Birthday Kitchen: Before & After

My how the time flies! I can't believe I've been away from here for so long, and I also can't believe my baby turned 4 this week. We had a great party over the weekend with lots of family, food and fun. We finished Sydney's kitchen just in the nick of time, and I even got my house clean before everyone showed up!

The story of the kitchen:
I've wanted my daughter to have a play kitchen for as long as I've had a daughter. We had one when I was a kid that my dad made and I have many great memories of playing with it. I've been scouring the Internet for great deals, but man those things are expensive! I knew it could be made, but my construction partner (my husband) was not really on board. After much pleading he finally relented after I gave myself a deadline - one week to find a second hand table to start with or I would give up the dream (until Christmas at least!)

I bought this table at a thrift store for $20 that Thursday. I spent more than I thought it was really worth, but it was sturdy, the perfect height and at least partially made from real wood. The other cabinet that was going to be the fridge was purchased at an auction sale several years ago for $12.

As so it began. Lee added sides and a back to the table and an extremely sturdy shelf to the inside. I primed and painted both pieces with paint I already had on hand. I chose black so it would at least somewhat "go" with our family room where I wanted it to live and to match the fabric I had already chosen for the skirt under the sink.

We "installed" a faucet we found for $2 at a Habitat for Humanity Restore* and new knobs that turn, a towel bar on the side, oven knobs, a long fridge like handle for the cabinet and cut a hole for the bowl sink in the table.

The oven door I made from wool felt. It has a velcro door with a vinyl window. We thought for a long time about making a real door for the oven, but decided this was a much easier, cheaper, safer method.

So here is the breakdown:
$20 Table
$12 Cabinet (although since I was cleaning out the garage I think this shouldn't count)
$ 2 faucet
$43 for oven knobs, faucet knobs, towel bar, shelf, tension rod and misc. supplies
$ 3 acrylic high gloss spray finish (my black paint was eggshell so this gave it a nice shiny, cleanable finish)
$ 6 stainless steel bowl
$86 Total Cost (not including a whole Saturday and several evenings of labor)

Used black paint, silver spray paint, screws, plywood, fabric, felt, and velcro already on hand.

And...the finished product.
I love it! And thankfully so does Sydney. She was also lucky enough to receive some super cute accessories from a crafty friend and a crafty Nana!
A little funny story for you in closing...I purchased several plastic baskets for Sydney to organize her food, dishes, etc. in her kitchen. Monday morning I was trying to help her get everything set up. She insisted we leave one basket empty under the sink which I insisted was where her dishes should go. She informed me that was the dishwasher! Of course! Why would she think she should wash dishes in the sink - I never do! :)

* If you have a local Habitat for Humanity Restore be sure to check it out! Not only are you supporting a great cause, but they have some great finds there for super cheap!!

Memory in Fabric

My kiddo's birthday is coming up soon (she'll be FOUR already!) so I've been trying to get a little head start on some gift making.

I first saw this idea here months ago, via the Craft Magazine blog I believe. They have been on my mental to do list ever since and it feels good to cross them off. I get a little sick of all the commercial toys out there...can you even buy Memory without some sort of TV show or Disney character on it? Regardless, what could be better than fabric?

They were very easy to make [cut cardstock 3"x 6", cut circle, create fold line, coat with rubber cement, place fabric, fold and press firmly. Repeat many many times.] I used a fiskars circle cutter set at 2 inches. Also would be a great reason to invest in a large circle punch which would have many other uses. I think these will be one of the standby kid gifts that I make ahead of time and have on hand. Wouldn't it be fun to do themed versions with Christmas fabric?

I'm not sure how long these will last. They are just cardstock after all, but I'm hoping the little pouch will help increase their lifespan a bit.

P.S. I just got back from the thrift store with the table I've been searching for. Check back soon, I'm going to need your help to transform it into a kitchen! I am really excited about this project!!

My return to the thrift shop!

It's not that I've been avoiding the thrift stores lately. Just haven't been in the mood lately I guess. But I decided yesterday I was on a mission this week to find a piece of furniture that could serve as the beginning of a kitchen for Sydney. So off we went. Of course I didn't find what I was looking for...

Instead I found this fun chair for only $4. Its in good shape and pretty comfortable. I just need to find it a home before my husband comes home! For some reason he thinks we have too many chairs.

And the ultimate in thrift store finds...Japanese fabric!! I think its adorable. I especially love the odd little sayings.Hmm, burning hot fried eggs don't sound that great to me, but whatever! I paid more than I normally would for it, so I'm considering selling a couple yards of it just so it doesn't hurt so bad! If anybody is interested in a little Japanese cotton fabric just let me know.

Summer Tent

This morning Sydney and I decided to try out the tent pattern from Weekend Sewing by Heather Ross. Mine isn't exactly like the pattern, but a similar theory. I used a thrifted sheet instead of 42" wide fabric, so I skipped all the dimensions listed and just used the whole sheet. No hemming & no cutting, we were done in about 15 minutes. Basically its just loops sewn at all four corners for the stakes and one at each end for the rope to hold it up.

Honestly its projects like these that make me so thankful for my stash. We had everything we needed to make this as soon as I brought up the idea. An important point when your crafting partner has the attention span of a 3 year old!

If we can manage to keep the mosquitoes away I think we will be having a lot of fun out there this summer!

Jam

Last week I made my first batch of freezer jam (strawberry rhubarb.) It was so simple. I know people always say it's simple and you think really? Could it be that easy - it's jam? But honestly, it is. (I followed the recipe on the back of the box of fruit pectin.)

In honor of the occasion I also fired up the bread machine. Warm bread and fresh jam on a beautiful summer day. Life is good.

Travel Pillow with Pocket

As soon as I saw the travel pillow MayaMade designed for her kids I knew I had to whip one up for Sydney. It was a fun, quick project and a good excuse to use some cute fabric! (This adorable pattern is from JoAnn's.)

The pillow I made has a super easy design. It is basically an envelope pillow case with a handle sewn into the side seams. The envelope style allows it to be removable and of course washable. Travel pillows don't stay very clean around here. The pillowcase fits a travel pillow which is roughly 12"x16". The pocket is the girl's favorite part - she says it's a sleeping bag for her friend of choice (Lola today.) On the original pillow the pocket was meant to hold a lavender sachet, also a nice touch.

I just noticed Maya has posted a tutorial for her pillow - go check it out!

Baby Kimono Sweater (aka the post of many parenthesis)

Finished up this sweater before the baby even arrived! It's for a friend of mine that had her baby today. The pattern is from Mason Dixon Knitting (Ravelry link). Pretty quick and easy pattern except for a bit of sewing at the end. (I stink at seams.) I used Caron's Simply Soft yarn, but the pattern calls for Peaches and Cream (gotta love a pattern that actually calls for cheap yarn!)
Even though the yarn I used was acrylic, I did manage to successfully block this sweater by using steam from my iron. I pinned the sweater into place on my ironing board and steamed it without touching the iron to the sweater. It worked like a charm for me. (This does not guarantee good results for you, or even for myself with future projects. It was probably a fluke and when the poor child puts it on the front will roll right up her belly...but it looked good when she opened the gift!)