DIY Wooden Pantry Play Food | With Printable Labels
As my final project of 2020, I spruced up the IKEA Spisig play kitchen for Mabel as her Christmas gift (you can watch the full video here). I had so much fun adding some personal touches to the cute little play kitchen, including painting it a deep olive green, creating a wooden counter top, and updating some thrifted dinnerware for her plate up her food creations. However, one of my favourite components of the makeover was creating a set of wooden pantry foods.
It turns out that wasn’t only my favourite part. Since I published my video of the mini-kitchen makeover, quite a few people have reached out to ask about the pantry food. More specifically, for a link to the labels. I always feel guilty to report that I don’t have one since I created them myself, but as I was thinking about it the other day, I realized that I could easily make my printable file available so that others can print it out and create their own panty play food set too. And so, here we are.
I want to first say that there are a few really adorable wooden pantry play food sets out there. When I was creating Mabel’s kitchen, I spent quite a bit of time researching options for accessories and play food. I found some adorable sets, but ultimately decided to go the DIY route because the availability was very limited to us here in Canada. Anytime I found something I liked enough to invest in, the shipping and import fees were far too astronomical to justify. All this to say, there are adorable options to buy if you don’t want to go the DIY route. But if you like getting your hands dirty and want to try to cook up your own version, this is the post for you.
As I mentioned, I have created a printable label file for you to print and use (it’s linked in the tutorial below). These labels are the exact ones I used on my own set. When I created them, I sized them based on the pieces of wood I cut and painted for my food. If you’d like to use them exactly like I did on my set, you’ll need to match your wood pieces to the same sizes as mine. Just take that into consideration as you plan your project. Now let’s get to it!
Step One: Cut your wood.
I created my food pieces out of scraps of wood that I had on hand. If you want yours to look exactly like mine, you will need pieces cut to these exact measurements.
2 - Large boxes (crackers and cereal) at 2.75”w, 5”h, 1.5”d
2 - Small boxes (cookies and soup mix) at 2.75”w, 2.5”h, 0.75”d
1 - Pasta sleeve (spaghetti) at 5”w, 1.75”h, 1.75”d
1 - Sugar carton (sugar) at 1.75”w, 3.75”h, 1.75”d
1 - Large condiment bottle (olive oil) at 1.75”w, 3.25”h, 1.75”d
2 - Small condiment bottles (mustard and vinegar) at 1.75”w, 2.5”h, 1.75”d
The scraps that I used included scraps of stair balusters that had little caps on the ends, making them perfect for the condiment bottles. However, if you don’t have that, you could always glue a piece of cut dowel or a real bottle cap to the top before painting. Once you cut all your pieces, be sure to give them a light sanding to smooth out any rough patches. Also consider sanding the edges to avoid any slivers making their way into little hands. When you’re done, wipe the pieces down with a damp rag to remove any sanding dust.
Step Two: Paint your foods.
Choose the colours you would like to use for your food. You can use any type of paint you would like - leftover house paint samples, craft paint, or spray paint. Just remember that little hands will be handling these, so be aware of what you use on them. I used an array of colourful craft paints to paint mine. On some foods, I created a colour-block effect by painting a base coat of cream and then using painters tape to create a crisp line before applying the second colour. There was not a lot of intention behind the two-tones in my set, so I don’t have any specific measurements for those. I recommend just diving in and having fun playing with the colour options. Feel free to add additional coats of paint until you are happy with the coverage and allow the paint to dry overnight to ensure it cures really well before proceeding to the next step.
Step Three: Prepare the Labels
You can download the printable label file by clicking here. Once you download it, have it printed at full scale. I recommend using a third-party printer so that the print quality is really clear and the paper stock is a little more substantial than print-at-home options. I like to use a local printer for my print projects, but you could also submit and print the file with your local Staples. Just be sure to express that you want the file printed to scale.
Once the labels are printed, cut each one out along the outlines. There are also a few areas that will require you to create a fold. Pre-fold these areas to make it easier to line them up on the wooden pieces as you adhere them in the next step.
Step Four: Attach the Labels
With your painted play food and the labels ready, it’s time to finish the project! Line up your pieces with the corresponding label before gluing to ensure that you are comfortable with where each label goes (see the illustration above to see how each label fits on each wooden piece). Once you add the glue, it will be hard to remove the label to make any adjustments. I recommend using Modge Podge (preferably in a matte or satin finish) to adhere the labels. I applied it using a brush to the back of the label and positioned it on the piece of wooden play food. Once it was adhered in place, I used the brush to cover the label with additional Modge Podge to ensure that the edges were all sealed down. It dries quickly, so be sure to work quickly before setting each piece aside to fully dry.
Step Five: Seal
As an extra measure to ensure that the labels remain intact, I recommend coating the entire wooden food piece with a satin clear top coat. I used an aerosol version, but you could just as easily add additional coats of Modge Podge or a brush on poly. Give the food plenty of time to dry and cure before using it to avoid the finish getting scratched or dented.
It really is that easy! The result is so cute and adds so much personality to a little play kitchen. My daughter loves using the pantry items in her kitchen, particularly the condiment bottles. I often catch her shaking a dash of oil into her play soups and it’s in those moments that I know the effort to make this set was definitely worth it.
As a final note, I just want to say that I created these labels for my own use and am sharing them with you for that same purpose. You are welcome to print and use them for personal projects, but you are not permitted to either re-sell the printable file or create pantry food sets with the labels to sell. If you have any questions about that, don’t hesitate to reach out to me.
I’d love to see your set if you make it! Share your images with me through email or find me on instagram and shoot me a message. It really is such a playful and adorable project that will add a lot of personality to your little one’s play kitchen.
In case you missed it, you can see the full video of how I transformed Ikea’s Spisig play kitchen into the cute little kitchen of my (I mean…my daughter’s) dreams here:
