DIY Toddler Kitchenette

My hubby Chris created the cutest toddler-sized kitchen created entirely out of recycled and re-used materials. Here's the before and after:

BEFORE: A humble bookshelf from an estate sale:


AFTER: Voila! The cutest darned toddler kitchen ever!


Here's how he did it:

Step 1: Gather the pint-sized kitchen hardware. We found the metal bowl used for the sink at an estate sale and Chris found the faucet, knobs, pulls, and plexi-glass at The ReBuilding Center in Portland. The hinges are new though. Total cost: about $8


Step 2: Get to drilling. Chris cut out the sink and faucet holes.



Step 3: My contribution: paint. I primed and painted all of the surfaces with leftover interior paint from our house:

Step 4: Oven and sink area. Chris installed a shelf on the left side (oven) and cut out the doors with the cut-out for the plexi-glass in the oven door. (I found mini-kitchen items at Goodwill including a set of plastic dishes and a tiny muffin pan all for around $11.)



Step 5: Late night paint-job. We painted the top burners with acrylic paint.


And that was it! Chris did all the hard work, and Olivia loves it.

Toddler Bloomers! (Featuring an actual toddler!)

The pattern, "Britches and Bloomers" by Jackie Clark Designs was pretty easy for a beginner like me. (Thanks to some help from the Sandi of Fabric of Vision in Ashland, Oregon who walked me through the pattern and gave me some good ideas for the elastic waist.) You can't see from this picture, but there are two pockets: one on the side and one on the bum. So cute!