If you missed the tutorial for this desk you can check it out HERE!

I liked the idea of cork board for the backing but the thought of push pins scared me a bit (especially with a 14-month-old putting everything in her mouth at the moment;)  So, I brainstormed a bit and came up with an idea for a giant magnet board!

I started by picking up 2 galvanized metal sheets from Lowe’s for about $8 each.

I cut the sheets down so that there would be two halves meeting in the middle.

Next, I cut and stained stick moulding to place at the top and of the metal sheets.  (I did this because the metal sheets wrinkle a bit where you are cutting them.  Each sheet had one edge that was a bit wrinkled so I just placed the sheets on the hutch so that the wrinkled edges were at the top and nailed the trim up to cover them.

Now for the accessories:)

I used a roll of magnetic strip (Hobby Lobby) and cut little magnets to place on the back of…

Baby clothespins (Hobby Lobby)

and black chipboard letters (Hobby Lobby).  The back of the magnetic strip is a sticker so you just peel and stick!

I did mention that the two galvanized metal sheets were cut to meet in the middle so I had to cover up that ugly seam.  I just nailed a 1×4 up and that fixed it!  I love how it separates the two sides!

 I absolutely LOVE this desk and I LOVE the industrial/boy look the magnet board adds to it!  You could also wrap the galvanized sheets with fabric for a fun decorative touch too!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

~Ashley

I have been in the process of redoing my oldest son’s room over the last few weeks.  I shared his bed HERE and the headboard HERE.

I know one of the next things on my to do list will be a desk, and I knew I wanted some shelving for above it.  I found THIS plan on Ana’s site and jumped on it.

If you own a drill (every woman should!) you can build these shelves.  I made 2 for my son, and I also made 2 for my younger sister.  Each shelf cost $10 to build.  Here are a few tips and progress shots…

You will need 2 – 1×4′s and 1 – 1×2 for each shelf.  That’s it!

I made 8′ shelves so no need to use a saw.  I also used my Kreg Jig, but if you don’t own one you can just pre-drill your holes and use wood screws to attach everything. I prefer drywall screws, but both will work.  You will also need wood glue.  I started by adding a line of glue where my 1×4′s meet.

Join your boards together like this.  Just pre-drill from the back and attach your screws.

Now add some more glue to edge of your bottom 1×4…

And use some finish nails to attach your 1×2!

That’s it! Not even kidding!

I didn’t even worry about filling nail holes because I stained mine and I like the imperfections… So shanty!

I used my new favorite stain on mine…

Rust-Oleum Ultimate Wood Stain in Dark Walnut

I  LOVE this stuff… It dries beautifully within an hour… Whoop!  You can get it at Lowe’s.

These are super easy to attach to your wall too!  I used 2″ drywall screws directly into the studs of the wall.  I didn’t even have to cover the screws because the things I put on the shelves covered them easily.

I got them up and took some pictures for you!

And if you aren’t quite convinced please look at this picture…

Yes.  Looks familiar! You can find this lovely at Pottery Barn, except it costs $85 for 4′! That’s half the length and 8 times the price.  No thank you!

What do you think???

You OFFICIALLY have no excuse to not build!  These are easier than putting together anything you can find in a store.  I LOVE them.

You can see the detailed plans HERE on Ana’s site!

FINALLY…

Did you like it???  Would you be a dear and PIN IT please?!?  I would appreciate it greatly

Thanks so much and happy Tuesday!

~Whitney

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Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!  I am back to share the second half of my son’s bed that I built him last week.  Ana put some plans together for me to make this amazing bed, and you can see them HERE!!

For those of you that missed it, you can find my post on the platform bed HERE!

The headboard was even easier than the bed.  I spent under $80 for the headboard and under $150 for the entire bed.  Here are a few pictures of the building process…

I used Gorilla Wood Glue to attach all of my boards.  It was super simple… I just laid them out straight and attached the outside boards with glue and nails.

Here it is right before my molding…

Ana’s plans call for a 3 1/2″ casing for the trim.  I found a ton that I loved at Lowe’s, but they were all primed.  I knew I wanted to stain my bed, so I actually went with a 3 1/2″ base molding.  It gave me the same look, and was also much cheaper… Whoop!

Here is a close up of the trim…

You can see all of the detailed and easy instructions on Ana’s site HERE!

Here it is all finished up…

I love the thickness that the 1×3′s give it on the sides!

A few extra tips…

I don’t consider myself an expert builder at all whatsoever, and I was still able to finish this entire bed in a few hours.  I started after the kids went to bed one night and worked for about 2 hours.  The next day I finished up during nap time.  Because I used a fast drying stain I had the bed in his room and done in less than 24 hours.  It really is easy and fun to make.

I used 3″ drywall screws to attach my headboard to the bed.

I hope this is helpful!  My son loves it and I am excited to share another wall art project I added to the room tomorrow!

Make sure to go check out Ana’s plans of the headboard HERE and if you missed the platform bed you can find it HERE!

Have a great week and we will be back tomorrow!

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I have been CrAzY busy getting my oldest son’s room redone over the last week or so.  He has been in bunk beds, but I was ready for a big boy bed that he could really grow into!

Of course I didn’t have to look far for inspiration…

I found this awesome bed on Pottery Barn Teen!

Yup. I love it! I love ALMOST everything about it…

Except the darn price tag! $800 without the shipping and tax… Ouch.

So… I hit up our sweet friend Ana for some plans and built it myself.

You can see the plans for the bed HERE on Ana’s site!

Today I will share the bed and I will be back to show you the headboard.

For the bed alone I spent $70 in supplies including stain!  Can’t beat that!

Here are some progress pictures of the bed as I was building it, but you can see very detailed and EASY plans HERE on Ana’s site!

I used my Kreg Jig to make pocket holes for the bed frame.  You can also use wood glue and regular screws, but this tool makes it SO much easier!  Here are my pocket holes.  I put 2 on each end of each long board and also used Gorilla Wood Glue to keep things extra sturdy since I know the little boy that will be sleeping in this bed

And the frame together…

The feet of the bed… I LOVE the angle of them.  I used a 10 degree cut for mine.  I think it gives the bed a modern and custom look to it!

All ready to stain…

I used my favorite stain on the entire bed… I used one coat because I love seeing the grain of the wood on it…

My final step was putting it in his room!  Here are some pictures of the bed and I will share the headboard later !!

Yep! It’s official. I LOVE it.  Did I mention that it cost me under $150 to build the whole thing?? That makes me love it even more!

Go check out the plans for this great bed at Ana’s site!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

My girls had Nationals for cheerleading this weekend, but I am finally able to sit down and share my latest project.  I am in the process of completely redoing my son’s room.  I recently ran across a really cute memo board on PBTeen and had to make my own shanty version!

I had some scrap 1/2″ MDF from my mirror project and decided to use it for this one.

You can have Home Depot or Lowe’s cut your MDF for you.  You can also use plywood.  My piece was big… 20″ x 45″

I started by painting one side black.  He has black in his bedding, but you can use any color that makes you happy!

While that was drying I cut the trim pieces.  I used 1×2 for this project.  I cut my long pieces at 45″ to match the MDF and cut my side pieces 21.5″ to cover the trim pieces.  Before I attached them I stained them and let them dry.

I used a small knife to cut small notches on the sides of my MDF.  I put a small notch every 4″ where my twine would be so that my trim would lay flat.

I ran 4 pieces of twine from side to side and attached them to the back of my MDF like this with a staple gun.  You can also hot glue them if you prefer.

I used some wood glue and nails to attach my dry trim pieces after that.  I attached my long pieces first, and then attached the side trim after like this…

That was it!

My last step was adding my clothespins.  I bought some mini ones from Joann’s and spray painted them green to match his bedding.  Then, I added some of our family pics.  I am sure he will be filling up the rest with lots of other goodies

I hung it up and here it is…

This was a scrap project for me, but this can easily be made for under $15… That makes it chic and cheap! Woohoo!

Hope you like it!  Be a doll and pin it if you do

Happy Monday!

~Whitney

I knew Ana White would have plans for something similar!

Here are a few pictures during the building process:

I started with Ana’s plans for her Channing Desk!

This is a picture of the underside of the top of the desk with the pocket holes drilled to attach the front and back trim.

I could not have built this desk with out the Kreg Jig and everytime I use it I fall more in love!!!

I used the Euro style drawer slides that Ana suggests for this drawer.  I was so intimidated of them but they were super easy to install (don’t read the directions just screw them onto the bottom edges of the drawer, slide the cabinet brackets on the drawer slides, then line them up inside the cabinet and mark where they need to be mounted.  The directions were overwhelming so I chunked them;)

I also used Ana’s plans for the hutch and it was super easy.  I used the Euro style hinges as well.  I have used these before and they are my favorite!!

 I used a dark walnut stain to finish this piece and I LOVE it!!

 Now for the before…

and the after!

I spent about 6-8 hours cutting and building and $140 in materials!  That’s over $400 in savings!  My son loves his new desk and is now working on us for the mini fridge….We’re sticking with the shelf for now;)

A huge thank you to Ana White for making this possible!  Her plans are AMAZING and FREE!

I’ll be back later to share the fun backing I did for this desk and the info on the accessories!

~Ashley

Well, it’s time for me to finally get around to decorating our game room and I am less than motivated by this color!  In fact, the rule of thumb that you should never cut your hair when pregnant should also include…or pick out a paint color (at least in my case;)  It screams 1st trimester nausea to me every time I look at it!

Fast forward two years later and I finally caved!!!

I am still so in love with this piece after two years and I love it even more with its modern look!  I covered up the first trimester green with 2 fresh coats of Behr Cozy Cottage in satin!  I also changed out the top and bottom trims for something a little more modern as well as the pulls!

Here’s what I did!

I purchased 1×2 and 1×3 select pine boards.  1×3′s for the bottom trim and 1×2′s for the top!

I also purchased sticks of cove molding to place underneath the 1×2′s.

I placed the 1×2′s flat side down on the very top of the unit and let them hang over the edge to be flush with the cove molding.  I attached them with Liquid Nails and followed up with a few finishing nails.

I did have to miter the edges and it is NOT difficult!  I used my compound miter saw and there are hard stops for 45 degree mitered angles.  I just cut and caulked!

I also used Liquid Nails and finishing nails to attach the 1×3 boards for the base trim and I swapped the knobs for my favorite pulls that I purchase at Home Depot for about $5 each.  They are a little pricey but oh so worth it!

I finally have the motivation I need to decorate our game room!  This was the first building project I ever tackled and if I could do it with ZERO building experience…anyone can;)

If you missed the step-by-step tutorials I shared as I was building this unit you can follow the links below!!

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

Step 6

Step 7

Step 8

Thanks so much for stopping by;)

~Ashley

After finishing my mirrors in the dining room, my table started to look naked!  So… I dressed her up today.

This is a super easy project and I LOVE the results!

This is the wood I used for the project…

2 – 1x6x4 whitewood boards

1- 2×4 stud

Total for wood was under $10… Yippee!

I also used Gorilla Wood glue to attach it all together.

I cut my 2×4 the same length as my other 2 boards (4ft)

I used wood glue and nails to attach the 1×4′s to the 2×4 like this…

Then I cut 2 small pieces of from my stud to finish off the sides.  Mine were 3.75″ each. I know it looks shanty… But that was my goal here

I made some dings all around the whole box, and I also used some furniture upholstery nails around the whole thing because I like the way they look.  You can find these at Lowe’s by the screws and nails.

I decided to try a new product out to finish my box.  I found this stain at Lowe’s.

It’s Rust-Oleum Ultimate Wood Stain.

I LOVED it.  I was thinking there wouldn’t be much of a difference in this new stain and the one I was previously using, but I was shocked at the difference.

The Rust-Oleum stain dries in no time.  I actually had the box on my table dry an hour after I stained it… Love that.

It’s also much less stinky and sticky than the others I have used.  You will love it!

Once it dried I was all finished.  I used some glass bottles I found HERE and filled them with some little flowers I found at Hobby Lobby.  You can also use old glass coke bottles, Starbuck’s glass bottles or any old glass sauce bottle.

Here is how it turned out…

What do you think??

If you like it, I would love for you to Pin it, Stumble it and Share it below

Thanks so much for stopping by!  You can see more of my dining room in these posts…

Dining Chairs

Dining Table Revamp

DIY Window Panels

Have a great night!

~Whitney

Hope you all had a GREAT holiday weekend!  We did for sure and I decided to kick of 2012 by dusting off a few of my tools.  I kind of took a break from building when I was put on bed rest back in September, but I’m finally back in action… Woohoo!

So… I actually bought the supplies for this next big project back in September as well.  I have been so excited to finally get them done!  I made 3 mirrors for my dining room and I LOVE them!  They are super easy and cheap… My kind of DIY!

I started with a 4×8 sheet of 1/2″ MDF from Lowe’s.  I had a them rip it into 20″ pieces.  So, each piece was 20″x49″ and there was a scrap piece left as well.  This sheet was around $20 and my Lowe’s cuts for free.  This is all the cutting you will need to do to the MDF which is great!

I found this trim that I liked for around $3 for an 8′ piece.

I used my miter saw for this next part, but you can also use a little hand saw for projects like this.  I used one before getting my big saw.  It was $12 at Lowe’s.  You will need a little miter box too.  Here is a set at Lowe’s that would work perfect!

I cut 4 equal pieces of trim for each mirror at 10.5″ each.

My first step was attaching this trim to my mdf boards.  I used Gorilla Wood Glue and my brad nailer to attach my top trim piece first.  I attached it 4.5″ from the top of the mdf board.

I then attached my other pieces to form a box.  Each corner is cut at a 45 degree angle.

I found these great wood medallions at Lowe’s for about $6 a piece…

I used some of my wood glue and a few nails to attach it to the center of the square.

Finally, I used a cheap base molding to trim the top and bottom of each mirror.  I bought two pieces from Lowe’s at about $5 a piece.

I just used some wood glue and my brad nailer to attach them.

Now I was ready for paint!

I gave them each a couple coats of my very favorite!

Rust-Oleum Painter’s Touch in Heirloom White

After they dried I attached the hardware to the back before attaching my mirrors to the front.

I used D-rings and metal wire on the back of each board, and used anchors on the wall with screws to hang each board from.

Now for the mirrors!

I found my great mirrors at Ikea, but really any mirror that fits will work on this part.  Walmart sells great behind the door mirrors that would be perfect for $5 a piece.  These are the mirrors I used from Ikea…

I used Liquid Nails Mirror Adhesive on the boards to attach my mirrors.  Just squeeze it on, attach your mirror, and let it dry!

My final step was to hang them up and take a few pics!  What do you think??

I hope you love them! They really were super easy to build!  They took about an hour to construct all 3 with my crazies running around me  And of course I had help hanging them too…

Yes… She is in her jammies, with her “pretty” on her head and wearing one of my house shoes… Love.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Let me know if you have any questions!

~Whitney

Thank you to all of you who entered the Silhouette Cameo Giveaway!  The lucky winner is Kristen Sheilds!!!

Now, there is still a GREAT promo running until Thursday January 5th if you use our promo code SHANTY at check out!!!  (Add the CAMEO and a Fabric Ink Starter Kit to your cart seperately and then enter the promo code SHANTY)

1 Silhouette CAMEO and 1 Fabric Ink Starter Kit for $299.

And, if you already have the CAMEO you can still receive:

20% off of all things fabric ink (starter kits, inks, stencil vinyl)

***We have been told there is a limited supply of CAMEO’S for this promo so don’t hesitate!***

Happy Shopping:)

Check back later today for an AWESOME project by Whitney!

~Shanty Sisters