DIY Fabric Faced Cabinets

So, I have these wonderful cabinets in my kitchen.  I love them.  Seriously. 

 When we bought the house it was very.....1970's.  The cabinets were brown wood.  The wallpaper wasn't vintage, it was just disgusting.  But, since we had just put everything into buying the house we didn't have a whole lot left for a facelift. 

Enter......Creativity.

I started with painting the walls and the cabinets. (I used high gloss enamel but you can use whatever you want.) I put white on the top cabinets and a very deep purple on the lower cabinets.  Why not white on top and bottom?  I have 10 kids.  'Nuff said.

Okay, now that your painting is done....Here's tip #1.  Make sure you paint the entire front of the cabinet.  If you don't, you'll be able to see a dark spot in the middle where you didn't paint.  Clearly, I didn't paint mine and thus, I know the consequence!

So here's what you'll need:

PRE-WASHED fabric.  I cannot stress the pre-washed part enough.

Scissors

Quilt Basting Spray (Sold at Walmart or fabric stores)

Spray a tiny bit of basting spray on the cabinet.  You don't need much.  You're just putting it on there to help the fabric stay up while you make your "template".  Notice in the pictures how it doesn't even go to the edges or anything?

Now, use your fingernail to rub the fabric into the cracks.  Make sure you get a good crease going!

You can see the outline of where you creased the fabric.  Cut it out.

Hold your cut out piece up to the cabinet to make sure it fits.  If you're good with it, spray the BACK SIDE of the fabric with your basting spray.  Go ahead and give it a good covering.  You want this baby to stay put for a while.  Basting spray can get a tad messy so I stuck mine in a cardboard box to keep it from "spreading" outward.

Finally, pick it up and smooth it onto your cabinet and Wala!  A gorgeous, CHEAP kitchen make-over.

Ok, Ok.....I know there's someone out there right this minute going, "But what if it gets dirty?"  This is the best part and also why it was so important to pre-wash that fabric.  Answer:  The fabric peels right off.  Just remove the dirty piece, wash it in the sink, iron, and hang back up.  Mine was up for over a year before I had to do this! (If you didn't pre-wash, your fabric will shrink when you iron it and it won't fit it's spot anymore!)

And one of the best parts?  You can coordinate with other rooms!

Someday, I plan to have "seasonal" panels made.  But, well......Someday.