"Labor of Love"...

...are the first words that come to mind about this project. Would I have done this 30 years ago for my own kids...probably not (okay, definitely not). Certainly not because I love them any less than my grand kids, but because I was in a completely different "place" back then! Sure, I took on the occasional "artsy fartsy" project, but I would have never dreamed of turning a crappy old TV stand into a play kitchen, of all things.

Anyhoo, for those of you that have been waiting patiently (and are not my daughter's Facebook "friends", since she posted the pics last night) here is what I have been busy working on for what seems like forever.



In case you forgot what she originally looked like:



Drum roll, please...






and here she is now:



Quite a transformation, don't ya think?

A few more pics and then I will tell you a little about the project itself.









I wish that I could tell you that I both photographed and documented each step of this transformation...but I never got past the "burners" on the stove. This was both the most FUN and at times, the most frustrating project, EVER. On more than one occasion my husband would laugh and say "Are you sure you don't want to just stick this out for curbside pickup and go buy a kitchen?!"...but if you are anything like me you know that this just made me want to dig my heels in and "git 'er done" even more!

I can tell you the basics and if you have any questions, please feel free to email me!

I basically only used the "shell" of the cabinet. After trial and error, I realized that the shelves that came with it, were just not going to work. I filled all the holes with wood putty, primed and painted!

I had to track down 1/8 inch detailing tape to make the "faux" tile counter top. I am HORRIBLE about mathematically figuring out any type of grid, so how these tiles turned out so perfect is a complete mystery...I am quite confident that I could never get it to work again! This process was tedious, but sooooo worth it, I think it is my favorite part!

It is backed with beadboard and the window is "faux" as well. I used a dowel to make the rod and hung it with 3M hooks. The stove burners are just those round block pieces that you find at Michaels for $1. I used my Wishblade to cut out out the design and stenciled it on. Knobs are just plain old unfinished wood knobs. I purchased the faucet off of Ebay...the parts included made it possible for the handles to actually turn "off and on". The sink is just a metal bowl.

That is pretty much it! Here are a few things I learned along the way:

1. The saying "Measure twice, cut once" should be "Measure at least four times, cut once and be prepared to buy more wood and cut again!"

2. The product, MDF is the coolest thing since sliced bread!

3. Wood putty is your friend!



Cost of original TV Stand...$25.00

Materials to make it into a cute kitchen...$100

Seeing my little Taylor talking on her new phone, in her new kitchen...PRICELESS!

Is it perfect, absolutely NOT...is it PERFECTLY charming...we think so!



PLEASE NOTE: No men were involved in the making of this project!


This post link to:




Miss Mustard Seed





















There's a skinny girl who lives inside of me that's screaming to get out...I can usually shut her up with cookies!