Handcrafted by B & G

Hi everyone!

It's been a while since our last post- we have been busy bee's. Garrett was traveling for work quite a bit and since his return we have been super busy with lots going on in our world! The holidays are coming up and we are thrilled to be hosting the Speed family Christmas this year so I am in the mode to get everything ready for our Christmas dinner! This might be our best project yet, not to mention the start of a very hopeful furniture making business idea :)

 

After replacing our iron baker's rack with our beautiful handcrafted buffet table (previous post) , we had to finish the room and replace the table that matched the old baker's rack. I wanted a statement table that was big enough to host 6 or more so DIY FARM TABLE here we come!

 

 

As always our trusted source for the plans to start with were compliments of our two favorite blogs: Shanty-2-chic & Ana White :) You can find word for word, step by step instructions & pictures on each of their sites. We tweaked the plans a little to better fit our taste and here is how it turned out.....

 

First we put the legs together to build from the base up...

 

 

Once we put the legs together and  matched them perfectly we attached them using two middle beams. It's hard to balance the boards and drill them together on your own so this is definately a two man project.

Then we attached the crossboards....

This is the structure before we put the top on, with two more support beams added on the side of the top middle beam.

 

Now it's time for the table top! **This is what we did different from Shanty-2-chic & Ana White. We decided not to do breadboards on the ends

We built the table top on top of the base, measuring how much hangover we wanted on each end, before actually attaching it. We lined them up on the base to make sure each was even and layed flesh with the table bottom. Once the top was one solid piece we flipped it over, lined it up on each side, then connected it to the base, drilling up from the bottom.

 

We painted the buffet table with chalk paint so we wanted to stain this and bring all of the colors together in our kitchen & dining area

 Since I was going to handle the staining, my wonderful husband did all of the sanding.....

We only used 1 coat of stain & put 3 coats of Poly over the stain to give it a little shine and to seal and protect the color. The wood soaked up the 1st coat and the 2nd coat was a little uneven in some places but 3 coats was perfect!

 

 

From start to finish the table took about 16 hours. That's including the wood cutting, putting it together, then staining and sealing it. This thing was incredibly heavy but we have some amazing friends that helped Garrett get it in the house :) 

 

 

 

Garrett built a matching bench for one side and we have added 4 chairs that tie everything together just perfectly. The plans for the bench had to be altared just like the table since we left of the breadboards on the bench as well.   (You can find the original plans here) . Our finished product is just BEAUTIFUL! Now I am ready to host a big family dinner :)

 

We have some small projects going on around the house right now, in addition to some projects we have been asked to do for friends and family :) The holidays are just around the corner so we are excited to be spending some time with family over the next couple of weeks.

Talk soon :)

-B & G  

 

 

 

Another BG project!

Once you start you just can't stop- building furniture!

The most recent creation by the Speeds is our buffet table that took the place of an old baker's rack we had in our kitchen/dining area...

We got tons of beautiful silver serving dishes & platters for our wedding and I wanted a place to display them all as well as change up the look of our dining room/kitchen area. We found tons of ideas - Pottery Barn inspired, DIY, etc. The one we chose to go with is one we found on http://www.lizmarieblog.com/2014/03/diy-dining-room-buffet/. 

 

 

 

 

We had SO much fun building this together and are so happy with the way it turned out!

 

A detailed guide of how to build it can be found HERE :) . We made some minor adjustments to the measurement/ construction of ours so I've listed out the materials and the directions we followed from the site as well as some "along the way" pictures to reference

 

Materials needed (We used a medium grade wood from Home Depot- Sturdy,good quality, but inexpensive:

7 – 2″x8″
3 – 2″x4″
7 – 2″x2″
1 – 1″x4″
Wood Filler
Wood Screws

 

Tools needed:

Drill
Countersink Drill Bit
Drill Bit
KregJig
Miter Saw
Sander
Level

 

 

 

The Dimensions:

Legs : (HT) 32″ | (WT) 17 1/2 ”Base (Legs and Support): (Length) 91 3/4″ | (Width) 17 1/2″
Shelves : Both are (2) 2×8 side by side, 88 3/4″
Top : (3) 2×8 side by side, 96″ (We wanted an overhang so this was adjusted)
Total Height: 33 1/2″ (We actually made ours a little taller to fill the space we were wanting it for)

 

 

Now on to building:

 

Garrett cut the boards he needed to size then began constructing the table

 

Legs first! Attach the front legs to the back legs by attaching a connecting 2×4 at the top. It makes an upside “U” shape. Repeat this step for the other side. Check for level.

 

Now, Start the framework by building it in to the legs. Attach the two leg bases with a support 2×2

 

At this point, you should have a framed box with legs. Check for level. **It looks best if you can attach all of the support 2×2 with pocket holes from KregJig

 

 

 

You will be repeating the same step to construct the frame for your two shelves.

 

 

Now- Lay in the shelves **Unless you have a large work bench you will need help going forward. Your shelf boards must be secured between the legs in order for you to drill straight and level**

 

Start with the bottom. Lay in the two side by side 2×8 shelf boards, check for level and attach them by screwing them into the support 2×2, front, back, and side. Repeat the same steps for the middle shelf.

 

 

We ran in to some issues with uneven boards so instead of using a KregJig throughout the entire project- we had to make some screw holes in visible site- however, we covered them up with wood filler later and painted over them.

 

 

 

 

Now to top it off! Be sure to place your top on the frame and measure the hangover- if you allowed for any. We were covering a large space in our kitchen so we overshot on the original dimensions and made it a little wider, and taller. To keep the boards even & flush for the top piece we drilled (3) 1×4 boards underneath- this was to ensure the top slotted boards stayed smooth... To attach the top we rolled the frame over and drilled up from the bottom- concealing our screws

 

 

Voila! Our buffet table is built! Now on to painting :)

 

 

 

 We filled all of the countersunk holes and visible screws with paintable wood filler. After the filler has dried and hardened, sand it as desired, and prepare for paint. We chose to paint ours with CeCe Caldwell's Chalk Paint in Simply White finished with CeCe Caldwell's Dark Aging Cream. We sanded the top for a smooth surface, and sanded a few "rough" edges, but very little maintenance was required prior to painting- that's the best part about chalk paint!

 

 

 

Once the paint dried (we let it dry overnight) I finished it with MinWax and Ce Ce Caldwell's Dark Aging Cream. This gave it an antiqued look. I wanted it to be very simply and go along with the other pieces in our house so I didn't antique it too much- just enough to keep it from being too white.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Using this Aging Cream was so simple- you can use a little or use a lot. The wax makes it easy to take away when you have used too much. I used a cheap paint brush and a rag for antiquing. I used the rag to rub on the Minwax then used my brush to add the Aging Cream. I went back and forth between my rag and brush to rub it in to the wood to achieve the look I wanted.  

 

I let the wax/cream sit for a couple of hours then took a clean rag and rubbed it down to make sure it was all "soaked" in before moving it inside.

 

WARNING: This thing was heavy! I'm pretty sure it took Garrett and I twenty minutes to move it less than 10 feet- from our garage, to our kitchen

 Garrett's grandmother found us an old window (also super heavy) that I have been dying to use since our wedding so of course I incorportated in to our new space. Isn't this window awesome! I have another one and we are already working on using it for our next project!

A few decorations later and our little project is complete :)

I had this whole image in my mind of what I wanted this area to look like once we got it all finished and it has turned out better than expected.

 

Now what are we going to build next................. 

 

 



Why buy when you can DIY !?

Some couples like the try out the theatre, some couples like sporting events, some even like to do completely different things, away from each other. Garrett and I enjoy all of those things but currently our most favorite past time is building furniture- TOGETHER!

When I first got settled in to Houston I kept thinking of things to do around the house- Hang a picture here, put a table there, buy some pillows for this, buy some curtains for that. I had a billion things I wanted done for the house but could never find the right piece- for the right price. Of course I'm just as obessed with Pinterest as the next person and I've gone even further to get Garrett obsessed with it as well. So Garrett and I decided to take on some house projects of our own and we have really grown to love it! Here are some of the things we have done over the last couple of months....


Our first project was simple- some distressed picture frames for our downstairs bathroom wall. We mocked some I found on a Pinterest blog.

The blog I got the idea from (above) said she used piecess of an old fence. I didn't have access to any old wood so using some chalk paint (that I also made myself) we made ours using new wood.

 

Because I wanted the distressed look it didn't matter if the nails were showing, or if any of the pieces weren't "perfect". I painted the underneath a dark grey, used vaseline as my "wax" and painted chalk paint covering the entire frame. Then I sanded in random places, allowing the vaseline to chip away parts of the paint- giving it a distressed look.

 

 

I painted some clothes pins the same color grey that I had done the underneath with, hot glued them to the frames, and used 8 x 10 pictures to hang. I have since then replaced the large clothes pins with mini ones that you can barely see but I like them done either way.

 

I was so happy with the finished project that we ended up making some smaller versions as hostess gifts for my Bridal shower. I thought it was a very personal and unique way to say thank you to each of them- inclduing a picture of us on each.

 

 

 

This was my first time to use chalk paint so I was slowly getting better with it. This was a really fun thing we did on our free weekends between all of the traveling during wedding planning. We found it was a stress free way we could spend some quality time together.

 

Once we finished the frames we decided to take on a little larger task- building a table. Our downstairs bathroom is very small but was very bare and I needed something big enough to add some character, but small enough so that it didn't take up too much room. Finding a simple corner table was NOT easy so Garrett used his imagination and we made a cute and simple space!

 

Just so you have an idea-- this was our work space :)

 

I used the same method for the table as I had for the frames. I painted a dark grey underneath (to match the grey in the rug on the floor), then a vintage white on top.

 A few birdcages, and a basket of fresh hand towels for our guests and the bathroom was complete.

We have taken on bigger tasks as we have gone along. Now that we had a table completed for the bathroom I stopped my hunt for a front foyer table and Garrett took on that task as well. Of course it was Pinterest inspired compliments of 

http://www.bournesouthern.com/2013/04/diy-entry-table-under-30.html?m=1



For the other projects we worked on we didn't really use a step by step guide but for this one we followed along with most of the directions, changing some parts to fit the space we were working with. The drawers are actually faux drawers- just for look, and we chose to only do 2, instead of 3. It fits perfectly in the entry way to our front door.

 For this piece I used Ce Ce Caldwell's Chalk paint in Simply White, along with Ce Ce Caldwell's Dark Aging Cream for the bottom, and I stained the top and the knobs on the faux drawers.

 I again, was looking for a vintage look so I simply brushed on the aging cream, not paying attention to detail- just covering most of it and wiping down, or sanding areas I wanted to look more distressed.

 

 I never knew a small table accompanied by some candles and a picture frame could make our foyer look so welcoming. I was really pleased.

 

We just finished our largest project so far- a Pottery Barn inspired Buffet table for our kitchen. We moved it in to the house last night and we are both in love with it! We have been keeping all of our beautiful platters and trays in the cabinets that we got as wedding gifts and now they are on full display! I'll be posting pics soon :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think I will blog

Living in a city where you don't know many people can give a girl a lot of free time- so why not blog! I may blog about life, I may blog about crafting- who knows. I've got plenty on my mind, and plenty of ideas in my head so I thought it was only best to write them all down and share  :)

So here it goes....


This month marks the date one year ago that I packed up my life after 10 years of living in small town Ruston, LA to move to the big city of Houston, TX. I said "see you later" to all of my friends, bid farewell to life as a single woman, and waved goodbye to my little two bedroom apartment in the Hood of Sybil Drive. I welcomed a new adventure of becoming a wife and starting a life with the man of my dreams. Garrett is the absolute icing to my cupcake!

Our wedding day was hands down the best day of my life. 8 months of planning coming together on a beautiful day in June with our closest friends and family- absolute perfection. Garrett planned a surprise honeymoon- in JAMAICA!!!! We spent 6 days on the beach, snorkeling, swimming with dolphins, and attempted to sail (Garrett needs more practice). Now we are getting settled in after all of the crazy months of traveling. So far life as a wife is pretty awesome! 6 weeks in and I don't know how it could get any better.

We recently joined a Sunday School class that we are thrilled to get involved in. We are meeting couples within our church and enjoying the interaction with other newlyweds. Work is great for both of us- I'm learning more and more every day and as always Garrett is getting rock star reviews from all of his supervisors/bosses. All and all I think God has been good to us and has great plans for us in the future.


The last year has flown by with many magical moments. Within the last 12 months we have celebrated more life and happiness than I ever thought possible. Birthdays, engagements, baby announcements, baby arrivals, weddings and much more to come. I planned the wedding of my dreams, helped to plan showers and parties for friends, and in 2 months I get to be a part of a dear friends most special day, and witness another welcome her first baby in to the world. Although this year has not been without it's rough moments- the trials of being far from home, the loss of loved ones, for myself and of close friends- but overall it's been a year of blessings. I can't wait to see what the next 12 months have in store for us.

 Until next time....