DIY a Bakery Kitchen Unit from A Box

       Even though our little ones are a bit sad over Grace's French Bakery being retired, I am not worried about replacing it with something similar made from boxes and a bit of imagination! 

        We've already made some delicious looking sweet treats and have also collected some nice wire shelving. 

       Now what we need to make requires decoupage supplies and a solid cardboard box for the following kitchen unit.

The finished bakery kitchen unit for our own version of  Grace's
French Bakery is decoupaged using paper, metallic tape, and faux
 marble shelf paper. Added details include buttons, fabric, dowel
rods and one china bowl for the sink.

Supply List:

• metallic tape or silver spray paint
• faux marble shelf paper (get at dollar store)
• buttons and beads for oven knobs
• fat and thin dowel rods for oven door handle and curtain rod
• black and red papers 
• black paint
• hook from a bungie cord for the sink faucet
• small white bowl for the sink
• masking tape
• glue gun and hot glue
• Mod Podge
• tacky white glue
• decorative fabric (shelf curtain)
• blocks for kitchen unit feet
• cardboard box, plus extra cardboard for the kitchen unit, oven and shelves
• needle and thread for sewing shelf curtain

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. First you will need to assemble the basic kitchen unit using masking tape and a box of your own specifications. I will include measurements for mine but it really isn't necessary for you to make your own version with the same exact measurements. I do not know the exact measurements of the original French Bakery belonging to Grace; I chose my own. (10"x7"x3 1/2") 
2. Cut cardboard shelves and tape these into place using masking tape.
3. I chose to use a smaller box (6 1/2"x 4 1/4" x3 1/2") for the oven unit and I just taped this into the larger box after covering it's outside surface with metallic tape.
4. Before attaching the oven door with metallic tape, I cut out the window and pasted a small sheet of plastic behind the door to act as glass. 
5. I covered the fatter dowel (6") handle with the same silver tape and attached it.
6. The oven controls are made with black and silver buttons and the digital temp. screen a black , square bead.
7. Next I decoupaged the shelf units with red paper and the inside of the oven with black paper You could do these steps alternatively with paint if you prefer.
8. Cut the cardboard for your kitchen unit's counter top. (13"x5") Glue this firmly down to the top part of the shelves.
9. Cover the counter and edges with a faux marble shelf paper. Although this is sticky paper, you may need to add extra tacky white glue to your surfaces in order to get everything pasted down properly.
10. I glued together three wooden blocks for the unit's feet and painted these black after the glue had set. (blocks together measure 8 1/4"x 2 3/4"x 1 1/2") The weight of the blocks help to keep the kitchen unit upright because these are much heavier together than the cardboard unit as a whole.
11. The curtain in the lower shelf was made last. I hemmed it and folded over the top edge of the curtain to form a long narrow pocket for the thinner dowel rod to be inserted into. 
12. You will need to measure your opening for the curtain and then double the length in order to have enough fabric for the ruffle. Leave 3/4" fabric for the top pocket and 1/2" additional fabric for lower hem. 
13. Iron 1/4" seam on both the length of the top and bottom. Then repeat this step for the hem only. Iron the top of the curtain over 1/2" and sew it down using a whip stitch to form the pocket.
14. Work the rod through the narrow pocket, ruffling the fabric as you go. 
15. Take your scissors and push the tip of these half way through either end of the location where your curtain will hang. 
16. Fill these shallow holes with sticky craft glue.
17. Now guide your dowel curtain rod into these two holes and let the glue dry. See picture below.

Left is a close-up shot of the button oven knobs. Center are the shelves next to the oven. Right, you
can see one of the two holes that I made with the tip of my scissors for the curtain rod to slide into.

Left, I cut a small, shallow hole into the counter of my kitchen unit so that the porcelain sink's lower
 lip would fit neatly into it. I covered the bottom of the sink in masking tape and the cut out portion of the
counter with masking tape also. Because both surfaces are covered with masking tape, the hot glue will
adhere the sink to the counter. Right, I used hot glue to adhere a button to the center of the sink. The button
looks like a drain and the glue like water. The black faucet, a bungee hook, is sunk into an additional
whole and glued in with hot glue.

Left, you need to turn your fabric edges over twice and press them down before sewing them in place.
The top of your curtains should have a larger open hem for the dowel rod to fit into. Center, here you
can see the curtain on the dowel curtain rod. Right, now glue this into place. There are shallow holes
 at either end of my curtain rod. I squeezed a bit of tacky glue inside these openings to
make sure the curtain was permanently attached.

See More Photos of Grace Thomas French Bakery:

• Grace Thomas, American Girl of The Year 2015 by chiilmama.com
• Grace's Bakery from Dolltastically