Monday, July 4, 2011

A Play Kitchen gets me back to Blogland!

Well, hello again. It's been about two and a half years since my last post. I lost interest, I guess, and Life happened. I got busier; our family grew, and my mother was in declining health. But here I am today, older and wiser, and changed. My sweet mother died in 2009; I retired in 2010; and we are trying to adjust to the changes.

My life is a little more orderly and a little more slowly paced now, and I am learning to enjoy every minute of every day. We are busier than ever, but now it is busy with our own interests. We have time to pursue hobbies and learn new things and take care of ourselves and read and enjoy our children and grandchildren. Life is good. That about sums up the last two and a half years. So, on to the new stuff.

I am so excited about a project Tom and I have been working on--a play kitchen for our granddaughter, Anna Kate. She was born just after I stopped blogging in 2009, and she followed the three precious little grandsons that we enjoyed so before her arrival. Now, we have that precious little girl to love as we do Brooks, Alexander, and Christian who came before her.

Anyway, every little girl needs a play kitchen, doesn't she? Even though I was an inactive blogger for more than two years, I have continued to enjoy numerous blogs written by creative women who have inspired me with their shelter, design, and cooking postings. And in the course of reading them, I ran across several play kitchens that inspired me. The Busy Bug Life posted this inspiration. Then, Bonne Nouvelle posted this one. And Fresh Cut Flowers inspired me with this one. So, Granddaddy and YaYa found an entertainment center on Craigslist. It was this one:

You have seen these at yard sales and almost everyday on Craigslist because the new-style televisions do not fit them. Anyway, we brought it to the farm where we began to reconfigure it. We maintained the frame as it was, 54" wide by 48" tall, but we really redesigned the layout. We primed and painted; we nailed and hammered; we made a few purchases and used a little creativity. After lots of hours of work, here's what we came up with:

As you can see, she has a stove and oven on the left side, a sink in the middle, and a pantry on the right. She has a chalkboard door on the front and another framed chalkboard on the right outside, along with a hook for her apron. It was a labor of love. Tom tried out some new tools, and I reached waaaay down inside to get creative. We used a dog bowl for the sink, jar lids painted black for the cooktop burners, and wooden wheels from the hobby shop for burner controls. The curtains are reconfigured from some old ones I found in a trunk at the farmhouse where her granddaddy was born and grew up and now shares with all of us. They belonged either to Tom's mother or his grandmother. For the window, we blew up a photo of our farm, a place that Anna Kate knows, so she would have a familiar sight as she looks "out the window". Anna Kate is too young to know it now, but that little kitchen has some of her history in it. An artist friend of ours recommended that we sign and date the piece and take a picture of AK now and as she grows with it, so we will plan to do that.

Well, we delivered and installed it today---big hit! Though Miss Anna Kate was tired and a tad ornery, we knew she would love it. Big brother, Brooks, was all over it, so we think they will enjoy it together. We hope they have hours of fun pretending in the kitchen.




And, the apple pie will be ready shortly!



Furniture Feature Fridays







10 comments:

susan said...

Wow - What a way to come back to Blogland. That is an incredibly cute play kitchen. What a lucky little girl. I only have a grandson right now, but I am bookmarking your post for the "maybe one day" category. Great job!!!!

Anonymous said...

Too cute! I am so loving this little kitchen. It's even better then the store bought ones. It looks so really.

Vickie @ Ranger 911 said...

I'm visiting form MMS and LOVE your idea. I bought a vintage stove and sink to repaint for grandkids, but would have "copied" yours if I had seen it first. What a clever idea and beautiful craftsmanship! vickie

Sarah said...

This is gorgeous!!! I am in LOVE with this idea! Thanks for your inspiration and creativity!

Hannah {Bonne Nouvelle} said...

Welcome back to blogland! I just noticed you gave mention to my play kitchen! Thank you for the credit and link. Your kitchen is beautiful! I love the colors and how it all flows so nicely together. Well done! I am glad my little kitchen was able to be an inspiration!

Janean said...

Ran into your kitchen on Pinterest tonight! What a treat to read about it's creation. Fabulous job - I have two boys but I am inspired! Thanks from Canada. Janean

Aleta said...

This is just the most beautiful thing I've seen created for a child. You are one fantastic grandmother!

jen duncan said...

AWESOME!!! This is clever, clever, clever. And CUTE! I absolutely love it. :-)

Bea said...

Just passed on a center at Salvation Army for $15.00. No way to haul it, but will continue to see if I can find one. I LOVE IT!

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