WOOD Speaker Screen | How to Build Record Console Pt. 2

*This post is sponsored by DAP Products. I have been compensated for my time and provided with product or payment in exchange. All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links. 

Like most of my DIY furniture builder friends, I started out building things we needed. Before long, I had friends and family members asking for custom pieces. Before long I was building full time, advertising on Craigslist and taking custom orders from strangers. Custom work it hard guys! My hat goes off to all of you guys who work with customers. I'm so glad there are talented people who love designing and building for clients.  Luckily, I never had any nightmare experiences, but constantly worrying and second guessing myself was super stressful. 

Another thing I discovered when I was taking orders was how hard it was to build the same thing twice. I love the learning and creativity of putting a piece of furniture together, but trying to duplicate the exact same thing is huge challenge. So admittedly, I've avoided going back to old projects, even just to update them. But, I want to be a better builder and that includes fixing my mistakes (or less than ideal design choices). For example...

How Many Teeth to Cut Plywood - Circular Saw Showdown

*This post is sponsored by The Home Depot. I have been compensated for my time and provided with product or payment in exchange. All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links. 

Plywood is tricky stuff. I would say I get more questions about plywood than any other material I use, many of them about cutting. Knowing the right saw blade to use seems to be one of the biggest pain points. What do those numbers mean? What's the difference between a "framing" blade and one for trim? I figured I'd do a very unscientific test and show multiple 6-1/2" circular saw blades with different tooth counts and the cuts they make. 

*I tested all the 6-1/2" circular saw blades currently available through The Home Depot*

We're Building a Custom House + Champion Generator Review

 

*This post is sponsored by Champion Power Equipment. I have been compensated for my time and provided with product or payment in exchange. All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links. 

I want to tell you guys about a dream come true. Are you ready for a story?

First I should tell you I was a weird kid. My mom worked full time so my brother and I spent most of the summer wandering around the neighborhood, fighting each other, and watching basic cable. As anyone who has had a sick day knows, daytime TV is the worst. Especially back in the early 90's, choices were limited. My daily routine would consist of waking up, catch the end of The Price Is Right, then I would click over to PBS and settle in. I was raised on  Bob Ross, This Old House, and New Yankee Workshop. I'm not exaggerating when I say, I have dreamed of building a custom house since I was probably 8 or 9 years old.

DIY Modern Master Bath Remodel: Part 6: The REVEAL!

*This post is sponsored by The Home Depot, Schluter Systems, and The Builder Depot. I have been compensated for my time and provided with product or payment in exchange. All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links. 

Better late than never, right? I didn't realize until I looked back today, but I first told you guys about our DIY master bathroom remodel back in October 2017! I published the "Before and Inspiration" 15 months ago! 

If you haven't been following along this whole time, basically we remodeled most of our house when we moved in three years ago (my favorite room is the kitchen) but our master bathroom was the last space left untouched. Picture a sea of off-white cultured marble and honey oak. In order to get everything we wanted within a pretty modest budget, my husband and I committed to do almost all of the work ourselves. 

Check out the full series: 

• Before and Inspiration
• Part 1: Demo and Building New Walls
• Part 2: Modern Double Bathroom Vanity
• Part 3: Custom Tiled Shower
• Part 4: Barn Door Medicine Cabinet
• Part 5: Built-In Linen Closet

Murphy Bed Convertible Coffee Table

*This post is sponsored by Kreg Tool and The Home Depot. I have been compensated for my time and provided with product or payment in exchange. All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links. 

How many half-baked ideas do you have swimming around in your head? Even if we don't claim to be "creative", we all have little thoughts and potential ideas that motivate us. Ever since remodeling my master bathroom, my shower door is constantly filled with doodles and measurements written in steam. I finally got to build a project which incorporates TWO design ideas I've been brainstorming for a while. 

How to Make a Magnetic Desk Toy

 *This post is sponsored by DAP Products and The Home Depot. I have been compensated for my time and provided with product or payment in exchange. All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links. 

Christmas is 4 days away. Are you ready? I thought I was, but then when I made a list of everything I need to take care of, I was dead wrong. I'm slightly freaking out. I have a feeling I'm not alone though. I will be avoiding the Target parking lot like the plague this weekend.

This week, I did manage to knock out some teacher's gifts (probably because they only took about 10 minutes to make). I used an inexpensive glass ornament and iron filings to make a fun little desktop magnet game. Bonus: I was able to use some leftover walnut scraps from my DIY Candy Dispenser.

Turn Steel into Brass & Build a Modern Media Console

*This post is sponsored by Diablo Tools and The Home Depot. I have been compensated for my time and provided with product or payment in exchange. All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links. 

I've been waiting to tackle this project for a long time! Last April, I was in New York for The Home Depot ProSpective tool event. My friend Tamar from 3x3 Custom lives in the area and showed a few of us around to some of the local furniture stores. I spotted a cool leg design which got my brain going. I sketched out a simplified version and have been dying to use it on a project ever since. 

Since I knew I was going to be incorporating steel into this compact media console, a technique called brass brushing came to mind. I had seen it done a couple times on jewelry and sword making. It's a simple way to apply real brass plating to regular ole plain steel. And I'm happy to say, I figured out how to brass brush at home with simple tools!