Made With Love

The best gifts in my opinion are home made.  The ones made from the heart so every time you look at that thing, it reminds you of the person who took the time to make it for you.

A couple Christmas' ago I was seeing little kid's kitchens made out of assortments of old furniture all over the internet.  I wanted to make one very bad for Kalista.  I talked to my Grandpa about it and he thought it would be a great gift and wanted to help.  My Grandpa is the handiest man ever so I was so grateful to get him on board!

One of my sisters gave up an old nightstand she had for the bones of this project.  Right away my Grandpa got to work and retreated to his basement workshop.  To my surprise, he worked tirelessly for three weeks on this sweet little kitchen for his Great-Granddaughter until it was finished.

I don't have the actual before picture of it being a nightstand because I didn't get the chance before he got to working on it. But here it is before and after. Oh, and please don't mind the crappy cell phone before pictures!

I love all of the little details he put into this, like the custom hutch on top with curly cue sides, the real turning knobs for the stove and faucet, the hand painted burners, and the fact that he made it into two separate pieces so it would be easier to move.  You would not believe how heavy this thing is!

It has a very vintage quality to it that I haven't seen in any other kid's kitchens I have seen built.  Which I love!  It's probably due to the fact that my 80+ year old Grandpa built it using odds and ends he had collected over the years.  It makes it just that much more unique.

Kalista was ecstatic to see this beautiful gift Christmas morning and loved hearing her Grandpa tell her the story about going up to the North Pole and helping Santa's elves build her little kitchen.  

This is why gifts made with love are the best.  Every time Kalista plays with her kitchen, she can see the love her Grandpa has for her by the time he took to make something so special for her.

xoxo - Marissa