I am soooo excited to be able to FINALLY spill the beans on a project that I have been involved in for almost a year now.  It has been killing me not to share it, but now I can!  Last fall I was contacted by Ana White from Ana White.com who asked if I would like to be involved in contributing to her new book…The Handbuilt Home.

The Handbuilt Home

Ummm…hello! YES!

Ana White

I was able to pick from a few of her projects/building plans, which are being featured in the book, and I chose to build and photograph this Kids Table and Chair Set.  The table and chair set is now being used almost daily by my kids and I need to make a couple more chairs so they have room for their friends.

I discovered Ana’s site, a few years ago, when she was first starting out and was blown away by the amazing things she was building.  I wanted to grow up and be like her.  Apparently, so did a LOT of other people and Ana’s site has become the go to site for anyone who loves afforable, easy to build, expensive looking and most importantly, high quality furniture.  You know…people like me who want a designer house without the designer prices.  Who wouldn’t want that?

But let me back up at bit…a couple of years ago…my daughter needed a new bed.  We have three girls and only two beds which wasn’t a problem until our youngest outgrew her crib.  Our search for beds was frustrating to say the least.  It’s not that I couldn’t find any beds that I liked…it’s that I couldn’t stomach the ticket prices.  So one day I got up the nerve to actually build Ana’s Farmhouse Bed which I had been long been obsessing over.

My husband worked in a cabinet shop building cabinets while he was in high school…I know…pretty handy right?!  So we sized her plans down and made a twin sized bed and added a few of our own personal changes.  Some of you may remember when I shared it here: DIY Headboard and Bed Frame.

Imagine my surprise when Ana White came over to MY SITE and commented on on it!!  I was a little bit excited.  Okay…a whole LOT excited.  She was/is someone that I really looked up too.

Hehe! So I got to know Ana a bit because of that and we emailed back and forth here and there and one thing lead to another!

Anyways, I digress!  The Handbuilt Home is scheduled for release on October 9, 2012!  You can even pre-order The Handbuilt Home on Amazon if you are interested.  I am waiting *patiently* for my copy to arrive any day now!

So what is The Handbuilt Home all about?  Here is an excerpt from Amazon.

• Plans for 34 versatile furniture projects for every room in your house—from beginner-friendly home accessories to sturdy tables, a media center, kids’ items, and storage solutions
• Comprehensive information on using off-the-shelf lumber and basic equipment—almost every project can be made with a drill, a saw, and some hand tools
• Easy-to-follow instructions, costs, and time estimates to guide even the most amateur of carpenters through any project

You don’t need to be physically tough or superstrong to make your own furniture, and it’s okay if you don’t know that a 2×4 doesn’t actually measure 2 by 4 inches. All you need is the determination to create a better home for yourself or your family and the confidence to say, “I can build that.”

I am excited to have been a part of this.  I am also excited to have collaborated with some of my favorite DIY bloggers as well and to see the projects they contributed!  To see what Kirsten from The Crafting Chicks contributed to the book you can check out her post here.  I will be sure to update you with any additional information as it comes along for those of you who may be interested.