It’s another day in the doll kitchen!  Many of you have been following my quest to craft all things related to baking and cooking for dolls.  If you are new, this project is inspired by a doll and book series by American Girl.  The doll is the Girl of the Year 2015, Grace Thomas.  First and foremost though, I am inspired by play and creating!

Today’s project will help you stir up something tasty in the doll kitchen.  It is a set of kitchen utensils, all spoons and spatulas.

There are 5 utensils off of the same basic design and they are the perfect size for dolls!  Come along and let’s make them together!

 Making the Spoons and Spatulas

Supplies:

• paper straws
• glue
• scissors
• paint
• paint brush
• Sharpie

Why Paper Straws?

I made the kitchen utensils out of paper straws.  Why paper straws and not the regular plastic straws you might ask?  Paper is the way to go this time for several reasons.

• The ability we have to shape the paper.
• They are surprisingly sturdy for craft projects.
• We can easily paint them.

When I can, I share different supplies and methods for craft projects, so I wanted to be sure you knew why I think paper straws are the perfect fit for this project.  There are always other ways to make the same thing.  If you don’t have paper straws, you can use this project to get you started to come up with your own version of doll size kitchen utensils!

Where to Find Them?

Paper straws can be found in the party/seasonal section of Walmart, Target and JoAnn’s.  I’m sure they are available at other stores, that’s just where I’ve seen them.  They are also available online if you would rather go that route.

Getting Started

Cut the straw into 3″ segments.

Cut a slit on one end of the straw somewhere between 3/4″- 1 1/4″ depending on the utensil you want to make.  I will include a list of the measurements a little further down. 

Make a cut perpendicular to the slit across half the straw.

Make a cut in the other direction, staying perpendicular to the slit. 

Fold back each side and this is the basic shape of the utensil. It is about 5/8″ across and we make each utensil unique by shaping and trimming them.

Here are the utensils and their measurements:

They are a little tricky to tell the difference without adding the final details so here we go from left to right-

• slotted spoon- 1″ slit
• hole spatula- 1″ slit
• rubber spatula- 1″ slit and 3/4″ slit (not pictured here).
• slotted spatula- 1 1/4″ slit

After the utensil has been shaped we need to work on the handle and collapse it right where the handle meets the spoon or spatula.

With your fingernail push in both sides of the handle end (pictured below).

Press down the top of the straw letting it collapse along the lines .

Open the end again, and put a little glue in between.  Hold in place until the glue sets up.

Paint the front and then the back.

It will curl a little when the paint is wet.  When it is dry you can gently stretch and flatten the spatula or spoon

It’s time to cook!

I couldn’t help using a fun color.  I decided to just go for it and I told myself I could always make a more neutral set if I wanted to.  So far I have no regrets and I am loving the color!

I hope you craft up a batch of these fun spoons and spatulas!  I would love to see your project, share a picture by email (anna@doll-it-up.com) or Facebook!

-Anna

Here’s the scoop on today’s post!

• Doll– Grace Thomas, American Girl Doll (Girl of the Year 2015).  The review of Grace is here.
• Outfit– Tunic Outfit from American Girl
• Scene– Table tutorial is here.  Bowl is a mini dipping dish from a kitchen store.  Background is patterned paper.  Rug is patterned felt.