Building a Play Kitchen

For the year or so before her 9th birthday (August 2013), CS #1 had been asking for a play kitchen.  Being nearly (now just over) five feet tall, she is much too tall for anything on-line or in toy stores.  Being crafty, I turned to my ever loved Pinterest for ideas and found loads of pictures of cute DIY play kitchens made out of old entertainment centers, bed-side tables and the like.  PR and I agreed we were capable of doing this, and had most of the needed supplies at home, we continued to keep an eye out for a small dresser at Goodwill or garage sales.

We found a small three-drawer dresser, with a slightly taller, attached side cabinet at a local Goodwill for $35!  We brought it home and started to work on it.  PR was helpful enough to cut a square into the top to drop a sink into, and a smaller round hole for the sink spout.  Late at night, with a hand-saw.  If we were to do this again, we would rent or buy an electric hand saw and not do this at 9 o'clock at night.

I had a small square cake pan, I wanted to use for the sink.  I found crystal knobs (about $1 each) to use for the sink knobs, and a white plumbing pipe that I spray painted silver for the sink spout.  

CR #1 helped with the sanding and painting.  We had various colors left over from different projects around the house.  She chose a light gray with silver accents. 

CR #1 painting the "refrigerator"

I painted knobs on the bottom drawer to look like oven dials.  I had the other drawer knobs hanging around from other house-hold projects.  I bought the cork trivets from the dollar store and painted them to look like stove coils.  

front view of the kitchen.  The bottom silver drawer is the "oven".

I painted the drawer on the top of the side cabinet to look like a microwave.  The cabinet below became the refrigerator.  

With a trip to the dollar store, I found some fake fruit, baskets,wooden spoons, measuring cups, plastic plates and bowls, plastic "silver wear", a muffin tin,  and a peel and stick chalkboard. At Target, I found some plastic cook-wear.  We bought all of it and wrapped it up for her birthday.  I had also been keeping recyclable food containers (an egg carton, a berry basket, plastic cheese containers).  Which we placed in the kitchen.  I also knit her some bacon!  I found an old set of tupperware salt and pepper shakers in our basement that I filled with white and black beads, respectively.  

"Wax Fruit" from the Dollar Store

Salt and Pepper shakers

The drawers are great, because they provide storage for all of the plates and cups and things.  She has a fridge, an oven and a microwave, and plenty of counter space.  It is also tall enough for her great height! 

In-use today. Dirty dishes tend to pile up, don't they?

She loved the finished product and it has provided endless hours of fun for both crumbsnatchers, where it now resides in the playroom. 

The happy birthday girl with her finished kitchen.

Oh, hello there blog!

PR was saying to me the other day "Did you know your last blog post was about a year ago?"  Why, yes, thanks.  I know I have forgotten about my little pet project that I had such high hopes for!  This time last year I was a bit grumpy, sarcastic, in pain, overly-warm and frustrated.  Well, now I am significantly less frustrated and slightly less grumpy.

It seems that life, and the craziness that comes with it, took over and prevented me from having the gumption to get off my rump and write.  So here (in a nutshell) is what has happened (each of which I may write a future post about):

• Crumbsnatcher #1 turned 9 and we built her a play kitchen. 

• I went back to school full time.
• I went for the first time to: LasVegas and Defcon!
• PR started his own company. 
• PR, CS #1 and I drove down to see my folks and grandfather in Virginia.  Dropped off CS #1 and then PR and I went to DerbyCon in Louisville!
  
• I was hospitalized with a flare, and was diagnosed with new disease activity (I KNEW I wasn't crazy!). 
• Thanksgiving.
• My sister got married. 
• I got a full time job.
• Christmas, with lots of awesome hand-made gifts. 

• We adopted a kitty: Ginny the Fluffernutter

• Knitting - lots.
• Painting - lots. Watercolors have become my new beloved format. 

• PR and I went to DC for ShmooCon.
• Crumbsnatcher #2 turned 8. And we threw him a Minecraft themed birthday party. 
• I underwent surgery for a Crohn's related issue and am now healing. (About a week ago)
• I am still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up. 

And, you? How are my Crohnies currently feeling?