A super creative DIY mom has taken social media by storm with her impressive project of transforming her daughter’s playroom into a mini Target, complete with a tiny Starbucks. Emily Collins from Chicago, Illinois, wanted to bring her daughter Lily’s imaginative grocery store playtime to life, but not just any grocery store—her little one’s favorite, Target. So, when Emily decided to craft a special playroom for Lily, she knew she had to incorporate that beloved store.
As a unique Christmas surprise for her daughter, Emily teamed up with her sister, Sarah, who is a graphic designer, and their family friend, Jake, to build this adorable mini Target right at home. “I wanted to do something special for Christmas this year,” Emily shared in a Facebook post that has garnered nearly ten thousand shares. “We used a Melissa and Doug shopping center to create Target and repurposed Lily’s cube storage unit for the Starbucks. Jake added some wood and affordable flooring, while I took care of the painting. I must say, having a graphic designer sister is a major plus—Sarah really made this project shine! She crafted the Starbucks menus, designed all the logos, price tags, and sale signs, and even taught me how to use the cutting machine!”
The attention to detail is remarkable. There are tiny clearance tags, a café table set up outside the “Starbucks,” and an adorable miniature shopping cart that mirrors the real thing.
Thanks to Sarah’s graphic design skills, they swapped out a generic children’s coffee shop set for Starbucks branding, and Emily even concocted faux mini frappuccinos using “plastic cups, paint, caulk & puffy paint.”
While we are thoroughly impressed by this family’s creativity, Emily revealed to Good Morning America that working on this project helped her cope with a tough time in her life, specifically her divorce. “It was a difficult period for me… but creating something for her brought me so much joy,” Emily explained. Now, Lily proudly tells her friends, “Come see my playroom! I have Target in my playroom!”
“I’m thrilled with how it turned out and even happier that Lily loves it,” Emily wrote on Facebook, humorously adding, “I might be more excited about it than she is.”
We don’t know what Emily does for a living or if she has aspirations for a career change, but she certainly has proven herself to be a master of DIY playroom projects. Someone get her an HGTV show, stat! If you want to explore more about creative family spaces, check out this interesting post on home insemination.
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In summary, Emily Collins’ innovative mini Target and Starbucks for her daughter, Lily, showcases not only her creativity but also the strong bond of family during challenging times.