DIY Play Kitchen

If you came here after reading my Ladybug Birthday Party blog post, then SURPRISE! Here's the big present created by a handyman Dad and an artsy fartsy Mom.

Yup, that's right, Jonas and I combined our skills to make the coolest kitchen a little girl could ever want. I'm a lucky girl to have such a super husband that listens to my hair brained ideas and makes my dreams, I mean Sophie's dreams, come true.

Here's the before and after shot.

We started off with this old TV stand I acquired off of Kijiji. Jonas used his amazing carpentry skills to turn it into a kitchen.

If you really want to know...

Here's what he did:

- Removed the top shelf and backing entirely

- Removed the lower shelf and trimmed the sides down to the height of the cabinet doors

- Switched the hinge on the left cabinet door so it opened downward
- Cut out a window for the oven door

- Added new wood to the back and top to create the backsplash and counter

- Used a router to shape the edges of the counter and backsplash

- Cut a hole for the sink and faucet in the counter

- Added a divider inside the cabinet to create two equal spaces

- Cut down the inside roll out tray to fit just one side of the cabinet

- Added grooved wood inside the left cabinet to fit the oven tray

- Attached a wooden spoon to the left cabinet door as an oven handle

- Cut down to size and attached the utensil holder on the side of the cabinet

- Screwed wooden thread spools to the stove as stove knobs

- Attached a stainless steel faucet to the counter

Here's what I did:

- Painted the oven door, baseboard and stove top with white gloss paint

- Painted the oven interior and burner plates with black gloss paint

- Spray painted the wooden spoon handle and thread spools (stove knobs) with gloss black paint

- Painted the countertop with leftover Giani Granite Countertop Paint from my kitchen redo

- Painted the sides, back and backsplash with red interior paint (the same colour as my kitchen walls)

- Painted the inside of the cupboard door with chalkboard paint
- Glued a fog plexi glass window to the inside of the oven door

- Attached mirror decals to the inside of the oven and the rooster mirror on the side of the oven

- Attached a push button light to the interior of the oven

- Attached a fancy new handle to the cabinet door

- Affixed adhesive tile to the backsplash

- Added small triangle stickers to the stove knobs

As anticipated Sophie was ecstatic with her brand new kitchen. That looks just like Mommy's.

 No doubt her BFF Ava will be even more excited to come over for play dates now.

Happy 3rd Birthday Sophie!