[A quick recap of the reusuable supplies: Constructive Playthings Create It Space, Target White Plastic Bins, & Target Grey Plastic Bins.]
1. Melissa & Doug Cookie Set from Amazon, $19.99.
I waited for a good price on this set and got it at around $15.99. It’s absolutely perfect if you’re planning on making any kind of bakery. The baking pan, cooking mitt, spatula, and knife were put inside the Cookware bin for storage. I left the cookies, frosting, and the tube in this bin.
2. Flour & Sugar Containers from Target, $2.
I’m the crazy lady that scours through not only the dollar bin, but also the clearance section at Target. These were (I suspect) originally in the dollar bin for $3 each, but I got them for $1 each. I love that the chalkboard labels mean I can re-use these for lots of play centers. I don’t love that chalk easily wipes off.
3. Cinnamon Rolls, approximate cost was $5.97.
To make these, I bought six sheets of each color felt and a tube of white puffy fabric paint. I didn’t follow a tutorial for these and just kind of winged it. I would recommend reading a tutorial if you don’t feel comfortable winging it. (Here are a few.)
4. Green Toys Tea Set from Amazon, $27.99
The one thing I was absolutely willing to pay full price for was a tea set that wasn’t pink. Seeing as a bakery could easily be seen as more “girly” than other centers, I really didn’t want to discourage anyone from using the center. I’m also really happy with how nice the Green Toys line is — made from recycled materials — it has a nice texture to the plastic that makes it much more appealing in my opinion.
5. Bakery Awning, approximate cost was $4.07.
I bought a spool of ribbon and two sheets of turquoise felt. The white and purple felt I had on hand…because I always have yards of felt available. Further information is below!
6. Cookware: Measuring Spoons, Cups, & Muffin Tin from The Dollar Tree, $3.
I bought simple cookware items from the local dollar store. Easy peasy!
7. KidKraft Wooden Cupcakes & Stand from Amazon, $15.95.
For the record, something *weird* is going on with the price on Amazon and I think it has to do with the fact that the product is no longer available on the KidKraft website.
8. Menus, no cost.
I made these in Publisher and the files are below for those of you who would like to re-create them!
9. Melissa & Doug’s Cutting Bread Set, donated (list price $19.99).
This was a donated toy living in our cupboards for a while before I got my hands on it. I knew right away that it would be perfect for the bakery set since I didn’t want to only include sweet treats since bakeries sell bread!
I wish I could walk you through making the awning complete with patterns. But I completely and utterly winged this. I started by cutting the fabric down to the size of the center. I made sure to leave some overhang on either side. I also folded it in half so it was nice and thick. I was ready to start making the awning!
1. I wrapped each end kind of like how you would with a present and wrapping paper. I used a TON of hot glue to glue each line down as I went. I also used three safety pins on each end for each assurance that it wouldn’t fall apart. I also put a lot of hot glue over the safety pins just in case.
2. I folded and hot glued an end piece over my very messy internal work. It makes it look much nice that the first photo, right?
3. I laid more felt over the awning and free-cut the stripes. I used sticky back Velcro to secure it. I also wanted to use Velcro so I could easily change the color of the awning for different centers. I know that I’ll definitely be using the awning again for the pizzeria I’m planning for later in the summer! I already bought the red felt for it.
4. I used our Ellison die-cut machine to cut out the felt letters. Then I simply hot glued them to the ribbon. I used safety pins to attach the sign since I knew I wanted to be able to change that as well.
This center cost a bit more than the Garden Shop. We paid $78.97 for the materials here. But we didn’t need to buy the Melissa & Doug cookies and could have made our own from hardened Model Magic. I didn’t have to insist on having a neutral colored tea set and bought a cheaper pink one. But since I had the budget, I bought the stuff! Full cost of the center is $98.96 which includes our donated Melissa & Doug bread set.
And here are the PDF files:
I’ll be back next month to discuss how things held up with the bakery!
storytime katie 
Katie, this is so cute. I’m saving all of your ideas for when we purchase our “market” stand. 1 additional idea would be to have a small kid size table w/chairs so they could eat or drink tea at the Bakery. I know in my small space, this wouldn’t be possible, I wonder if a small wooden tv tray would work?? Thanks for sharing.
That’s a great idea! We have a lot of tables in our space, so I didn’t add anything specifically.