Look at what I built!

And stained! Mr. Pony outgrew his bookshelf long ago with scholarly-type books and requested that I build him a bookcase. After hemming and hawing and pretending to design a bookshelf myself, I found this lovely plan on Ana White's site and decided that it was the one!

I used pine because it is cheap, and used MinWax Polyshades in Mission Oak. They recommended 2 coats of stain, but I did one and was happy with the results, with the added bonus that I didn't have to do another coat of poly to finish it up. This is the first time I've ever stained anything (and my 2nd building project at all), and I'm pleased with the results. I had a few issues with measuring {on the 6th or 7th try, I finally decided it was fine} and made a bit of a mess with some of the staining, but it came out well. Plus, for a total cost of $40 (and I have a 1/2 can of stain left over for another project), this was way cheaper than buying something of equivalent size and solidity.

Now Mr. Pony is quite happy with his more suitable bookshelf, and I'm considering what my next project should be!