From Kid's Kitchen Nightmare, To Child's Culinary Haven:
One day, after getting a bite to eat as a family, my son and I were taking my husband to work. Along the way, we passed an apartment complex with a large pile of yard rubbish sitting out front, and that's when I saw it! Next to the mangled branches sat an old, discarded child’s kitchen. I only caught a glimpse of it as we drove by, but immediately my mind started racing with ideas. I knew we couldn’t stop or my husband would be late for work. Five minutes later, we were dropping him off and saying goodbye, then off we went. I was hoping and praying during the short drive that someone else hadn’t already seen and confiscated the dilapidated “treasure” that had caught my eye only moments ago.
Pulling up to the apartment complex, I was relieved to see that it was still there. Confused by the unfamiliar location, my three year old asked me what we were doing there. I explained that mommy was just grabbing an old toy to make it new again, and I popped the trunk. As I approached the little kitchen I could see how filthy it was. I wondered if someone else had in fact seen it, and decided against putting it in their vehicle. Not me! A little dirt and grime never deterred me from a project. My mind was already in full refurb mode. I couldn’t get that disgusting thing home and clean it up quick enough. Already visions of kitchen grandeur were popping into my mind.
When we got home, as I pulled the filthy kitchen from my trunk, my son gave it a look of disgust, “Ewww, it’s very dirty,” he said. I assured him it wouldn’t be for long, and he followed me to the back yard where I proceeded to hose-down, and scrub the little kitchen with an industrial-strength cleaner. I found a moldy toaster tart in the microwave, some melted crayons on the shelves, and what appeared to be dried, smashed prunes on the cook top. I think they were prunes.
Once cleaned, the dismantling began. With a screwdriver in one hand and a zillion ideas in my head, I took off everything that seemed to snap into place. I then made a list of the supplies I would need to make this refurb possible, and headed to my local Dollar Tree with my son (shopping assistant) in-tow. My son already has a pretty healthy love for Dollar Tree. Keep in mind I already had some Valspar, Krylon and Rust-Oleum spray paint for plastic, and a roll of chrome tape laying around the garage from previous projects. If you don’t, that is something additional that you will need to purchase at your local Home Depot.
My list of supplies purchased at the Dollar Tree included:
1 roll of tan “marble” contact paper (counter top and inside dishwasher)
1 roll of “wood” contact paper (trim)
1 foil-backed, adhesive “brick” backsplash (backsplash)
1 foil-backed, adhesive patterned backsplash (to decorate storage bins) *optional
1 pillowcase (curtain)
1 roll of ribbon (tie-backs for curtains)
1 kitchen hand towel *optional
1 small bag of plastic “jewels” (for “indicator lights” on appliances) *optional
3 small, square mirrors found in the candle aisle (for window)
1 package of small self-adhesive hooks (to hang curtains and pots or utensils)
3 small bins (for storage in the kitchen)
1 tiny picture frame *optional
1 bottle of Elmer’s Glue (for further adhering contact paper where needed)
1 package of straws (curtain rod)
1 roll of wire (curtain rod)
*That’s a total of $19 spent on supplies so far at the Dollar Tree.
Note that some of these supplies are optional, depending on the amount of detail you would like to add.
Also used supplies on-hand, including:
Chrome tape (trim, accents for knobs and handles, adhering mirrors, and no-sew backing for curtains).
Krylon, Rust-Oleum and Valspar spray paints and plastic primers;
Colors used for this project:
Gloss white (kitchen trim and sink), metallic copper (storage bins), metallic pewter (grill top and oven rack), matte gray, black (inside oven, microwave and dishwasher. I also used as a base coat for storage bins), optional: yellow, and red (inside grill to give burner effect).
All purchased at The Home Depot.
Click on photos for details:
