Ok- so, in the interest of full disclosure, I fully intended this project to be my Product Test Drive post for July. BUT…things didn’t exactly go as planned. So, I’m putting that product “on ice”…which has a double meaning. Why? Because my plans for this little medicine cabinet were to transform it into a vintage-inspired military first aid kit. (Get it…putting it on ice…first aid…ok, dumb joke!)
Even finding this medicine cabinet had its ups and downs. As I was snapping this photo in Goodwill, a woman came up next to me, intent on snatching it away from under my camera.
What a cutie, and it’s MINE!
See that shadow on the right in my photo? Yeah, that’s literally her hand.
Thankfully, it didn’t get ugly. But thrift stores can be brutal if something’s not in your cart. After she walked away, I quickly snapped another photo and hugged it to my chest all the way to the cash register.
What a fun piece to repurpose…
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ANYWAY, back to the project. Like I said, I envisioned it as a vintage inspired military first aid kit…which could simply be decorative for a man cave, cabin, or other masculine space, or used to hold meds, bandanges, etc. And my original plan was to try DecoArt’s Vintage Effect Wash in a dark green color on the wooden cabinet.
Let’s give this stuff a whirl…
I read the instructions and watched a video on YouTube before giving it a go. I removed the hardware from the medicine cabinet, but after I had brushed it on and wiped away the excess, I HATED how it looked.
Hmm…not sure about this…
NOPE, not diggin’ it at all…
But, here’s the thing- I don’t necessarily blame the product. I think the old, dark wood grain didn’t play nicely with the paint wash. So, I’m considering this Product Test Drive incomplete…and will try it again with a different shade of Vintage Effect Wash on an alternative wooden object next time.
At that point, I found a perfect shade of Army green from Behr Paint and carefully painted every square inch of my cabinet (well, except the back panel).
Can you hear my LOUD sigh of relief?
Ahh…SO much better! And much closer to the vision I had in my mind.
Now to complete my military first aid kit vision, I gathered my stenciling materials, red and white craft paints, my favorite stencil brushes, and a First Aid stencil.
Time to get my stencilin’ on!
I wanted the cross to be red (of course) and the lettering to be white. So, I centered the stencil on my medicine cabinet door, taped it down, and stippled on the paint.
I have a good feeling about this…
Perfect! Now to re-assemble the whole thing…
All I needed to do now was reattach the hinges, door and knob. I mean, isn’t it adorable (in a tough and manly way)?
How wonderful is that??
I absolutely love it- and regular latex paint was definitely the way to go! And I know I mentioned before that this could be decorative in a man cave or cabin, but I think we’ll put this in our garage. I mean, what better place for a first aid kit than the workshop where we do so much sawing and sanding?
Vintage medicine bottles courtesy of Olde Faithful’s Antique Store in Greenville, South Carolina!
I’ll update this post later after we hang it in the garage- I just go so excited to share it with you that I snapped all my photos before doing so!
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Guess what? It’s also Thrift Store Decor team day, so my friends have been upcycling all sorts of new projects. To see how these pieces were transformed, click on the links beneath the collage to go to their posts!
1. Repurposed Croquet Set
2. Cabinet Door Magnetic Memo Chalkboard
5. Vintage-Inspired Military First Aid Kit (that’s me, you’re already here!)
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File this one away if you may need “guy gift” ideas come holiday time, too– I’m pretty sure my guy would have loved this had it been wrapped up for him.
Craft on!
S
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The domestically speaking link doesn’t work
Hmm, she must not have set her post to publish at 4:00 ET, which is when we were all supposed to. I’ll update the link when she publishes her post.
I make quilts by hand.. Do you habe any patterns of antique quilts?
I do not, have you ever looked at the blog Flamingo Toes? She makes quilts and I think she provides patterns, too.
Love this idea! Always need first aid supplies in the shop!
Right?? I think I found the best place to hang it now, too.
I’m glad paint #2 was the perfect fit! It turned out so cute!!!
Thank you!! I was SO disgruntled with the first iteration, LOL. First that lady tried to steal it from me at the thrift, then the paint wash looked like crap…had the paint been a failure, I would have tossed the whole thing! #3strikes
This is an awesome transformation, you are so creative!
Thank you, Kristin!
Loving that military inspired first aid kit! My hubby is ex-military and has a sugar shack (we live in one of the big maple syrup regions of Ontario, Canada) and this would be PERFECT over at the shack! You have inspired me! Just need to find a cabinet similar to yours…..awesome job!
Thank you so much, Beverly! I remind myself from time to time that not every makeover needs to be feminine or neutral, as I really enjoyed the change of pace. 🙂
I KNOW that lady would not have done something so cool as this. I love how the first aid kit turned out Sarah!
gail
Hahaha, right?! I used my “Serious Sadie” voice to let her know it was mine. And thank you!!