Mirrored, Magnetic, Customizable Accessory Organizer (upcycled from medicine cabinet)

One trip to the metal pile at the dump a few months ago, I saw this old medicine cabinet. The mirror was still intact so my initial thought was to try to take the mirror off of its hinges but I didn't have any tools with me to do so. So I went back later, but after looking at it more, I noticed it was still in working shape as a cabinet, and it was 100% metal & magnetic, it really just needed to be cleaned & get a fresh coat of paint, so I took the entire piece home with me.

I've been in LOVE with chalkboard paint for the past few months, so I decided to paint it inside & out with chalkboard paint, as well as give it a chalkboard paint "frame" so that I could decorate the frame around the mirror with different colors of chalk if I wanted to. It had two glass shelves (a third had shattered) inside but I didn't take them with me as I plan on using this primarily as a jewelry organizer. I don't have much jewelry so I should be able to hang my necklaces & bracelets on the inside of the door & inside of the cabinet with magnets, as well as put my small jewelry boxes inside or on top of the cabinet.

Want to make your own? Here's what you need:
Mirrored metal medicine cabinet
Chalkboard paint & brush
Old newsprint (or old towel, sheet, etc - just something to protect your floor front paint while you're painting)
Scotch blue painters tape with edge lock
2 screws, 2 wall anchors, drill, hammer, screw driver
pen or pencil
Spray cleaner (I use 50% water, 50% distilled white vinegar) & old rags
Photograph Bottle Cap Magnets

The above two shots I took pre-cleaning.  Looked pretty gnarly.  ;)





1.) Wipe down the medicine cabinet, inside & out, top & bottom.

2.) Paint inside & out, top & bottom with chalkboard paint.




3.) Using Scotch blue painters tape with edge lock, create a "frame" - width of your choosing - & paint.  Allow to dry in between coats per the instructions on the label.

Note - this was a high-gloss white cabinet, so it took 3-4 coats of chalkboard paint.

4.) Using pen or pencil, note holes on wall.  Drill.  Using hammer, tap wall anchors into place.  Using screw driver, screw screws into place, leaving them sticking out enough to place holes in cabinet on.

5.) Hang.  Decorate.  Enjoy!  :)

I decided to decorate the "frame" of mine with my bottle-cap photo magnets - instructional blog post to come.  To the right is a scarf organizer from (shock) a free metal "rack" I got from the metal pile at the dump (blog post to come).

The plate is a family heirloom that my paternal grandmother & grandfather bought on their honeymoon & the plaque below was a gift from my mom.  It's nice to be able to have a place to display these items now. :)  The rocks were from a family vacation last summer that I just glued magnets to.  Nice to have them serving a function on display & not just in a jar. ;-)

I glued magnets to my tin of Badger balm so that I could have it off the shelf-area.  It's nice to have a place for my meaningful trinkets.  I'm not one for clutter, but I do have a few things that hold special meaning & it's nice to have them displayed now, organized & neat.  :)