Thrifty Style Team February First Aid Cabinet

Like most families we've always had a particular location in the house where we keep a decent assortment of first aid supplies.

Prior to this project it was an old tool box that I up-cycled a few years ago into a portable first aid kit.

Band aids, gauze, antibiotic.

Medical tape and wood craft sticks used for sprained fingers from sports, along with good gripping tweezers for shards of wood lodged under the skin that were sometimes longer than the tweezers.

For the February edition of Thrifty Style Team a two dollar cabinet I picked up at a garage sale several years ago was given a fresh coat of white paint inside and out, and transformed into an unmistakable first aid kit.

If we could take care of an injury at home without a doctors visit that's how we'd roll, and more times than I care to recall my husband would doctor a kids injury that I was sure needed the skilled hands of the emergency room.

Everyone survived the fact there was not a real doctor in the house, and I got used to the occasional horror of seeing him reach for the super glue to repair a human.

Over many years of visiting our first aid kit I have learned that the #1 item to keep stocked around here is very simple..... multiple sizes of bandages.

One size does not fit all.

When you have a thin smooth paring knife cut on your finger you'll appreciate a different size band aid than if you took out a chunk of knee skidding down the driveway.

And obviously the digits of an adult man are larger than that of a two year old, although that adult man has worn more than his fair share of Hulk or Disney princess bandages to work.

The body of the cabinet is made of typical pressed wood with a white veneer, and the mirror had some scratches in the middle that would not rub out.

I used Fusion Mineral Paint in Casement to refresh all the white, and it was almost a perfect match for the original white of the cabinet.

For the graphics I used Fusion in Fort York Red and made a card stock template of words for a repeating stencil on the inside back of the cabinet.

Fusion Paint is self leveling and doesn't need a top coat of any kind, however when I paint graphics on projects I like to wax over them to accent the color, so I put a coat of Homestead House furniture wax over all the red and black.

I also made my own stencil using the Minnesota Poison Control symbol.  All the red and black paint was sanded a bit to distress the lettering before I put the wax on.

Etching cream was considered for the mirror, but in the end I decided the easy route would be to use the frosted spray paint I had on hand.  Frosting the mirror hid the scratches in the glass.

The size of this thrifty cabinet is 15 inches wide and 26 inches tall, with two inside shelves and a wood door frame that originally had no knob.  It's roughly the size of a small vintage medicine cabinet.

The door stays shut with a strong magnet catch, so I added a white porcelain pull from a bag of odds and ends to make opening it much easier.

I took advantage of the flat surface inside the door to include a few printed tip sheets. 

The printables came from Misty at Simple Family Preparedness where she posts lots of safety tips.

A vintage hair clip was used to hang several pages of instructions, like in case of choking, performing CPR, what to do for burns and poison, etc..  I hope no one ever needs to refer to any of them.

The clip has a nice grip which is great because I used card stock which of course is heavier than regular printer paper.

Our toolbox first aid kit has a better variety of items and when I get some time I will organize them both.

For now the bandage supply was replenished for the inevitable wound I hope doesn't happen, but when it does the cabinet is ready to come to the aid of the injured, complete with reading glasses so I can see in case of a splinter emergency.

I haven't found a perfect place to hang it yet, so I may gift it to my friend Kathy Jo  (if she likes it) but for now it's tucked away in a bathroom.

February's Thrifty Style wouldn't be complete without the rest of the team, and the team is growing!  That means more projects for you to check out.

 Redhead Can Decorate

2 Bees in a Pod

At the Picket Fence

Bliss Ranch

Chatfield Court

Cottage at the Crossroads

Cupcakes and Crinoline

DIY Beautify

Duke Manor Farm

I Should be Mopping the Floor

Salvage Sister and Mister

Smart Fun DIY

The Painted Hinge Farmhouse

What Meegan Makes

Wife in Progress

An InLinkz Link-up

Quick link:

Upcycled Tool Box First Aid Kit
 Simple Family Preparedness
Fusion Mineral Paint

Visit the other Thrifty Style Team finds from Bliss Ranch....
Giant Mixer Beater
Maple Syrup Tote

The Barber Shop

Updated Lamps 

Blue to Orange Stool Makeover 

Vintage Wood Tool Turned Shelf 

Trash To Treasure Sliding Wood Barn Doors 

Glass Light Globes 

Wood Bow Ties

Thrifting Places & People