Christmas in July

Okay, not really.  But I am thinking about Christmas already and I'm so very excited.  I wanted to make sure we weren't stressed at the beginning of December, wondering how we were going to get all the things we wanted for Winona.  So I've thought long and hard about what I wanted to do.
We play Santa Clause.  Don't judge.  It works for our family and I love the tradition.  I loved Santa Clause as a child and was so disappointed to find out he wasn't real.  But I wasn't angry at my parents for filling me with delusions... only disappointed.  Now that I knew he wasn't real, I could no longer believe the wonderful delusion that a jolly man snuck into my house year after year leaving behind gifts especially for me.
However, Santa brings Winnie three presents.  Three good presents.  The three presents represent the three gifts from the wise men to Jesus.  It's also a good way for us to never get ahead of ourselves and leave Winz disappointed the next year when it isn't as good as before.  So here is a little list of her three future gifts, and some of my inspiration.
1.  Radio Flyer Tricycle, the classic style.  I can't remember what style tricycle I had as a child, but in my head, this is it.

This is the one.  Jake found this tricycle at a flee market last weekend.  TWENTY dollars.  It has a little rust, but other than that, its perfect.  We are going to clean it up and make it like new.  It's refreshing to get a recycled nice toy.  I can't wait to see how it cleans up.  I also can't wait to see Winona ride it around the drive way and neighborhood.  EEEEEEEH!  I'm like a kid when it comes to Christmas and having a child has made it so much better.

2. A play kitchen.  I've known since before last Christmas that on Winona's second Christmas she would get a nice play kitchen.  Since then I have searched far and wide for the perfect kitchen.  The perfect ones are expensive.  A little too expensive.  I just can't justify spending that kind of money on a gift for a toddler.  And the fact of the matter is that the best kitchens I found were homemade out of old crappy furniture.  Here are some of my inspirations.

This one is made out of an old night stand.

Can you believe these were all handmade?  All DIY play kitchens!  For much less of the price than you pay for some prefab piece of junk.  No offense.   And here is the mother of all play kitchens.  The most inspirational and beautiful that I've found.  You can also go to the mommy's blog that made the kitchen here.

Swoon.

So I've wondered, where can I get this perfect piece of furniture?  We have been looking at yard sales, flea markets, and craigslist and then... we stumbled upon a gem in our own storage shed.

Looks like a real gem right?  Haha.  Wrong.  It looks awful, but its the shape that is key.  Nothing a little sanding and paint can't fix.  It's perfect.  Even has a pantry/fridge.  Don't mind all the junk that's piled on it.  It's in the storage shed so give me a break.  I will keep you posted on the progress of this beautiful piece of furniture.

Ikea sells some pretty amazing and affordable play kitchen accessories.  

And if you don't know about felt food... go on over to Etsy  and check it out.  They are beautiful.  Also I found a list of tutorials for making felt food.  

3.  By Christmas I plan on moving Winona's rocking chair out of her room.  She is getting bigger and bigger every day and I think she would really appreciate a toddler size chair where she can read books.  She loves books.  I haven't found the perfect chair but here are some of my options.  

Are you thinking about Christmas already?  What are some of your gift ideas?