Loosing It.

Would you say completely random meltdowns are too abnormal for a mom with a new baby? I hope not, because I've been having a few of those lately. Lucky for me, my dear husband wasn't oblivious to such events and knew when his woman needed to go out (without children) and spend some money. Lucky for him, it was only 2 of his hard earned dollars which brought me back to sanity and logical thinking. 2 bucks was all it took this time, though I imagine I'll be needing a little more next time.

Though there are several things I could have found in my house to craft or remodel, it was more fun to go browse the thrift store to find more junk :)

Here is what I found.


One of these, whatever it might be called, for one dollar.


And 4 wooden bowls, for one dollar.

I knew just what to do with them.

Paint, sand, and stencil, of course!


It serves it's purpose in the bathroom, as a magazine holder. Something my hubby must have in the bathroom is magazines everywhere. Well, now they look cute.


The bowls are for my happy room.


They serve as a catch all for the clutter stuff I just can't seem to keep organized while I'm busy sewing.


So if you find yourself loosing it, like myself, try the thrift store and make something ugly turn pretty. Instant gratification.

Play Kitchen For the Wee One's

We used to have a play kitchen like this


which I really started to hate. I suppose the kids had fun with it while it lasted, but it had all these sharp plastic pointy thingy's (that's my best explanation) poking out every where, and the doors and such needed a good jerk to get them open which the 2 year old didn't like. I knew the plastic toy needed to go. Lucky for us, it went for 25 bucks in one day on craigslist. Maybe we should have asked more-oh well. 25 buckaroos was more than we needed to crank out this sturdy and adorable bad boy.


Now I would love to say that I whipped out my power tools and went to work, but unfortunately I must give some credit to my handy man husband. Okay, okay - almost all the credit goes to him. But seriously, you must know that I was the brains behind the power tools, right? I refuse to let him get all the praise! (Though he probably deserves it for making it so cute). There is a ton of inspiration for these kitchens online, and I will link to my favorites at the bottom of this post. I loved this style because of it's smaller size, and basic functions. Perfect for my little girls!


It started out as this cheapo black side table we bought from Wal-Mart when we were first married. I was very happy to see it be turned into something else. Then with scraps of wood, my partner in crime built it up. I told him to take pictures as he went along, but this is the only one that came out. He doesn't get my blogging obsession and need for so many pictures.


As with so many others online, we used creative wood shapes to build the parts. Wooden circles for the oven plates and wooden wheels that twist for the knobs. These were all bought at a craft store. An upside down J he cut (which I totally didn't know he could do! Oh the projects for him are piling up now!). Wooden circles and knobs were also bought at the craft store for the faucets. The sink was a thrift store pot with the handle yanked off. The backsplash is made from wooden squares he cut.


He found plexiglas in my families gravel pit and made the oven door. Inside was a surprise present for the girls on Christmas morning. It was a Melissa and Doug cookie set. I wish I had money to collect all the Melissa and Doug toys. LOVE THEM!


The curtain, which I suppose was my biggest contribution, is great for hiding all the food and such.


We (okay, him) added plenty of hooks for hanging their aprons and rags and other needed kitchen items.


They just love playing with it!
I suppose while I am bragging about my husbands mad skills, I'll show you what else he whipped up for Christmas morning.


The perfect table and chairs to go with it. Now I get to play restaurant all day long with my girls.


These were really on my Christmas list for years. Santa finally came through.


I love the storage underneath the chairs. Now I can adore the mini table without all the clutter from coloring books and paper everywhere. The table was actually completely free from a garage sale. It needed a little work, but that was nothing my man couldn't handle. As for the chairs, each only cost 3 dollars in wood to make, believe it or not. The paint, I already had on hand. Can't beat that!


I suppose the purpose behind it all was to engrave a love of cooking in my children, so that some day they will do the cooking for me while I sew and craft. Mini pizza's were our trial run, and they turned out great! Before we know it, they will be whipping out steak and potatoes like pro's. We have to channel all these female hormones running through our house somehow!

Thanks for stopping by my little bloggy world!

P.S. I love comments!

Check out these links for other play kitchen's like it.

Homemade by jill
Vintage Songbird
Out of the crayon box
My Little Gems

The New Arrival

Not much crafting going on around here.


Just a lot of cuddling.


And snoozing, whenever we get the chance.


But mostly, we are just adoring our new little bundle of joy.


She has the most kissable cheeks!


We are so happy to finally have her in our home. She is one of my best creations, don't ya think? So I had to share.