERYTHING I knew of that we were doing to the kitchen and organized it into an order that made sense.

That really helped us when we kept getting to the point of asking “what do we do next?” Well, check the list…we have a plan.

For Example: you have to replace/repair drywall BEFORE you can install new cabinets. You want the ceiling to be finished BEFORE you put anything back in the room. List out every detail and every step then order it.

TIP #2: List (and buy) tools/supplies before starting demo

Once you have a general “plan” for what you’re doing and in what order, make a list of everything needed to purchase for the remodel. YOU CANNOT POSSIBLY PLAN FOR EVERY SINGLE PURCHASE, but making a list of most everything you need and having it purchased and ready to go is a HUGE help.

We bought our new appliances, sink, faucets, light fixtures, cabinets, countertop and flooring about a month to a couple weeks before the remodel and stored them in a spare room. This saved time, stress, money, the chance that what you want is sold out when you need it, and it gives you time to research and make the best decision BEFOREHAND instead of buying something when you are desperate and tired and ready for this thing to be over with. Because, trust me, you will be to that point very quickly after starting.

TIP #3: Make a budget

See how this is working? You made your plan, then used your plan to make your list of supplies, and now you use your list of supplies to make your budget.

Here is an example of mine…it’s a complete jumbled mess (and some of the things we didn’t actually do), but I listed out everything we needed and put a price next to it that was our “budgeted” amount for said item. At the end, I added it all up and got our total. (PS when you get a total, add at least 10% to that for that random miscellaneous stuff you forgot…because you WILL FORGET) If it’s more than you are okay with spending, go through your items again and see where you can adjust…maybe find a cheaper sink, or maybe choose to keep your existing appliances a little longer.

Start purchasing and searching for those items from #2 that match your listed budget. Every time you buy one of those items, mark out the budgeted amount and write in the exact amount…so at the end you can see if your exact matched the budget. I did a much better job at this during our recent bathroom remodel and it was so easy to stay on budget…so take my advice…this is so helpful.

TIP #4: Sell your old appliances and cabinets–and anything else you want to get rid of

This is self explanatory. If you’re having a hard time making your budget, this may help pay for some of that extra. Post your old cabinets and appliances (after you remove them) on Facebook or Craigslist or wherever you can sell locally. I promise people will buy this stuff. We made $650 off our old cabinets and appliances and another $500 from a metal staircase we removed from the kitchen that accessed out attic. It was a win win because these people needed some cheap shop cabinets (and a metal staircase) and I didn’t want to pay to take it to the dump.

TIP #5: Precook your meals

Speaking of budgets…don’t blow your budget on eating meals out while your kitchen is out of commission. Precook some meals and freeze them to eat while working on your kitchen.

Luckily, we were without a kitchen for just two to three weeks and we survived off a casserole I made five minutes before we took out our old stove (for the first week), some frozen leftovers, and a crockpot. Crockpots are your best friend during remodels. Just remember that you may have to wash it in the tub since you don’t have a kitchen sink. 🙂 I know from experience.

But, take my word for it. Prepare this food before you get to the I’m-so-exhausted-I-just-want-a-cheeseburger phase. Once you get to that point, you will have no will to do this part and your “food” budget will be blown. Oh and you’ll feel like crap from eating fast food at 11PM every night.

TIP #6: Stock the Band-Aid cabinet

Demo is rough. So is drywall. Keep bandaids handy. Trust me…you will need far more than you think. My Dad required AT LEAST two per hour of demo.

TIP #7: Watch out for rusty nails

And this is the part where I tell you my tetanus shot story. So, let’s start at the beginning…I stepped on a really big, really rusty, really painful nail during this remodel process. Because I am a clumsy idiot who wears worn out sneakers everywhere and doesn’t pay attention.

After some Neosporin and a couple band-aids (see tip #6), I asked Google what to do. Google said to get the tetanus shot or die. Google also said the shot was painful–like it’s trying to talk me out of it or something. What’s up with that? Silly Google, don’t you know I give blood on a regular basis? You think I’m going to think a little shot is painful?

So on my morning work break, I find myself in the waiting room of the little doctors office down the road from my work. The sweet little old lady doctor gave me the shot and a cute little bandaid and I laughed at Google for it’s false information. That shot was painless, Google. Quit lying just to scare people. Silly Google.

Until a few minutes later when I got to my car.

I couldn’t raise my arm. My shoulder was on fire. I THOUGHT. I WAS GOING. TO DIE. I went back to work and couldn’t lift my arm to the keyboard to type…I couldn’t even answer the phone. My arm was going to fall off any minute, I was sure of it. THE PAIN. It felt like I had gotten stung by a 100 wasps and been repeatedly punched in the shoulder for hours. Okay, Google. You win.

This was a Tuesday.

That weekend we went to a wedding and I wore a sleeveless dress despite my (STILL…after five days) very red and very swollen shoulder and spent the reception trying to strategically place my hair over the shoulder to avoid questions from strangers asking what bit me. Resisting the urge to say something inappropriate…or make up some story about how I fought off the beast of LBL, I simply told them I got a tetanus shot and then they looked at me like I had cooties.

So that, kids, is why you watch out for rusted nails when remodeling 🙂 Because then you will go to a wedding and people will think you have cooties.

So, if you are planning on doing a kitchen remodel (or any remodel for that matter) any time soon, hopefully these tips will come in handy for you. And hopefully you can avoid the tetanus shot fiasco 🙂

Don’t forget to pin for later so you can easily find these tips again when you need them 🙂

Until next time, watch out for rusted nails 🙂 and happy DIYing!

If You’re Going to Make It, You Better Fake It–DIY Fake Brick Fireplace

January 16, 2017 by Shara, Woodshop Diaries

I’ve never been big on “fake” stuff. Fake wood, fake crab, fake friends, fake smiles at that coworker you want to punch in the throat (JUST KIDDING). I just don’t like things that try to be something they aren’t.

That’s why I always try to be real with you guys. Honesty is the best policy and I like to remind you all the time that I really have no idea what I’m doing here and am a complete amateur. Just keepin’ it real, yo.

But lately, I find myself embracing the fact that some things are just better fake. Not wood, though. NEVER WOOD. You either go real with that stuff or go home, friends. (Sorry to all my particle board and MDF lovers…it’s just a pet peeve. We can still be friends, ok?)

But things like fake fur are totally cool (because…bunnies!!). And fake antique mirrors. And fake fireplaces (because sometimes putting in a real one just isn’t worth it).

So when I decided I wanted a fake fireplace in our bedroom, I at least wanted it to look as real as possible. If you’re going to fake something, at least make it somewhat believable, right? Ironically, that required using even more fake stuff. Oh, the hypocrisy!!

But nonetheless, the fireplace turned out AWESOME (even if it is a total facade) and I’m going to show you exactly how I did it 🙂

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DISCLOSURE: This is meant to be a FAKE fireplace, just for decoration. Do not place any heat source in the fireplace as the wood and fake brick paneling is flammable. For applications where you will be using a heat source, contact a professional for their opinion. This application is strictly for decoration.

Materials needed:

(3) 1x12x8 boards

(2) 1x8x8

1x2x8

Baseboard molding (optional)

Crown molding (optional)

Fake Brick panel

White paint

Drywall mud or plaster of some sort

Sandpaper

Plastic putty knife

Wood glue

Wood putty

Tools needed:

Miter or Chop Saw

Step 1: Build the insert for the fake fireplace

This fake fireplace is really two main parts—the inside and the outside. I worked kind of backwards and made the inside first.

I cut two 1x12s at about 36” and one at about 22”. I used my jig saw to cut an arch in the 22” piece. This is optional, but I wanted the fireplace to have an arched top.

Then I used my Kreg Jig to drill pocket holes in the 22” piece and used 1 ¼” screws to attach it to the two 36” 1×12 boards like shown.

I cut two pieces of 1×8 at 36” long and drilled pocket holes in those as well and attached along the inside of the opening.

Step 2: Add the faux brick

I got a 4×8 sheet of fake brick panel from the local big box store. My local lumber yard could order it, but didn’t keep any in stock. If you can’t find it at the bog box store, check the local places.

I’m going to warn you (here’s me being “real” with you teaching you how to fake something…ironic), don’t do it like I did it.

I pieced the front faux brick together in three pieces. Don’t do that…you can see the seams and it took me FOREVER to get things to line up to where they looked halfway normal.

I recommend lying the board face down on the ground and trace out the shape of the front of the insert onto the back of the panel and cut the front brick as one piece with a jig saw.

Glue and nail the brick panel onto the insert as you go.

I attached the front pieces first, then lined the 1x8s and then nailed a large piece onto the back of the 1x8s so it was all completely lined with brick. I cut my pieces on the table saw so I got good straight lines

For the arch, I cut individual bricks out and cut them in half and just nailed them along the arch. Don’t worry about gaps between them. We will deal with that later.

Step 3: Make the faux brick pretty

Let’s be honest. This brick is UGLY. It’s so brown and dark and the mortar is black. Apparently, back in the day, black mortar was more expensive. WHAT?! Our real fireplace has black mortar (from the 80s) and I HATE IT SO BAD.

So first thing was first, I painted the black lines with plain white paint.

I was messy and not too concerned with it being in the lines. It’ll be covered up later.

Once the paint was dry, I took a cheap plastic putty knife and a HUGE bucket of drywall mud and puttied all over the brick.

We had drywall mud leftover from the bathroom remodel, so that’s what I used. You can get smaller containers of plaster and it should work the same. You don’t need a whole lot, but you will need more than you think.

I should have taken a video to show you, but I didn’t. #badblogger I just scooped up some mud on the knife and smeared it all over. Be sure to get it in all the mortar lines and the little dimples in the bricks. Then scrape off the excess. I worked in small areas as I went.

Be sure to fill in all the gaps between the bricks in the arch, too.

Just another warning…you will get the mud all over the floor no matter how careful you are. This floor is cheap and we will replace it soon, so I didn’t care. But I don’t advise you to do this on bare floor…lay down some plastic.

Ta da!! Now let it dry…it’ll take a while.

Once it was good and dry, I sanded it with drywall sandpaper. You can use regular sand paper too. After the mud, it was whiter than I wanted, so I just sanded until I liked it.

This is what I ended up with. It will be very dusty…just a warning. Wipe it down with a damp cloth after sanding.

Step 4: Build the outside of the fake fireplace

I cut 2 pieces of 1×8 at about 34” long and one 1×8 at about 48” long. I drilled pocket holes in the tops of the 34” long pieces and attached it to the 48” piece using 1 ¼” pocket hole screws like shown below.

Then I ripped two pieces of 1×12 to 8 ½” wide for the sides. You can use a 1×10 or 1×12 for the sides and not rip it if you want. But I didn’t want my fireplace very deep, so I ripped it.

I drilled pocket holes along the sides of the 8 ½” wide pieces and attached them to the front piece using 1 ¼” pocket hole screws.

Then I cut a 1×2 and a 1×12 at 53” long and glued them together. This will be the top. You could also attach them using pocket holes and screws.

I drilled pocket holes along the top of the box I just made and attached top using 1 ¼” screws.

The rest of this is optional and can be customized however you want. I added some interest to the front by nailing pieces on the fronts to make “boxes”, then adding cove molding along the insides, crown molding to the top and baseboards at the bottom.

I puttied, sanded and caulked as needed and gave it two coats of primer and two coats of white paint.

Step 5: Attach the inside to the outside

Once the paint was dry, I simply screwed the inside piece to the outside piece from the back side. In hindsight, I could have made the 1x8s in the inside piece go all the way to the top and attach there too, but oh well. It works fine like this.

Step 6: Stress out about decorating then give up and just enjoy 🙂

I’ve always admitted that an eye for decorating is not my strongest asset. So, like always, I spent hours putting stuff on and taking it off again to decorate this thing. Then I just quit and said whatever, this is good enough. So don’t judge my decor…I just wanted to stand back and admire the fireplace 🙂

So here are some pictures of that…

SOOOOOOO, tell me what you think? I have been so excited about this project since I started working on it and COULDN’T WAIT to show you all!! If you love it too, I’d love for you to pin it 🙂

Whew, what a long post. I’m gonna cut out right here, but I’ll be back again soon with some more fun projects 🙂 Until next time, happy DIYing!!

DIY Farmhouse Side Table With Storage–AKA The Diaper Cabinet

January 9, 2017 by Shara, Woodshop Diaries

Let’s play a friendly game of “Never Have I Ever.” You’ve played that before, right?

You hold up your fingers and go around the circle saying things you’ve never done and whoever has done them has to lower a finger. The last person with any fingers still up wins.

We will make it a quick game and just use one finger and one question. Are you ready?

Okay, never have I ever….changed a diaper. Like, ever.

Anyone still have a finger up? DID I WIN?!

Of course I won. Anyone with a finger still up wins…because, you guys, we’ve never changed a diaper. And that, my friends, is #winning.

Okay, okay, enough with the funny business…I’m just making jokes. But in all seriousness, a friend of mine has an adorable newborn. And he obviously requires a diaper change on occasion. Now, I know nothing about changing diapers, but I know that they come in a big box, and you typically require a few other accessories like wipes and cream…I think??

And those things are usually not something you want to use as home décor. So my friend (who blogs over at Fun Home Things–and you need to check her out!) asked for my help to hide them so they would still be conveniently located, but you didn’t have to actually see them.

So I made her a “diaper hiding side table” that she could put next to the couch.

But, good news for those of us who don’t need to hide diapers…it functions perfectly fine as a “other random stuff you want to hide side table,” too! It’s just got measurements suited to store a typical diaper box.

Side story: that pillow in the table was a gift from my sister. She thought it was funny because it’s got six cats driving a Volkswagon van and if you know anything about me, that just screams “SHARA!!!!!” in all caps and with five exclamation points. However, I find it somewhat embarrassing, so she jokes with me that I hide it. It’s a 1200% coincidence that it ended up in this picture, but still kind of funny. Sissy, I am not trying to hide the pillow, I’m just staging….I promise.

So anyway…ready for the how to? Great 🙂

Materials needed:

¾” plywood (1 sheet is plenty)

1×12 board (optional for the top..can use plywood instead)

2x2s (2 8ft sticks or can rip one 2×4 in half)

1×6 board (for the drawer)

¼” plywood (¼ sheet)

Cove molding (optional–3 8ft sticks)

Set of drawer slides

2 ½” pocket hole screws

Tools needed:

Miter saw

Circular saw or table saw (to cut plywood)

Kreg Jig