The play kitchen project

Would you believe that something as hideous as this could gradually become the sweetest little play kitchen? For Emily's 3rd birthday, James and I made our girl a place to practice her culinary skills. It was technically my project, but it never would have reached completion without many hours of work from my husband. Last fall I saw this play kitchen, and just knew that I wanted Emily to have a cute, wooden play kitchen too.



We dismantled this sad little nightstand we picked up at a thrift/consignment store. Originally, the plan was to salvage one of the drawer fronts to use as the oven door, but we found out that the detail work was plastic. So, Emily's grandpa made a new oven door for the project. One thing I loved about the nightstand was that its legs looked like an old-fashioned stove!



Her sink and a few other odds and ends came from thrift shops, and the material for the potholders and storage area, as well as the upside down letter "J" for the faucet, came from Craft Warehouse. I'm really pleased with how it turned out!

Cupcake # 2 (and where I've been)

I've now made two cupcakes! I like the brighter colors on this cupcake. I think it is springy and cheerful, and we are really looking forward to spring around here.

Emily and I have been playing outside and going to the playground in the last couple of weeks. Since it's spring break, I plan to have Emily help me out in the garden. This week we'll plant broccoli, lettuce, and some sugar snap peas. Last week Emily helped clean the leaves out of the raspberry patch while I worked on pruning. We're hoping for a very good crop this year!

So, I haven't blogged in the last couple of months because I've been tired. And queasy. And sleepy. And nauseated. You get the idea. If you haven't heard the news already - I'm pregnant with our second little one. I'm 12 weeks along and beginning to feel better, although the queasiness and fatigue hit pretty regularly. Hopefully, in the next week or two I'll be feeling more like myself. And you'll be seeing more blog posts!

Yes...

I think cupcakes are adorable.

I've mentioned that I enjoy looking at books about knitting, and in my browsing I came across a blog by Betz White. She takes wool sweaters and felts, or shrinks, them to make various creative projects. My favorite project of hers is the cupcake pincushion. Emily and I went to several garage sales and thrift stores last summer in search of pretty wool sweaters to felt. It was fun, but it was hard to find the bright colors Betz White uses in her pincushions. So, I did my best.

I was reluctant to try the craft though, because the only sweater with enough ribbing was an off-white sweater, and I really didn't think there was enough fabric. Instead of just trying, I procrastinated and didn't make pincushions for Christmas presents as planned. However, I decided to give it a try for my mother-in-law's birthday, and I am so glad I did. I'll let you know if I try any of the other projects in the book Warm Fuzzies by Betz White.