Cardboard Play Kitchen

I was having a hard time finding a play kitchen for my little boy. Everything seems to be geared towards girls or they are a bit pricey. I started searching for cardboard play kitchens and up came this website http://meggiecat.blogspot.com/2008/01/little-girls-play-kitchen.html

I figured I was a a little crafty and could make my own. I started with this large computer box.

Then gave it a few coats of light blue paint, painted on the stove top by making four black circles, and cut out a hole for the kitchen sink (a plastic bowl from the dollar store)...

I cut out a door for the oven, painted on another oven door, then cut out a door for a cabinet beneath the sink. I used cardboard to make the kitchen faucet and painted wooden knobs from Hobby Lobby with silver paint to be used as the cabinet handle, burner knobs and hot/cold knobs for the faucet. I knew the faucet would probably be pulled off by the kids, so I used velcro to put it on and used velcro to attach a kitchen timer by the burner knobs (from the dollar store).

And here it is!

Then I sewed a table cloth and used velcro to adhere it to the box, used an eye hook to hold measuring cups and stapled some fabric on to create a handle where I could hang a dishtowel. I also staple gunned fabric to create a "bulletin board" and used velcro to display pictures of our family.

Here's Catherine - she loves peeling off the timer!

So far they love it! I got some plastic pans and play food from Target and John Patrick has been cooking all night tonight. :) All in all it took about an hour and a half and here is the cost breakdown:

box was free

6 acrylic paint bottles (3 blue, 1 green, 1 orange and 1 silver) $6

sponge brushes $2

set of 10 knobs from Hobby Lobby $3

fabric (used remnants I had...free)

Dollar store items: spatulas, timer, dishtowel, tea set, set of two plastic bowls $5

TOTAL is $16 And it was fun to make!! Give it a try!