Buildables: Headboard Turned Wall Art

Our basement is a typical basement with very few windows and large wall spaces with nothing on them.  I wanted something light and airy, yet large enough to fill a fairly large wall, all on a small budget.  I saw the "Squared 2 headboard (queen) plan" at Ana White and thought I could make it into a statement piece for the wall.  I followed the plan exactly as written for the upper portion of the headboard (other than screwing two 1x2s together to make the 2x2s because I couldn't find any 2x2s that were square), used my Kreg Jig to join the boards from the back side (against the wall), primed and spray painted and hung all 2-3 pounds of it on the wall with two "picture" hangers.  Overall it was quite easy!

The headboard turned wall art costed around $30 total, and I believe I finished it in the same weekend (completed it over a year ago and it's still hanging in the basement!).  I recommend laying it out on the floor like a puzzle prior to assembling to see how well pieces are fitting and what parts may be easiest to put together first.  The cuts were a little time consuming, as was connecting the pieces together, but I think it was well worth it!

You can see my "Brag Post" on Ana's website here. I may or may not have had a minor heart attack when Ana herself commented on this build.  Doesn't even matter to me that not a single other sole commented on it.  

Speaking of comments, feel free to leave a comment below! I would love to learn a little about who is visiting the blog!

You may recognize the pillow in the center of the couch from this post.  

Buildables: Factory Cart Inspiration

After finding Ana White's website, I had the urge to keep building furniture.  This in theory wasn't such a bad situation, but our house didn't need any more furniture.  When I told my sister of my predicament, she was happy to provide a wish list for her new condo.  She fell in love with Restoration Hardware's Furniture Factory Cart, but the price tag was a little more than she wanted to pay for a coffee table.  

Buildables: Ana-Inspiration - Simple, Cheap, and Easy Console Table

If you haven't heard of Ana White, I think it is a blog you should add to your repertoire. It's an AMAZING website full of easy to follow plans created by Ana herself while living in rural Alaska.  When I first discovered her website, I spent HOURS on end searching through plans and brag posts trying to decide what I wanted my first project to be. We had just moved in to our current place, money was tight, but I still wanted to turn our house into a home (and not just another rental).   

I decided to start with the Simple, Cheap, And Easy Console Table (the name even summed up my hopes for my first project - sold).  I borrowed my Dad's miter saw (the least scary of all saws in my opinion) and headed to "Big Blue" as Ana refers to it to pick out my lumber, with the printed plan in my hand.  I adjusted the dimensions to fit my space and had most of the wood pre-cut at the store (offered at nearly all Big Blues), but realized later I wanted to add on another shelf, and wanted to try my Dad's saw at home for the few remaining cuts.  Using a miter saw is actually quite easy, but louder than I expected and very messy!  Sawdust everywhere.  It's almost worse than glitter.