House of Thrifty Decor: Use the Unexpected to Create Home Decor

A few weeks back I picked up this great kitchen cabinet door for $2 at our local Habitat for Humanity Restore.

My plan was to make it into a sign for my laundry room. Vinyl letters and sayings are all the rage right now and I love them. The only problem is my husband's job as a contractor for the government we will probably move a few times over the next few years and I didn't want to have to buy a new saying every time. My friend suggested that I frame my favorite saying. I liked that suggestion but wanted to do something different and cheaper. This is were the cabinet doors at the Restore came in handy.

I sanded down the piece and filled in a few dents with wood putty. It was all ready to prime.

I had some left over white primer from a previous project. The next decision was what color to paint it. Again I went to my favorite store Restoration Hardware. I love the Silver Sage Collection, I have used Silver Sage and Blue Sage from the line. My local store was under going a remodel and was low on sample sizes. They didn't have Silver Sage in stock, so I went the next color up to Sea Green.

On a side note their sample sizes go a long way, I had enough to do this door and about 2-3 more. They are a great price at $3.95 each. After two coats of Sea Green (my new favorite color, I'm surprised I never picked it up before), I was ready for my vinyl lettering. I search on the internet for vinyl letters with a laundry theme. I found the best price on Esty.com, if you haven't shopped there before check it out. They have more than just handmade crafts.

I picked up this vinyl saying for $9.95 from Jazzy Graphics. They have some great prices and sizes of graphics. Remember to check the size of the graphic you are ordering. I double checked to make sure it would fit.

The color is a little off in this photo, not sure why.

I used a kitchen spatula to smooth the letters on to the cabinet door, no need to buy a fancy tool.

I think it turned out pretty good. The total cost was around $18 plus I have paint left over for my next project. The next time you are in a Habitat for Humanity Restore look around and see what items can be used in a new way and re-purposed.


I really wanted to hang it up but with us moving in 4 weeks I decided to just lien it up against the wall. Once we move I will hang it up. This project was featured at Olivia Renn and Creations by Kara this week. Pop over and see what other great projects are also featured. *Parties that I am linking this DYI project to.* New Nostalgia Twice Owned Tuesday Coastal Charm A Silly Little Sparrow I’m Topsy Turvy The Pumpkin Patch Today’s Creative Blog All Thingz Related Craft Edition Blue Cricket Design Me and my Bucket Someday Crafts Sew Much Ado We Are That Family Domestically Speaking My Backyard Eden Life in the Pitts The Thrifty Home The Trendy Treehouse Creations By Kara Santa’s Gift Shoppe & Ideas Gettin’ Crafty on Hump Day Heart and Home T-shirt Diaries House of Hepworths Somewhat Simple Tales from Bloggeritaville The Shabby Chic Cottage Beyond The Picket Fence Seven Thirty Three – A Creative Blog Life as Lori Decor Momma Fingerprints on the Fridge Fun to Craft The Shabby Nest