For months leading up to Christmas, Id been searching for a nice, wooden play kitchen for the little gymnast. She loves her Melissa & Doug food sets that she's been collecting since last Christmas and her favorite thing to play is restaurant so I knew it'd be the perfect gift for her.
In October, right around her birthday, I found the perfect set on Craigslist- super cute, light pink, came with tons of food and get this...a metal shopping cart too!
The problem? Never being able to hook up with the seller so I could go see it in person. So frustrating.
I had all but given up hope until one day as I was driving home from somewhere with the girls. And spotted this. A vintage set some neighbors had tossed to the curb.
Now don't get me wrong: if I had money to blow or didn't know that we could transform the set, Id have passed right by it. But the timing was just way too perfect. And we're cheap. And trying to become debt-free. So basically, it had been set out there for us.
Since the girls were with me, I had to wait until it got dark outside and they were busy watching a movie to run down the street and haul these pieces home. In the dark. So basically, I couldn't see what shape they were in. But again, it was worth the risk. So I did it.
Fast forward two weeks to a few days before Christmas. Eric and I hauled it down to the basement where he proceeded to remove all the doors and hardware, sand everything down and then prime it.
Again, it was in rough shape so it took awhile. But living cheap will drive you to do crazy things. Like spend hours on end in a not-well-ventilated basement and lose tons of sleep because you're racing against the clock.
But in the end, it was totally worth it. Look at what we ended up with:
As we put it under the tree on Christmas Eve, I added some of her kitchen accessories and a hook on the side of the cabinet for the girls' handmade aprons.
And as this has proven to be a favorite gift of 2012, Id say it just confirms that it doesn't matter how much you pay for something.The only investment we have in this set is the three cans of spray paint and a bunch of hours of work. And she is in her glory.
Am I embarrassed that her big gift from us was someone else's trash? NOPE. She doesn't know it. All she knows is that its pink. Its hers. And it totally works.
20 comments:
my aunt has the same set that she recently let us borrow for our daughter...the sink in hers is a metal casserole pan.
Great idea, thanks! Its been on my list to measure and then search for something that fit; we just didn't have time before Christmas morning. But I will be on the lookout:)
This is absolutely adorable!
LOVE it!!!!! You guys did such a great job restoring it!!!!
I LOVE IT!!! So glad you posted how it turned out!
Love it! New follower!
I love this!!! You did a super job. My dad built my sisters and I a couple of pieces that are very similar. Brings back great memories. Our youngest granddaughter loves to play with it still and she loves to play "restaurant"!! Thanks for sharing!
Beautiful restoration!
Awesome! And I especially love that you "upcycled" it. I'm sure she'll live it for years and then hand it down.
That kitchen set is adorable! You guys did a great job giving it a new lease on life.
This is great! It's always wonderful when you can have something so perfect with only a small amout of money and a bit of effort.
Thank you everyone for your support and kind comments. I had no idea this would be such a hit...other than with our girls:)
genius!
congratulations.
My girls are grown and the grands are too big, but your kitchen is a hit with me! Love it! It's so much better than a piece of pink plastic junk!
Thank you Annie. That was my goal-I'm not a fan of the big, plastic sets you can buy in a store no matter how nice they are. I knew I wanted a wooden set which was why this was so perfect for us:)
Have a wonderful New Year and thanks for stopping by!
This is great! I love how you painted it pink instead of predictable white (although that would have been cute, too). One-of-a-kind is always the best. Have a happy new year!
Cheryl,
Yes I liked the pink too. I used the Pottery Barn set as my inspiration but for a fraction of the cost we got a knock off:) We plan to add real hardware to the doors and a pan or something for the sink but the girls have already gotten our money's worth out of it:) Happy New Year to you too!
It turned out great. And you're right, gifts do not have to be store bought to be perfect.
One of the most used gifts we ever gave our daughter was a dress up box. It was just a container that I decorated and was filled with old Halloween costumes and old dresses, hats, scarf, etc. She loved it and the rest of our kids loved it too.
Oh... and keep up your quest to become debt free. I know from experience that it is possible to become and stay debt free. And it is so worth it!
This set is just charming and all the more special for the time and effort you spent in making it perfect for your daughters. You have made memories for all of you! Blessings for a joy-filled 2013!
Ahhhh! So precious! Totally reminds me of the play kitchen my sister and I received back in 1966...could be a twin :)
Great job! Your hard work obviously paid off, and I'm sure your little one will enjoy hours of pretend in her kitchen!
Post a Comment