cupboard door upcycle.

Published on by Quandie

One of my favorite things to do is to re-purpose an item that someone cast off.  It’s not the same as taking an old piece of furniture and fixing it up, making it prettier with paint so that someone can continue to use it as a dresser (although obviously I enjoy doing that too).  I’m talking about true upcycling, where you give something a new purpose (like turning a door into a Market sign for example).  There is just something really satisfying about it.

After purchasing this pair of old cupboard doors at the Tangletown garage sales, I decided to do just that.

I started by painting one of the doors with Fusion’s Algonquin.

I love this color.  It’s a rich deep taupe.  But I mainly chose it because I thought it would work well with one of the new transfers from Prima Marketing’s re.design line (thank you to Prima Marketing for providing me with the transfer).

One thing that is different about this transfer versus others that I’ve used so far is that it has a background color.  That sort of parchment look behind the black words and flowers is part of the transfer.

I wasn’t sure how that was going to work when it came to actually applying the transfer.  I thought it might make it more difficult, but in reality it made it much, much easier.  I didn’t have to worry about little bitty tails on letters that might not be stuck down properly.  I really just rubbed over the whole thing fairly quickly with the applicator stick that is provided with the transfer, and when I carefully pulled up the backing sheet … voila!  Perfect!

Although there is a background to this transfer that has some color to it, it is also fairly sheer.  So the color that you choose to put under it is going to make a difference in how the transfer looks.  I went with the Algonquin because I wanted my transfer to blend a bit with the background.  A white background would provide more contrast.

After the transfer was in place, I sanded the door to distress the paint.  I did not sand over the transfer, just the painted areas of the door.  Then I added some wax to get a consistent sheen over the entire piece.

Finally, I found some discarded wooden dresser knobs in my stash of rejected hardware and added them in a row at the bottom of the door.

The original wood stain on the knobs worked beautifully with the Algonquin and the colors in the transfer.

Thus the cupboard door becomes a kitchen towel holder.  Or a place to hang your bathrobe.  Or a pretty spot to hang some necklaces.

The people at Prima Marketing were kind enough to send a couple extra of this style transfer so that I could give some away today thus rounding out my week of of Prima Marketing transfer giveaways.

To be eligible to win one of these transfers all you have to do is leave a comment on this blog post by tonight (Friday, June 29) at midnight (U.S. central).  I’ll draw two names at random and each winner will get one transfer.

To spice up the comments today I thought I would ask you guys to tell me who your second favorite blogger is (ha, I’m being sarcastic, of course I’m not really assuming I am your favorite).  But seriously, share another blog that you enjoy in your comment.  Maybe a few of us (including me) will discover some new blogs to love today!

The fine print: no purchase necessary, you must be 18 years of age or older to win, void where prohibited by law, the number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning, approximate retail value of prize is $25, if the prize is not claimed by Friday, July 6, 2018 another name will be drawn at random to win, blah, blah, blah.

72 thoughts on “cupboard door upcycle.”

  2. Oh my gosh I love your cupboard door project! Perfect color for the transfer ! I would love to make one for my kitchen.
    And yes, you are my favorite blogger! I really appreciate all of your tutorials, seeing your creativity, and the fact that there are no annoying ads covering up your page.
    My other favorites are ‘Confessions of a Serial DIY’er’ , ‘Lauren at Bless’er House’ and Nancy /Artsy Chicks Rule.
    Thanks for sharing!

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  4. The newest creation is awesome. Love, love the thought process you go through when choosing what to put together next! Right there that is alot of work! our blog is my favorite! Another favorite blog, of course, is Miss Mustard Seed.

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  5. I love the new transfers and your use of them. It’s always great to see what you come up with. You’re the first blogger I started to follow for reclaiming furniture with paint. The other blogger I follow and really enjoy is Alicia Paulson @ Posy Gets Cozy.

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  7. You’re not being sarcastic, just bold and honest. Some blogs are Dim Sum, yours is the full meal deal. A little bit of travel, a little bit of history, lots of snap, and a treasure load of creativity. Another blogger I like is Kammi’s Corner out of Parma, Michigan. She is restoring a rather large mansion with several out buildings.

    I’ve never worked with a transfer yet but I feel it’s in my near future. Not sure how you ended up in “gub’mint”, you are a natural born marketer.

    Ohio has plenty of snow and our mosquitoes are a manageable size and quantity. It’s our lack of deer flies that makes me nostalgic;-)

    La Verne @ hope and salvage

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    2. The deer flies are out in force this year. My dogs look like they’re trying to salsa dance trying to get them off!!

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  10. Linda, this is a great way to use scrap wood pieces, I love these transfers! I have a lot of cutting board type pieces and I think I’ll have to order a couple of them. My sister was in from St. Louis and went with me to add some stock to my booth and was fascinated by the transfers mounted on windows, boards, old moldings. She has a business in iron on sublimation, so her brain was turning! Anyway, you are my favorite blogger just because you seem to have the same general aesthetic as I do and you inspire me with your transformations. I had to think about other bloggers because I have ‘unsubbed’ a lot of them, just not enough relatable content! For vintage stuff, I love Andirondack Girl at Heart, and then I like watching Jamie Ray Vintage YouTube videos for live upcycle of thrift store junk! I follow Prodigal Pieces and Confessions of a serial DIYer, too.

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    1. I watch the Jamie Ray YouTube videos too. I’m always amazed at how she seems to just slap on the paint and yet it always works out for her. Have you noticed that?

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    1. Actually, this transfer is not an IOD design. This is from the new line from Prima Marketing called re.design. I believe the Iron Orchid ladies have branched out on their own now and were not involved with the re.design line.

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  12. Such a cute project! I like the knobs on the bottom. For my second favorite blog 😉 I love http://victoriaelizabethbarnes.com/ because she is hysterical! She writes about her love of GFT (giant fancy things) and is currently remodeling her kitchen. She is planning on using slate salvaged from free Craigslist pool tables as her kitchen counters. Genius!

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  18. These Prima transfers are such a game changer! I read your blog no matter what- love your style and your writing flow and your crisp pictures! I love chelthenham road blog for his wry sense of humour and vintage graphics too.

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  21. Love these new transfers with the color on them, and the repurposed cabinet door! Very cute.
    One of my favorite bloggers is https://www.confessionsofaserialdiyer.com. She re-purposes a lot of stuff. I also like https://jamirayvintage.com/ which others mentioned. But honestly, your newsletters are the only ones I read religiously for your great ideas and staging and your new “how-to” page. So helpful for those of us just starting out.

    Thanks for your great ideas, as always!

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  26. Beautiful – like the new transfers with contrasting background. I follow a bunch but my favourites are Salvaged Inspirations and Orphans with make up.

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  30. Cute repurpose! Two other bloggers I follow are Mary from Orphans with Makeup and Susan from Saw Nail and Paint. They both paint beautiful furniture and have mad photography skills. Visiting their blogs (and homes) is very relaxing and inspiring. Looks like I’ll also have to check out Confessions of a DIYer since that blog came up so frequently! Have a lovely weekend!

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  33. Love this idea! The last time I was at my local Restore for Humanity I saw a lot of cabinet doors that would be perfect for this. Great way to update art in my house!

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  36. Love these upcycling projects! I just bought a random cupboard door at Goodwill a couple days ago, so this gives me some good inspiration. I love your blog and Miss Mustard Seed – the only two blogs I read regularly. I actually found your blog through Miss Mustard Seed years ago.

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  38. L 💜 ve this repurpose!
    And the knobs added for hanging a dish towel or such- perfect!!

    House in Winchester is a decor blog I read occasionally. I’m mostly an Instagram follower but blogs have more detail when I need it.

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  40. I love the cupboard doors! A few years ago I repurposed an antique cupboard door to a chalkboard. I have recently started following the paint factory blog. She uses transfers too!

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  41. Hands down – Mary Fons. Her blog is Paper Girl. Absolutely nothing to do with painting, furniture, etc., just an ongoing update on her life’s goings’ on.

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  44. Great re-purpose! I am loving the rub on’s, would love to try one!
    My second favorite blogger, you being number one, is Lisa aka Farmhouse on Boone.
    She is so precious, and just down to earth. I watch all her utube videos even if I really would not do what she is talking about because she is so sweet, and she allows her precious children to participate, which is wildly cute! 😀

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  45. Roseberry Workshop is a local (to me) girl who refinishes furniture and paints lovely florals. I follow her on Instagram and she has a Facebook page. But Quandie is my favourite! Thanks for all you do.

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  46. I love these! I usually use spare small doors for practicing with new colors or techniques, when done I sand them down and use again. I like your ideas better – as always! LOL! One of my other favorite bloggers is The Wood Spa. She doesn’t publish as frequently as some but when she does, her projects are always creatively unique and accompanied by detailed but easy to follow tutorials. Each tutorial I’ve used has come out as a complete success whether I’m trying to copy her look or adjust to fit my own (which is what I usually do). I think the two of you would truly enjoy each others art. Check her out!

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    1. I have seen Pat’s work, and I know she has left a comment or two here as well. I loved that piece she did back in November with the bird drawer pulls. So unique and imaginative!

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  49. Yours is the best, really. Just good information and no fluffy ads, pop ups, gizmos. While you throw in a non-furniture post from time to time, you haven’t become a food, knitting, travel or water color painting blog like some have, and I appreciate that. If I wanted one of those, I wouldn’t be reading here:) chippingwithcharm.blogspot.com/ has a great list of other blogs that I like to scroll through and pick from.
    PS I am not fancy enough to ever try a transfer so no need to include me in your drawing. I just wanted to comment:)

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    1. Well, I’m not much of a cook, or a knitter. And I have no water color painting skills whatsoever. But there might be a few travel posts coming up next winter because I’ll definitely be sharing my cruise on the Adriatic! But that’s OK, you can just skip over those 😉

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      1. I love to travel and have been to 21 countries, so throw in as many of those as you can. Just don’t turn into a travel blog on us, no wait, traveling and doing furniture makeovers would be a great idea too! You could do a tour. I’ve changed my mind combine them both.

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  50. I realize I am too late to be in on the drawing……..but LOVE the outcome of your sweet door project. And yes, you are my favorite blogger, lady.

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