A while ago, we created a market for Lou using, essentially, a bookshelf and some Command strips. Along with her kitchen, it's one of Lou's very favorite toys. We had a lot of fun stocking the market with doughnuts, and we're always augmenting our selection of goods.

Simple, easy DIY Kids' Play Market Supplies

DIY Play Kitchen Eggs

First up: Eggs. I have seen ready-made fancy eggs that crack, though I've mostly only seen pretty expensive sets (I should note that I just saw these on Ebay and think they're a great deal). So we bought Lou a set of plastic Easter eggs (Goodwill - maybe $1.50?) and made the yolks ourselves. Lou's perfectly equipped to do the gluing, so we whipped these up in no time.

If you're so inclined, we used both felt and old tee shirts (we had an abundance of yellow tees leftover from Summer Camp) and a dab of craft glue on each egg. We really liked both versions. Then we rebranded some egg cartons we had saved and halved, and added two dozen eggs to Sweet Lou's store of provisions.

Make your own crackable eggs for play kitchen fun.

It would be tough to overstate how much fun Lou has with these. The realism of cracking the egg and having the yolk land in the pan is perfect for her budding chef self. Next up:

DIY Play Market Crackers & Chips Bags

If it's not apparent by now, let me be clear: I never throw anything away. I am pretty sure that even the lowliest of packaging materials can have a second life, and I was extra sure that these drapery clip packs would be upcycled into something for Lou's market.

Drapery Ring packages, chalkboard labels, scrap paper & hook-and-loop.

A strip of hook-and loop makes kids play foods resealable.

We already had the chips and crackers from an awesome garage sale last summer, when a tween was selling her childhood toys to make some cash. But those cheap, all-in-one grocery sets from inexpensive toy stores are good places to get a bunch of stuff that you can package yourself for maximum fun and cuteness.

I first taped one side of the plastic bag to the cardboard with packing tape, to make the whole thing a bit more rugged. Then, to make the packages resealable, I used snippets of hook-and-look fastener, one each on the outside of the outer plastic bag and the inside of the cardboard top. To polish things off, we made new labels with scrap paper and chalkboard labels, plus shiny gold-foil stickers that proclaim the Sweet Lou's brand.

DIY Kids Play Market Foods from Upcycled Packaging

Finally, I hung a couple Command hooks on the inside of the market to hang the snacks. It was a simple project, but it's so much more interactive than the wooden provisions (Melisssa & Doug) we also have. Lou likes those too, but they're not quite as fun.

Upcycled packaging for kids' play foods.

Last and easiest, I found this strand of sparkly berries for maybe $0.40 at an AC Moore sidewalk sale last summer. I popped them into a rinsed berry container, added a label, and added berries to the list of Sweet Lou's wares. I'll admit when I bought them I almost considered spray painting them blue, but I realized that was unnecessary.

We really enjoy a lot of our store bought goods for Lou's play market, but we also love to add to the collection with some handmade stuff. It makes Sweet Lou's sweet, ya know? Well, that and the proprietress. You better believe that's what she calls herself.

That's one happy Sweet Lou's owner/shopper.

Thanks for stopping by!