Browsing her site makes me want to never buy another piece of furniture again, and instead build everything ourselves.
Last weekend, I caught up with one of my favorite people who lives back in Chicago. We got talking about homeownership and she pointed out this killer sandbox her hubby made. He said he got the design plans for free on this Ana White's website. I'd never heard of her but decided it was worth checking out, especially since Lucas had just decided he wants to build a picnic table for our screened-in patio.
On my lunch break, I popped over to www.Ana-White.com. Holy moly! She not only has a slew of design plans for woodworking projects, but she also breaks them down for you by shopping list, tool list, cut list, plus step-by-step instructions with pictures. Designs are also labeled with a category, like beginner or intermediate, with the hope you don't bite off more than you can chew. I'm definitely a beginner, but my husband is probably more intermediate.
The cart coffee table pictured here is a beginner project and estimated to cost $50-$100. If you know me at all, you know I'm thrifty. To me, it's completely worth saving $150-$200 by putting in some sweat equity. Not to mention, I'm sure there's a huge sense of pride knowing you built something yourself. That way when guests say how much they love my table (which I know they will), I can tell them Lucas and I built it with our own four hands. We have some other projects lined up first - like the picnic table - but some time this summer I hope to be able to post about my first time building a coffee table...