How to Make the Best Gift Ever for Less Than $100 #truestory

If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram or Facebook, you know that Dave and I built Addie a kitchen for Christmas:

In 3 weekends, this creation came to be from this:

Logically, the only way to describe this transformation is via pictures, but before that, I want to tell you how this cost LESS than $100!

We got a hutch from a man who just wanted to “get it gone” in Massachusetts. My awesome father-in-law drove over one Saturday and picked it up for us- it was heavy and ugly, but it great shape and just the right design. Best part? The future kitchen counter was a great height for Addie!
We used all of the original hinges, replacing only the pulls and the glass door with wood (which also needed hinges), adding a metal hook, and we replaced the back with new boarding. In total, those things cost us $33.
The faucet is real, and the most inexpensive one that Lowes sells, at $18. The sink is a small metal mixing bowl we picked up from Job Lot for $2, giving us a total of $20 for the sink.
I sanded the hutch for what felt like an eternity using sandpaper we had, and then we painted with a great white paint and roller from Benny’s (the low price paint needed about 5 coats, but it’s holding up great!), for a total of $15. We also put a chalk paint on the side of the kitchen, which was $5 from AC Moore.

For the burners we used real oven replacement drip pans ($3 each), PVC endcaps ($1.50 each) and 120mm PC fan grills ($2 each)- all of these coming to $13… you won’t need all of these if you’re not adding lights inside, so your cost could just be paint or even cooler, something like THESE trivets painted and glued on!

I also used two different spray paints (black sparkle for the oven and metallic for the microwave and fridge) for $10 total.

My total, with tax, came to just under $96…

The rest of the kitchen was a mix of things we had, like the numbers on the microwave and mod podge to seal them:

… and the fabric, which I sewed to make a curtain.

The LEDs that Dave added, including the power source, were things that he, as a computer/electrical mastermind had in his workshop and the actual kitchen accessories were gifts from Gramma and Grandpa and Mima and Pa for the holiday! (What pushed the bill over by a few dollars? I got a child’s apron and iron-on apple patch for it, as well as a purple fake gerbera daisy in memory of my Dad to sit in a lidless mason jar we had sitting around… finishing touches.)

So… CHECK IT OUT!!!!!

We are so happy to have made a gift that will help create so many memories over the years, as well as a beautifully handcrafted piece of furniture- it fits the style of of 1929 craftsman home, as well as our parenting vibe: messy, fun, creative and always together.