Our new play kitchen!

Today we completed this project, and I can't help but share it!

I've been really wanting a play kitchen for the kids, but we didn't really have space... and I didn't want to spend a lot of money on a toy.
So, I started dreaming-- I saw a couple of examples of people converting old entertainment centers and the like into kitchens.  I thought I would visit the local consignment store and I came back with a tiny shelf with hearts.  Cute, but falling apart and faded, for $1.95.

Then I thought of the little storage unit that was already in the kids closet.  They used it for stashing toys. ( in little bins or just thrown in), and I decided to use it! 

The project began. I removed one door, the shelves, and hardware. I needed one long piece to separate the "fridge" from the "stove", so I used a piece of particle board saved from William's old bed.  Using a hand saw I struggled to make a straight cut, broke the blade, ran to my brother's garage to borrow a planer to fix my crooked cut.  My dear brother took mercy on me, and made perfect cuts with his amazing power tools! He cut all the shelves I needed, and then even made a cute little sink for us.  We used an old faucet,  a little bowl of mine, and 4 pieces of the particle board to make it

Johnny also got this great idea to make the oven have a window, and so he used a piece of plexiglass he had left from some other project, and created the oven door.

After securing everything in place with nails and screws, we took it outside and ALL the kids helped to paint the entire thing white.

A little touch up, a second coat, stenciled on burners, hinges and handles on the doors, contact paper as shelf liner/wallpaper and some cute curtains later; here is the finished product!

I LOVE IT!  I cannot believe how fun it is to create things :)  And the other best part?  I used all recycled things/things I already had.  Total spent was about $7.17  (The heart shelf, the hinges. The rest was spent on accessories at the 99 cent store= trash can, towel hanger, towel, led push light. )

So fun :)