Thursday, November 8, 2012

Ana White Book Review

We love Ana White’s website and building plans over here at D.I.Y. Louisville and that’s why we were super happy to be asked to review her newest book The Handbuilt Home.  I’m one of the many who has taken advantage of her straightforward plans for making just about anything you can think of.  If you aren’t familiar with Ana’s website, she takes on a lot of famous brand products and makes something similar, then gives you the plans and the how to’s so you can make it yourself.

Ana White The Handbuilt Home Book
I can’t wait to try some things from her new book.  It has a collection of projects for every room, even sewing and crafty rooms.

Ana White The Handbuilt Home Book
Each project gives you a price guide, skill level guide, and approximate time needed to finish.  I love that I can start with some of the basic projects and gain confidence to then tackle some of the larger projects.

Ana White The Handbuilt Home BookThis sewing table is definitely bookmarked for the near future!

One of the projects that my amazing dad has built from Ana White’s plans is the  Bookcase Dollhouse.  He put together two of these awesome houses for my daughter and niece for Christmas last year.  He said that the plans were easy to follow and the houses came together well.  They are extremely sturdy and buying something of this quality would be hard to do.  Plus, they are very well loved.  My daughter has collected Calico Critters since she was about 3 years old and this is where she houses them.  She has plans to ask Poppy for a nursery addition in the future; I hope Ana has some plans for that!

Ana White Dollhouse Bookcase
This is Christmas morning.  The houses are side by side.  My niece uses hers as a Barbie mansion.

Ana White Dollhouse Bookcase
Ana White Dollhouse Bookcase
This is one I took today.  You can see that this is easily my daughters favorite thing.
You can read about the garden planter boxes that I made using Ana’s plans here.  All of her plans are easy to follow, and the pieces are amazing and stylish.

Have you ever made any of Ana White’s projects?  How did they turn out?

--kim

 

Disclaimer:  We were provided a copy of this book to review, but all opinions are that of D.I.Y. Louisville, free thinkers that we are.