Recycling cabinet doors.

I am the proud owner of two businesses.
To some on the outside they could not be more different.

One is a premium skincare business that I adore and that surrounds me with a team of amazing people that support, offer guidance, help train, and only want to see you succeed. This business allows me to help people find solutions and take care of themselves. It is empowering and beautiful. I love my 'job' with Rodan + Fields! If you would like to know more you can click here to visit my website. I would love to help you find your freedom too!

The second is our all natural personal care and home products business called bad hippies. This is a business born out of necessity and desire to be better steward to the earth.
We offer a few primary lines which include: solid lotion bars, lip balm, castile soap, laundry detergent, and we have recently added natural bug spray and beard oil. We have a few other options, but we are working on all natural soap world domination. Slowly.
If you would like to see what we have to offer you can click here to visit our website.

Yes, on the outside they seem to contradict each other, but those that know me also know I am an 80/20 hippie. I try to keep 80% of my life as clean and earth friendly as possible, but there are things that nature just can't do for me...like keep my roots from going grey and keep the wrinkles effectively at bay, so the other 20% I allow myself to not feel guilty and do what needs done.

Our bad hippies business is web based and we have a booth at markets around the Chicago area. We are new to the market business and our booth has been getting better with each outing. We were in desperate need of signage and didn't just want to go the normal course and get a banner from the local print shop...nope...we decided we were going to make our own using recycled materials. We went to our local ReStore - which is a store that contractors or home owners can donate used housing materials of all sorts and furniture and well most anything. These stores are operated by Habitat for Humanity and you can find some magical treasures AND support a wonderful organization. 
Anyway...we walked the store not knowing exactly what we wanted. We wandered. We schemed. We tried out a few options and ended up buying two used cabinet doors one to hang with our logo and a second to stand up and show our products. $9 later we were out the door.
We did stop at our local home improvement store and pick up some chalkboard paint and a sample size of plain old white to paint these blonde oak and white doors to make them what we wanted.

I forgot to snap before pics of both, but you know what an oak cabinet door looks like...

Here is the white one for the product list and pricing.

Here is the oak with a first layer of chalk spray paint.

LEARN FROM ME LESSON #1

I would have saved a ton of time and product if I had coated the panel with regular black spray paint instead of trying to cover it with the specialty spray paint.

Here is the same panel with more coats of chalk spray paint.
You get the picture. After I got the center panel the way I wanted it - mostly, I painted the outside 'frame' white with the sample size white paint. I also have no pictures of this because...well because.

The tall panel went through the same process. This panel was already white so it didn't require too much other than clean up from over spray.

Next came the art phase...

I am mostly happy with it, but the chalkboard pain does not act exactly like a chalkboard and erasing was a challenge for me.

It need more hippie stuff so I doodled. From even a short distance the lines and original lettering aren't that visible and I am probably the only one that notices. 

I started the big sign, but just wasn't happy with how it was turning out so back to the chalk/drawing board. I ran out of the spray paint so we went back to get more...
LEARN FROM ME LESSON #2

If I were to do this all over again I would have started with the chalkboard paint in a can. You get more, and there is less mess because it doesn't get all over everything.

The tall sign is still a work in progress, the painting is done I just need to figure out what to write on it. I should get on that since our next show is in two days....nah I got plenty of time.

Have you found a creative way to recycle something that would have just ended up in the trash? What was it and how did it turn out?