Play Kitchen Build Along: Lesson Six- The Wrap Up

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OK, so that was six lessons! And this doesn't really count as a lesson. Rather it's a wrap up.

Here is my cost breakdown:
Little nightstand- $5.00
Bowl- $ 2.00
Corner braces -$2.39
Hinges-$1.89
Hardboard sheet -$3.72
Wood Scrap- $0.50
Knobs for sink $1.50
Faucet- $2.00
Stone Spray Paint (on sale) $6.00
Handle $0.25
Chopsticks for burners $1.00
Baking pan for magnetic chalkboard $1.00
Adhesive Velcro squares $1.00
Tarp to protect my living room carpet  $1.00
Patient Hubby- Priceless

Grand Total - About $30 - Not too shabby for a Shabby Chic Play Kitchen!

I used paint, glue, varnish, dowels and fabric from my "stash, " so I realize that it was cheaper for me than someone starting from scratch.

This has been a lot of fun for me. I love seeing your creations. I have stumbled on a few play kitchens inspired by my methods over the past year and it's really just the neatest thing. It's the teacher in me, I love it!

The other day, I found Lisa's fabulous creation. She added a shelf and pot rack to her play kitchen. You have to go see it! Lisa tells me that it's hiding under a sheet in the garage and her daughter has no clue! I can not wait to see Christmas day reveal or play pictures. I mean, it's fun to make them, but seeing them in action- that's the cherry on top!

Updated: Speaking of action shots...this is adorable!


The kitchen and the baby made by Ann Marie and she has tons of great ideas listed here.

There are other great kitchens popping up in the Play Kitchen Build Along Flickr group. You have to check out this *free* play kitchen from Dixicowgirl. The red and green color combo gets me every time. She was super resourceful using stuff from around her house and she used the bottom drawer to make a hutch!

How are you doing? If you have pictures, please post them to the Flickr group to inspire others. If you would like to post your picture but do not have a blog or Flickr account, you can email it to me (at janeclifflittle at yahoo dot com) and I will post it for you!

Play Kitchen Series:
Introduction
Lesson 1 Supplies
Bonus Lesson: Tool Free Options
Lesson 2- Demo, Shelves, Construction
Lesson 3 Assembly & Body Paint
Lesson 4 DetailsBlogger: Out of The Crayon Box - Create Post
Lesson 5 Final Touches
Lesson 6- Wrap Up (This post here- so really it was five lessons!)

My Play Kitchen Inspiration

Thanks for building along!

Updated: Sorry! I didn't have the Flickr Build Along Group linked!  Be sure to check it out!

* If you make a play kitchen from this free tutorial, I'd really appreciate if you would add a picture to my Play Kitchen Build Along flickr group and link to this tutorial on your blog! Thanks!

DYI Ornament Party: Spool Ornaments

I sew a lot and constantly run out of thread. Since I can not throw a single thing away-ever-, I have saved every plastic spool.

I happen to have a box full of wooden spools that my grandmother (who also could not throw a thing away-it truly is a genetic disorder) saved for me. As a child I would play with those spools in so many ways. Mostly they were stools for my Barbies. My former kindergarten students used the wooden spools in block center. Wooden spools are worth saving.

But what to do with those plastic ones?




Voila! Christmas ornaments! The tiny trees came from a garage sale, but I am sure that Hobby Lobby or Michael's probably has them too. I bleached some of my trees to make them white and then rolled them in clear glitter to make them a little shiny. The gold "ornaments" are tiny brads used for scrapbooking.  I used scrap paper, ribbon, and odds and ends to decorate the spools.

Here are two more traditional ones. See, I have even joined in on the burlap craze. (Gotta say, I don't like the smell and the neutral color just doesn't do it for me like bright colors do. Tried to love burlap, not there yet.)

I used quilting thread to make hangers. These were totally addictive!

I'm headed over to Centsational Girl to see everyone's ideas! Come along!



And you know, when I have trash... I link up to Reinvented's Trash to Treasure!

Rustoleum ReVamp: Plates & Other Projects Too!

I love the challenges that the Shanty 2 Chic sisters pose from time to time. When I saw that they were doing a Rust-oleum challenge an idea from the back burners got moved up!

 Fake 'em cause you don't want to break 'em ceramic plates!

Some time ago the Nester posted this photo/post of her bed with plates hung over it. I remember thinking that it was crazy pretty, but that I'd have to be pretty crazy to put plates over my bed. You see, I live in an earthquake zone and while I don't worry  much about "the big one," I also don't invite disaster by hanging ceramics over my sleeping head.


Fast forward a few hundred decorating blogs later and I have come to learn that there isn't anything that can't be revamped with spray paint.So, I began collecting lightweight trays and plates to transform.

All of these came from the dollar store. Some are plastic chargers. One of the silver ones is a flimsy party tray barely thicker than a paper plate. With a little Gloss Ivory, American Accents Oregano and Satin Shell White they have all been transformed!

 

Well almost all, I decided last minute that I needed more and made an emergency run to the 99 Cents Only store before church this morning. One thing lead to another and here I am10 PM spray painting on the balcony. See the city lights in the distance?

My plan is to use 3M Command strips to hang them over my bed, but in the meantime, I am playing with arrangements over my fireplace.

 

My impromptu plate hangers-paperclips and tape!

Obviously, real ceramic plates have more depth of color. Still, I think these are a pretty close second. Especially hung high over a bed. Who's gonna get close enough to see?

Other projects using Rust-oleum Products:

Last year I painted my old mis-matched fridge with Rust-oleum Chalkboard paint (roll on, not spray paint) and I *loved* the result. Sadly, the fridge died about 6 months later. RIP dear old fridge.I am so tempted to paint my new one. Full story here.


 I transformed this old rusty $1 tray table with Rust-oleum American Accents Seaside Green. This may just be my favorite color of all time. It is exactly the color of jadeite pottery and the tables and chairs at the Fairfax Farmers Market. It's vintage, but not too sweet and seafoamy. Love, love, love!


Last, but hardly the least, I have made three play kitchens with genuine faux granite counter tops thanks Rust-oleum Stone Spray Paint! This is my play kitchen story.

And, just 'cause I know the folks at Rust-oleum are reading this, my favorite place in LA to buy Rust-oleum products is OSH. They are just the nicest, most helpful, fully stocked spray paint store in town! Love them too.

Now, I am off to join the rest of the party and see what else is gett'n sprayed!

Thrifty Gift & Packaging Ideas

Today I am going to share some packaging ideas that make a cheap gift more special. I like to save all sorts of interesting packaging in my gift wrap bag. I basically have one large totebag that holds all my gift wrapping supplies. If a box or other interesting container fits, it gets saved.

Family Wish Flags
I made this bunting for my friend Lisa and her family to personalize. I used one spool of ribbon, some plain cotton fabric I had and a box of fabric markers (40% off coupon at Michaels). I would estimate the cost at about $5. What made it cool was that I packaged it in an old Chocolate Easter Bunny box. I printed up my own labels and glued them on over the exhisting label. You could call it "Make Your Own Banner Kit" if you like. You can read the full story here.



Reusable Makeup Remover Pads
This year I made myself some reusable makeup remover pads out of scraps of velour. I love them so much that I am making a set for one of my friends for Christmas. However, to dress it up, I have also made a little drawstring sack to hold them. I used my favorite Citra-Solv transfer method to add the words "For a fresh faced girl" in French. French is just so romantic and makes everything seem a bit more special.



Last but not least, I have made cupcake picks on several different occasions. They are simply scrapbook paper and perhaps some stickers glued to toothpicks. So easy. So cheap. This year I am gifting them in the plastic tube type containers that my dollar store wreath ornaments came in. Someday I am going to make a year in cupcake picks and do all the different holidays and seasons.

Hope that gives you some new ideas! I am off to get inspired at Infarrantly Creative!

Another Altered Bottle

I bought a bottle of etching creme this past summer, but since I was pregnant then I was afraid to use it because of the fumes. Thanksgiving weekend I got up the nerve to try etching bottles.

The directions say to work in a well ventalated area, to wear gloves and that the product should work in five minutes. My creme must be past it's prime. There were no fumes. I could easily touch it and it took over 45 minutes to etch anything.

Still, I was happy enough with my first attempt ( a gift to be revealed at a later time) to try another.


I used stickers to make a random dot pattern and slathered on the creme. I waited over an hour and washed it off. It's hardly perfect. There are many bare patches and I tried to cover those with more creme and time, but finally I gave up and declared, "It is good enough."

I filled the bottle with tinsil and added some shiny stickers. Then I spray painted and glittered the cap. Finally I drilled a small hole in the cap and inserted this star pick I got from Joannes.

I have a bunch of ideas for the etching creme and may just have to upgrade to a better quality. Although, with no fumes, it's probably worth the time to stick with what I have.

Have you used etching creme? Do you have any tips?

The Best Teacher Gifts Ever - (One Costs 44 Cents!)

I have been teaching for nearly 15 years. Not sure how that happened because I am exactly the same age as when I started, give or take about 5 years. But, my first class-kindergarten- is now in collage. I am honored to be "facebook friends" with many of those freshmen so I know it's true.

I have taught every grade from kinder to fifth and have taught the very wealthy and now, the very poor. The gifts have ranged the gamut from Snowman Poop to Tiffany necklaces and a whole lot of candles in between.

Three gifts stand out.

From the Wealthy Public School- a wrapped box of chocolates that were "pre-tasted." I opened the box to find one bite out of each candy! It still makes me chuckle to think of six year old Maroon sneaking those bites without his mom knowing. And, it makes me giggle to think of how horrified his mom would be if she knew! It's a gift that has kept on giving for about nine years now as Maroon is in high school. Admit it, it's funny!

The other gift came from Orange who, in fourth grade, was maybe 50 pounds soaking wet. He was scrappy like the chihuahuas who roam the 'hood starting fights and stopping traffic because they don't realize their size. His life was hard. His mother was chronically sick and let's just say, I'm not sure that her drug cocktail included pharmaceuticals.

Anyway, when Christmas rolled around Orange came in beaming with the joy of gift giving. He handed me a bundle made from two shoe boxes, a wad of duct tape and a whole mess of stickers. "Open it now!"

It's a broken parrot clock. Can you see what I see? Love. That clock sat right there on my vanity for all to admire for nearly a year.

The third gift cost nothing and may have been the one that was the most valuable of all. It's also the one that you can duplicate for your own special teacher!

A letter.

Early in my career Kelly Green's parents wrote a lovely letter to my principal. It's packed up now, but it went something like this:

Dear Principal Smith,

We are writing to let you know how happy we are with our daughter Kelly Green's teacher, Miss Little.
Each day Kelly is learning and we are thrilled with her excitement about school.
We especially appreciate her_____________________ (some specific detail about the classroom.)
We are thrilled that Wealthy Public School has hired a teacher like Miss Little.

Sincerly,
The Greens

CC: Superintendent Powers

For the price of two stamps, they may have contributed to my being hired the next year. Let's see, at the time I was making $17,000. That's a pretty generous gift!

Times are very tough for new teachers right now. Budget cuts have slashed jobs and increased class sizes. Competition for teaching jobs is pretty fierce and many wonderful new teachers are without classrooms. This year many thousands of new teachers lost their jobs here in Los Angeles alone. There may be deeper cuts next year. Your letter has power, especially if you send it to those in power.

And, as for those of us who have been around for a few (ahem) years, we like appreciation from the top too.

I haven't saved every teacher gift over the years. (My father did suggest once that it would make a fantastic museum display.) However, my file of cards and letters will be with me forever.

Play Kitchen Build Along: Lesson 5 The Final Touches

Hello again!

I am now about 90% done with my play kitchen. Yesterday I finally sprayed the countertops with the Rust-oleum Stone Spray paint and this afternoon I gave them a few coats of varnish. Then I was finally able to assembly everything for good this evening. I still want to add a magnetic chalkboard to the side and to touch up the back which had all those holes. I am sure just one more hour and I will be done.

A few notes:
First up, my counter top was too thin to just screw the knobs in. So, I used bolts and washers like this.

You can see here how I used extra bolts to hold the handles up and parallel to the counter.

To hold the faucet on I used both one screw and some Gorilla Glue.

I used four screws, one in each corner to reattach the back board. Much easier than nails or staple gun.

The curtian rod is screwed in to the frame. That way it can be unscrewed by an adult to launder the curtain.

The chopsticks worked out great for the gas burners. I was able to cut them with my Pampered Chef Kitchen Scissors! Then I gave them a quick sanding and painting. I glued them on with Elmers Wood Glue.

I used Sharpie Marker to make markings one the knobs. Once again I used diet Coke plastic bottle caps with a quick coat of silver spray paint. This cabinet was so deep. I kinda wish I had a bigger sink.

I found adhesive velcro squares at the dollar store. They were perfect to hold the oven door closed!


So, how are you doing?

I am going to call this one the "Shabby Chic Play Kitchen."

I am dying to see pictures of your completed kitchens! Stay motivated! You can do it!

Next week, I will break down my costs and update my supply lists. I'd love to hear about and see your adaptations too. Is anyone ready to share?

* If you make a play kitchen from this free tutorial, I'd really appreciate if you would add a picture to my Play Kitchen Build Along flickr group and link to this tutorial on your blog! Thanks!