Welcome to the world of offcuts, dust, shavings, cuts, frustration and, just sometimes, a lovely piece made of wood!
There's an interesting book called 'From one sheet of Plywood' which my kids found great fun as they could make something useful, quickly and cheaply. And even though it's a bit trite in places, 'Classics from the New Yankee Workshop' can be fun once you've got more skill. Both books are on Amazon. Norm's books assume you've got lots of power tools, though, and I don't know any newcomer who has. If you ask for advice on which to buy first you could expect a huge response in here no doubt! I'll start by saying 'table saw' - easy to use, cuts quickly and squarely, b****y dangerous! Like everything else, you get what you pay for - remember that when you see a special offer in H***base, B*Q etc...!
At the end of the day there's no substitute for practice. Pick something easy to start and make it. Take your time. It won't come out right - unless you're a natural (are you?) - but one day it will. In my experience, if you can cut wood to size and join wood together you've got it made. It's mastering those two things at the same time that seems to be impossible!
Welcome, enjoy, and good luck.
