19 February 2010

Play Kitchen DIY!

Oh my goodness friends. Can't even begin to curb my excitement over this project. This is hands down the coolest thing N8tr0n and I have made to date. (With the exception of Z-cakes, of course.) Behold:

Play Kitchen_3

We weren't able to give this to Z-cakes on her actual birthday due to a few minor delays. We wanted it to be just right. We showed it to her right when she got up this morning and the first thing she said was, "cooking!" Then she asked for her apron, rolled up her pajama sleeves, and got right to work. My little sous chef.

Play Kitchen_6

She started off by washing her hands. A habit every good chef acquires early.

Play Kitchen_5

We didn't glue the sink into the hole as we had originally planned. That way, as N8tr0n says, "we can get really crazy and actually put some water in there for her."

Play Kitchen_7

She took a good inventory of her supplies: pretend pots + pans, wooden pretend food, cookie cutters, a sifter, and three rolling pins. That's right, three rolling pins. She now has as many as I do. I'll start to get concerned when her spatula collection begins to rival mine.

Play Kitchen_9

{inspecting the oven}

Play Kitchen_10

And oh my gosh, you guys! She actually pretends to push the number buttons I painted on the microwave!

Play Kitchen_11

The morning and afternoon were filled with the sounds of utensils stirring, pretend dough being rolled out, and Z-cakes telling me that she made popcorn for lunch. Breaks were taken only to eat and nap. I have no doubt she'll be back at it as soon as she wakes up.

The majority of my inspiration for this kitchen came from Ohdeedoh and Flickr. A simple search for "play kitchen" brought up an array of repurposed play kitchens from the uber talented people of the internets. My plans started when my mom mentioned that she had an old TV stand that we were welcome to have if we wanted. I instantly thought of using it to make a play kitchen, and after a few moments of inspection, I had a good idea of what I wanted to do with it.

Play Kitchen_12

I tried to use materials that we had on hand or could find secondhand. The paint is some that we already have that we've been using for other projects in our home, and the fabric was purchased over a year ago. One of those prints I just couldn't resist. The knobs for the stove were found at a small local appliance repair shop. I timidly stopped to ask if they had stray oven knobs I could buy and they graciously handed over a box full and told me to take what I wanted, no charge. Z-cakes had a ball helping me and I did my best not to squeal when I eventually found matching knobs that were perfect.

Play Kitchen_8

I wish I could give you the total amount we ended up spending on this project but, I didn't do a very good job of keeping track. My guess is that it was close to about $30, but no more. Of course that doesn't count the paint or fabric which we already had, or the TV stand which was free.

Play Kitchen_2

So what do you think? I won't pretend that I'm not proud. N8tr0n and I make a great team and we're so glad that Z-cakes loves her little kitchen. Hooray DIY!

Photobucket

53 comments:

Crystal said...

Miranda,

That turned out so great! I'm totally in love! Want to come over and help me make one for the boys? You're fabulous!

Hannah said...

oh my cuteness! good job!

Hil said...

This is hands down the CUTEST play kitchen I have ever seen! You did such a great job. I am applauding you and your amazingness.

Serin said...

You should be super proud and then some! That is so unbelievably cute!!

Charlotte said...

Oh. my. gosh. This is seriously one of the best creations I've ever seen. This is just about as cool as the giant Barbie house my mom and grandpa made for Emily and me for Christmas in 1993 (?). You really outdid yourself, here. Seriously. I'm in love with this play kitchen. And Z-Cakes is beyond cute.

Nina said...

That looks right out of the 50's. You totally had the vision. The dish drainer will go great with it as well.
Good job guys.

Rachel said...

You guys did so good! I love love love it! I am already making my own plans, but I really doubt I will be able to live up to this! By far the cutest play kitchen I have ever seen, and that includes pottery barn kids.

Laurel said...

Do you know how awesome this is? It is 11 awesome, FYI. Out of a possible 10. Absolutely fantastic.

michelle said...

Oh. my. gosh. I have been waiting for the photos on this project and they did not disappoint!! I think it's perfect, down to every detail. How much do I love that she has her own silicone rolling pin and egg timer? And the heart measuring cups!

I hope she plays with it endlessly and gives you many hours of free time as a reward.

Karisa said...

Way to go! That is so fun. It looks great.

Jason & Makenna said...

I was just going to ask when we were gonna see this thing! It is AMAZING!!! Seriously love it. Congrats on an over the top incredible job. What a lucky little girl!!!

paws said...

WOW! I am beyond impressed. Flabergasted. It's perfect.

Sarah said...

I love it for so many reasons:
1. so so cute!
2. that she wanted to cook first thing in the morning
3. that she has a fabulous apron
4. that it's wooden
5. that she washes her hands (I am a nurse you know)

Kimberlee said...

Oh my goodness...I love it. You *should* be proud. It fabulous.

Emmylou said...

This is the best play kitchen I have seen and beats the heck out of the $50 plastic one that I bought. I love it! Kudos to you. You should be dang proud of yourself. Maybe if ours was that cute, Jo would play with hers too. Great job!!

marta said...

i cannot get over this. so fun and retro and sweet. i can't believe you created this, what an incredible gift. sure to be remembered fondly and enjoyed for years to come. if you start selling these, let me know!!

bon apetit!

Cassie said...

You deserve to be every bit as proud as you are! What a wonder woman! That is absolutely incredible and just as Marta said above 0- sure to be remembered for years! Z-cakes will see a play-kitchen in years to come and tell the story of how her Mum made one for her, I am sure!
xx

PS: I have a little giveaway on my blog at the mo - please check it out!

Femme Facetious said...

This is so so awesome. Z-Cakes is a lucky girl! You guys did a great job on this.

Katharina said...

Wow!! I'm so impressed with all the creativity and love that went into this. You and your husband should be so pleased with your skills!

Destri said...

huh-uh....no way you made that! Awesome, I just showed my husband, he rolled his eyes and told me to dream on....very very cute.

Tiffany said...

I'm tempted to get pregnant today, just so that I could produce this for a baby girl. (Who am I kidding, though? I could never produce this.) AMAZING!

emily said...

I gasped for cuteness when I saw the first picture, and the happiness hasn't stopped. You and N8tron did such a great job. Love it!

Travelin'Oma said...

Z-cakes is one lucky little chef! Thank you for showing what imagination and enthusiasm can accomplish.

Sydnee said...

Hi Mandy! It has been soo long since I've seen or talked to you! This little play kitchen you made for your little girl is PRICELESS, as is she! We have a blog too! It is www.boldervisions.net/cblog. I hope to catch up with you again soon!

Anonymous said...

I can't even comment because for one thing...I'm speechless with amazement, and for another thing, everybody expressed my awe,jealousy, pride at being your friend, etc. Wow! And that seems so not enough.. Double wow?

kami @ nobiggie.net said...

That is the cutest thing! I LOVE what you did! My favorite part is the retro star on the black...darling!

April said...

It is amazing. I really can't stop looking at it. I hope it is ok that I am going to copy you (like that is new...) and it probably won't even come close. I girl can dream though.

Noblekatt said...

brilliant! I now wish that I hadnt purchased a Step 2 kitchen for my kids so that i could try my hand at this project!! so inspiring!

Joy said...

wow! i am so impressed. that is rediculously cool.

mooniebutt said...

cutest play kitchen ever!

urban craft said...

Miranda,
you are the queen hands down!
I adore everything you do. You are an inspiration and you totally make everything better.

Marisa said...

this is genius + so creative!

Cami said...

Love the set. My hubby made a gorgeous kitchen set for our kids that's similar. But I could never decide what I wanted on the stove top. I like how yours turned out. Did you just use black paint? How did you make your circles? Did you make a template and spray paint? Also, where did you get your stove knobs?

Miranda said...

Hi Camilla.
Yep, it's just black paint. I cut out circles the size that I wanted, traced them onto the top and filled them in with paint. I just used sponge brushes and then a spray paint varnish over the top. I found the knobs at an appliance repair shop down the street. I asked if they had any loaners and they handed me an entire box!

Season said...

I just saw this on Marta's blog and I am so glad I did! I have been thinking about somehow making a play kitchen for my girls. And now I think I can!!! This is so cute. I may be checking back in and asking questions if you don't mind. I noticed your tv stand didn't have a shelf on the side under the curtain. Where did the shelf come from? Did you use a heavy duty sander? or just sand paper? What's the size of your tv stand? I've got an old junky one, but it might be too small. Oh, and how did you make the numbers for the microwave buttons? just paint? Sorry for all the questions. I am loving this!

Jessica @ Running With Scissors said...

this is so awesome! I love the fabric under the sink

Miranda said...

Season,

No worries about the questions, I'm happy to answer them! The shelf is actually sitting on the bottom of the stand so you can't really see it. I used an electric sander. Something like a "random, orbital" something-er-other. As far as size, the stand is almost three feet across but I've seen kitchens that are much smaller. You just have to get a little more creative. The numbers on the microwave are stamped on and then covered with spray varnish.

Feel free to email me if you have more questions and let me know if you make a kitchen, I would love to see it!

Bethany said...

This has to be real wood, right? I can't imagine doing something like this from sauder or pressed wood or whatever. I am considering attempting a project like this so now I just have to find the right old TV stand!!

Miranda said...

@Bethany, I'm pretty sure it's not nice wood. Pressed wood sounds about right to me. I had to sand off the finish to get the primer to stick. The TV stand itself was not high quality, pretty much what you see all the time at Wal-Mart or thrift stores. Thanks for asking!

Honey I'm Home Blog said...

Hi Miranda, I found a pic of your adorable kitchen on Pinterest & just had to pop over to see more of it. Congrats on having such a brilliant, creative brain! This is just too fabulous for words!

Warmly, Michelle

dkcook7 said...

Thank you for posting this DIY play kitchen. I saw this on Pinterest and was stunned. I have this same bland boring cabinet and now I'm excited by it's potential.

Carrie said...

Miranda!

I absolutely LOVE this post! I think my cousin is trying to get rid of the exact same TV stand and I feel a project coming on. :)

I wanted to let you know that we featured you over at our blog, www.redeemingcreations.com

You can check it out here
http://www.redeemingcreations.com/2012/03/from-tv-stand-to-play-kitchen.html

We are still trying to gather more posts and readers before our official launch date on April 1st.

Thanks again for your awesome idea!

Carrie G.

Elise Kunkel said...

Hi, I'm making a kitchen and using yours as a model. I'm wondering how you attached the "faucet"? Did you drill a hole and then do liquid nails to keep it in place? Help! :)

BubblySoup said...

Great kitchen !
Where did you find the red and yellow play kettle ?

Candice said...

I'm in the same boat as Elise - how did you get the faucet to attach?? This is the last piece that we need to figure out but the hubs and I are stumped. Thanks for your help and for the inspiration!

Melissa @ Homegrown Catholics said...

I am so glad I finally found the original blog post about your kitchen so I can link it properly. The picture is all over cyberworld. Funny thing I found on Craigslist the exact same tv stand so I can match yours exactly, only $5! Thanks for the inspiration.

redhead83402 said...

Ok,so this what i originally came over to your blog for. My husband and i are going to make a play kitchen for our coming grandkids (at the moment, we only have one 8 mo old grandkid, and he's a boy, but hey, boys cook too, and besides... if we build it, they will come... rigghhtt? Talk about an awesome little heirloom! So, all these years later, how has it held up? Also, i'm wondering, right along with everyone else, how did you attach the pipe faucet? We even havea pc we can use, i just cant think of a good way to keep it fastened down well.

Michelle Robison said...

Question for you about the J spout. How did you attach it? I am struggling with the planning in my head and don't want to cut a hole that will wreck the one I'm making for my daughter's Christmas present. Thanks!!

Miranda said...

Hello all! Thank you for your kind comments! To answer a couple of your questions: the play kitchen has held up AMAZINGLY! We've actually moved it three (four?) times and even though it has a few bumps it still looks great.

FOR THE FAUCET: When you buy a J pipe it should come with an attachment at the bottom that screws off. We just cut a hole ever so slightly bigger than that attachment and glued the attachment into the hole. I think we used wood glue? So that part stays on the kitchen permanently and the pipe can be screwed on and off. Hope that helps!

Gaanna said...

I just joined EveryBlock today. I service vintage stoves, specializing in Chambers, but can put a regulator on any stove and can repair most problems on most vintage stoves. Thanks !

Kenneth A. McCarty said...

This is just too cute and I am wondering to get one for my daughter. I also want to experiment it, you know put some of fake water damage restoration kitchen. Just for me to look it perfect.

lisal said...

The chief capabilities associated with a home seem to be to help you keep, prepare yourself and additionally make meals diet and additionally to try and do corresponding projects just like dishwashing.whirlpool washer door locked light flashing

Scot Martin said...

so pleasant assortment never seen such uncommon things kitchen cloths. much obliged for sharing this data.speed queen washer problems

Related Posts with Thumbnails