Our Farmhouse Table Reveal

We finally finished our farmhouse table, which has been built for quite some time, but not finished.

And we are so in love. I have dreamed of having a giant table where all of our friends and family can gather around and share a meal. I love food and cooking, and I especially love sharing meals with those who are closest to me - and with our own growing brood, we needed quite a bit more space to be able to have everyone eat together. The past few nights, we have sat down to eat dinner, and it's hard to eat because I can't stop smiling.

The table measures 8 feet, and can sit 12 people comfortably - although, we could probably squeeze a few little people together to seat more, if necessary.

We still need to build benches for either side, and paint the end chairs. But the table is DONE.

And without further ado, here are some photos of the table. I cannot wait to set it for a meal.

Plans here.
Stain: Minwax Dark Walnut
Finished with Howard's Beeswax and Orange Polish.
Total Cost: < $150

Don't mind the after-Christmas bare. Or the rubbermaid boxes where I haven't finished putting away the Christmas lights. I'm really dragging my feet this year. I'm still sad and in denial that the holidays are over.

Finishing Projects

One of my New Year's "resolutions" was to finish a project. We are taking that very literally at the moment.... there should be an after photo at the beginning of next week. I'm ready to be done with the sawdust and plastic all over my house.

Chug-a-chug-a-chug

Our most recent completed project was not so much a decorating project (although, we did take design into consideration) but building a giant toy for Dmitri. Dmitri is obsessed with trains. Honestly, I was not expecting this to happen until he was a bit older. But ever since we took him to the Barnes and Noble's children's section, he has loved playing with trains and saying "choo choo!" He enjoys reading books about trains, and he especially liked last week's family yoga class, which was appropriately train-themed.

We try to keep Christmas gifts simple and keep the focus on other parts of celebrating the holiday, but we wanted him to have one special present from us: a train set. After hours of researching different sets, I decided on the Melissa and Doug Deluxe Wooden Railway Set (which I got for a steal on Amazon- well over 50% off retail which is $129.99). I was more excited than a 33-weeks-pregnant-lady-in-a-cupcake-shop when it arrived (and I would know). I had hoped to set it up while he was sleeping on Christmas Eve. But since we did not arrive home from our crazy-visit-every-family-member-within-driving-distance-that-we-can tour until 1 AM Christmas morning, we ended up waiting till nap time. One of the wonderful things about toddlers: they have little expectations on Christmas- just pure happiness! David and I put together the train set while he was napping, and Dmitri woke up just as excited to see the "choo choo"!

And then, it happened. Dmitri, like Godzilla in Hong Kong wiped out the train set. Epic fail on the part of the parents. Of course a 17-month-old will knock over and destroy the carefully assembled track! Little did I think about the fact that the Barnes and Noble track was industrial screwed and Gorilla-glued to a table. In fear of losing the pieces, I packed up the train set, majorly bummed.

I researched train tables and ways to secure train tracks, but we did not have the money to spend on an expensive table, nor did I like how cheap most of them looked. So my brilliant husband designed and built his own train table for a fraction of the cost (and I think it's pretty damn-good-looking too!)

Here it is in the BOYS' playroom/nursery: 

But I have to be honest, it was really difficult to get a picture, because there was a lot of this going on:

 
We still have some major re-arranging to do in the nursery, so it won't be as cramped when we are finished. Look forward to several more nursery projects next week. I'm feeling the need to finish it up before baby # 2's due date gets any closer. Ack.

The Master Bed: How We Built It

These are the details on how we built our master bed! 

Ana White at Knock-Off Wood wrote up plans for how to build a Queen-sized Fancy Arched Bed, inspired by the Gustavian Collection by Viva Terra. However, we needed a King-sized bed, so I modified the plans. Here are the details of what we bought and how we built it. If you would like to build the same bed, follow Ana's directions, but this should help with the details of modifying it from a queen to a king. Also, we chose to build a platform installation since we do not have box springs. If you plan to use box springs, the bed frame/platform part will be different from ours.

Shopping List

All boards are 8 ft. except the 1x6s. They can be 6 ft.

13 1x6 boards (We upgraded to white pine boards, as opposed to furring strips)
2 1x3 boards (for headboard)
14 1x3 furring strips (for slats: we did a platform installation)
5 1x2 furring strips (3 for the headboard and two for the slat supports on frame)
3 1x10 boards (for bed frame)
1 1x8 board (for bed frame)
1 2x6 board (for center support)

2" screws (1 box)
1 1/4" screws (2 boxes)
wood glue
wood filler
stain/paint/finish of choice: We used Minwax Dark Walnut stain and Polycrylic in Clear Satin.

Tools We Used
Miter Saw (any saw will do)
Jig Saw (we purchased one for $30, for the occasion)
Drill
Level
Tape Measurer
 Square
Sander
Paint brushes


Cut List

Headboard:
9– 1x6 @ 57 3/4"  (Inner Panel Pieces)
4 – 1x6 @ 47 3/4" (Outer Panel Pieces)
2– 1x3 @ 47 3/4" (Legs)
2– 1x2 @ 10" (Headboard supports. We waited until we had the bed frame and front legs completely built before we made the cut for the back legs legs to make sure it was completely level)
2– 1x2 @ 75" (Headboard Panel support)
1 – 1x2 @ 60" (Headboard Panel Support)


Bed Frame:

2 – 1×10 @ 81 1/2″ (Side Rails)
1 – 1×10 @ 76″ (Foot Rail)
1 – 1×8 @ 76″ (Headboard Rail)
2 – 1×4 @ 17 1/2″ (Outer Leg)
2 – 1x2  @ 80" (Support rails for slats or box spring, depending on preference)
2 – 1×3 @ 8 1/2″ (Inner support leg)

Platform:
1 – 2×6 @ 80″ (Center Support)
14 – 1×3 @ 76″ (Slats if building platform, DO NOT build if you use box springs)

Total Cost: < $200 including the purchase of a jig saw

Building Photos:

Here is what the bed frame and slats looks like before the legs are drilled on.

Installing the legs

It's got legs!!

We laid out the boards for the headboards and then attached 2 -1x2s to hold it together. We then traced our pattern and jig sawed the headboard. After wards, we attached the third 1x2 at the top.

 

This is the finished headboard (the back of it).

 Time to finish! Dmitri knows how to use a paint brush.

We finished the wood by sanding it (using 50 grit, 80 grit, and 120 grit sandpaper in that order). Followed by three applications of Minwax Dark Walnut stain. We applied with a brush and wiped it off with a cloth. We then applied two coats of Mixwax Polycrylic in Clear Satin. Let dry! And then we assembled the whole shebang.

And here it is again:

Yep, I still love it!

Questions? Check out FAQ's here!

Doubts? We are definitely not building experts! We are just two parents and college students on a budget, who don't even like math. This is only our second building project, and it's the first time we have ever used a jig saw. If we can do it, I'm pretty sure anyone can do it. Just go for it!

 

The Master Bed

Our Master Bed has been completed, and I have been counting the hours until the sun comes up to show you. We could not be more ecstatic about no longer sleeping on the floor after a year of doing so. And at 29+ weeks pregnant,  those frequent nighttime bathroom trips were daunting. Let's just say there was a lot of awkward rolling, tripping, falling, and waddling involved...

It all started when I fell in love with this bed:

Gustavian Bed from Viva Terra

At $2,095 plus tax and shipping, it was obviously not an option. Even Ikea prices were questionable for our college-student-budget. But, Ana White at Knock-Off Wood (who might as well be called Wonder woman) was to the rescue, once more. She worked up some plans. Which I modified from a queen to a king and made a few small preferential changes (don't worry, I will tell you exactly what we did.) And then David bought some wood, which happened to be pretreated. So he returned it, and bought the correct wood:

This is supposed to be a bed? Really?

And he went to work:

Dmitri helped. Especially with the power tools.

Six days, five trips to Lowes, a gazillion screws, countless measuring, over one hundred cuts of wood, free-styling with a jig saw, three applications of stain, two applications of polycrylic, and a lot of impatient waiting during dry time...

And here is our bed:

I am in love.

 It's so huge.

Look at those legs.

I'm calling him Gustav, and he's pretty much swept me off my feet (and off of the floor- thank God!). Enjoy the photos for now, and I will be posting every building detail tomorrow. Might I add, I had our Anthropologie bedding set up on the bed for not even thirty minutes. And Dmitri managed to leak his poopy diaper all over my new sham. Ooh, shit. Got to love life with babies. So a bedding post will be coming at a later date, after a visit to the cleaners.

These photos were taken in the middle of our massive master bedroom redo, hence the blue tape and other random stuff lying about. So forgive the weirdness. I look forward to sharing more Master Bedroom updates in the next few days.

Total cost: < $200, including the purchase of a jig saw
If we had bought it: $2,095 + tax & shipping

For details on how we built it, including measurements, click here!
For FAQ's, click here!

I linked up at The Weekend Wrap-Up & Make it 4 Monday.  

Build A Bed: It's begun

Some how these:

 Are going to become this:

 So that there is no more of this:

 I'm beyond excited! Yes, we decided to go with the arched bed and construction is underway. Do you have any New Years projects going on?

Building a Daybed- Thanks to Knock-Off Wood

If you haven't "met" Ana from Knock-Off Wood then you are missing out on something wonderful. Not only is she ridiculously cute- that girl knows how to use her power tools, and I don't mean a staple gun. She has industrial sized miter saws...She takes DIY to the next level by showing us how to build our own furniture. And not just simple pieces, but gorgeous furniture that you'd want to keep for years to come.

Anyways, as you can tell, I'm smitten with Ana and her site. So I just couldn't wait [for David] to build something...I really liked the plans for the daybed (similar to the Stratton Daybed from Pottery Barn). And we had this space in our Breakfast room that was really wasted space. So I thought it would be a perfect reading nook. 

Considering neither of us have ever used a saw before, let alone cut trim, I am so proud of how our daybed turned out. So don't be afraid to try it. If we can do it, I'm pretty sure everyone can! To be honest, I think it looks better than Pottery Barn's! And considering it cost the same amount as their shipping? We couldn't be more pleased.

Here it is...(click for a larger view)

Yes, those are the same baskets as in my bathroom (I can't resist at $6 a piece).

A view to give you an idea of how the room flows...

Another shot...ahhh...I love it.

It still needs a cozy throw and some toss pillows, but I just love it so much, I had to share!

I hope you'll be inspired to build something of your own!

To see more of the Breakfast Room: click here!

To see the Kitchen Table Before & After: click here!

To see the Breakfast Room Before & After: click here!

I linked up at The Weekend-Wrap Up!