I have to thank +Ana White for her terrific free plans for the beds my husband built. Each Winter we plan projects for inside our lake house. My husband wanted to build beds for our lake home. I searched everywhere I could think of  to find solid economical beds with storage, when I found Ana White's plans for a twin size daybed with storage. It has six storage cubes in each bed which gave me room to store linens on one side and a space for each guest to store their belongings while they visit. The design was perfect for our guestroom at night and a game room during the day. Please follow this link to get her plans, check out her site, and while you are there she has plenty of plans for many projects.
http://ana-white.com/2009/12/plan-stratton-daybed-as-request-by-you.html
 First we studied her list, changed the wood to oak sanded plywood, because we planned on staining it with Minwax Stain and Sealer(Ebony), and Ana painted the bed White. Then we added up what wood we needed for two beds, which was easy because instructions included a detailed cut pattern. We purchased the oak sanded plywood from Home depot for the body of the bed, and the facing was oak as well.
  I was concerned about keeping the cost to a down. After giving the design a bit of thought I realized we could save even more money if we bought the cheaper pine sanded plywood for the inside of the cubes. The pieces that we cut out of sanded pine plywood included: Three bottom cuts, 4 sides of boxes, and 3 center cuts for each

Look at the cube in the background and top of bed on table.

Original Design complete

  My husband followed Ana White cuts, supplies lists, and directions exactly on the first bed. We changed the cut pattern on the second bed to the make cutting, staining and painting easier. We tried making the top on this bed one piece of wood instead of three separate pieces. This way my husband was able to paint the bottom or inside of the cubes Oatmeal on the inside and stain Ebony on the top, ends and facing.

Close-up of bed 

The beds made but the room is not yet complete.

You can see the daybeds in our guest /game room.
I added pillows that  I made to ones I purchased. I also bought Colonial Mills round baskets to add colorful  storage. I am still working on the bedding and decor of this room. I post more pictures later when I finish the guest/game room. I think Ana White will be proud my husband made these beautiful daybeds using her plans. We already had some guest stay over they gave the beds rave reviews. Please Leave a comment to let me know what you think of the beds or about Dragonfly & Lily Pads. Thank you again to Ana White for the wonderful plans hop on over and check out her site too.

That's Entertainment

   We had been searching for a entertainment center for our great room at the lake house. I found the perfect one, except for the $$$$. It had white framing with the top, drawer, cabinet fronts, and legs in different stains of wood, with mismatched hardware. I scoured the Internet to find a deal or a substitute, but it wasn't comparable in structure or materials even though I met one goal of lowering the price.

  At a local antique store I scored this marked down buffet. It  was the answer to my entertainment center quest within my budget. It had a few blemishes but seeing past the issues was my vision of our entertainment center.

Before

After checking my supplies, I made a list of items I didn't have in my stash from other projects. I drove to our nearby Lowe's, which is a good resource for gaining knowledge, and bought my supplies. I began the process of  removing the knobs and hinges, taking  care to mark them because the wrong one may not fit properly. 

Next I sanded the top, doors, and center drawer front until all the paint was removed, and then the remainder of the buffet enough to rough up the surface to paint . We measured the opening for each shelf. My husband cut two shelves from oak plywood with his table saw, then drilled a hole through the back of the buffet between the two shelves for the cords. I used my new iron for the first time to iron on the oak facing to the shelves. Then I used Ebony stain(top), walnut stain(doors)and drawer front. Tape off the edges to insure clean lines to paint the frame, shelves, interior and legs with Linen paint.

After
  I was able to use this piece of furniture to blend the colors of wood
in my other furnishing throughout the space and
compliment the white painted trim in our home.  
Now That's Beautiful Entertainment!

Supplies                                                         @ Home Stash

Veneer facing Roll                                          Paint brushes

Black & Decker Orbital Sander                      Minwax Stain and Sealer

Sandpaper 80, 120 & 220                               Oak Veneer Plywood

Sanding Sponge Blocks fine grade                  Painters Tape

Latex gloves 

1 Quart Linen Paint                                                                                                                                                                          

These purchases proved to be such a mess, I switched to the sander

disposing of all these products;

Chip Paint Brushes, Rubber Gloves, Scrapper, Metal Bucket,

 Natural Paint Stripper

I look forward to your comments, please share your ideas too.

Something New

               Something New

                            

   The title of this blog today is Something New. Which seems like another day to most, but to me it is about the turn of a page, white with no words, directions, or calender.

 So what I am going to do about this blank page staring back at me? I am starting something new please join me on my blog.

 Dragonfly and Lily Pads is going to share ways to make your house, apartment, condo or dwelling into a home. I will show you how to fill your home with comfort, love and your story. Blending the new fresh trends, with trinkets along with pictures creating memories, and space to honor the past, with family treasures mixed in to create a place called home.
 This will not have recipe, unless it involves how to age a piece of new lumber. I have the tools, knowledge and skill to refinish, rebuild, remodel, reuse, or build furnishings. While knowing when to splurge purchasing key long lasting basics, keeping budget in mind at all times.
 I would be honored if you take the time to start something new with me. I can only imagine the possibilities.