Anyone who has known me for any length of time knows that I love suitcases.  Most any suitcase, but particularly the hard case Samsonites and small top handle train cases.  I snatch them up any time I see them at Goodwill and hoard them in the back of my closet.  Usually they are pretty gross.  Super smelly and who knows how many years old.  Once filled with a stranger’s dirty laundry and exploding makeup, why would anyone see such a treasure?  Well, I don’t know.  It’s definitely weird.  I guess something about them makes me nostalgic.

What do I do with all these suitcases, you ask?  First, I completely gut them.  Get all that smelly, stale, grandma fabric outta there.  Once it’s empty and cleaned out, there’s a clean slate to paint, decoupage, or adorn the inside and outside any way you want.  When you’re done, just slap on a coat of varnish and you’re clear for take off, Lady Baltimore.

I found a set of three suitcases several years ago and completed 2/3.

This one was Day of the Dead inspired.  Sugar skull on the front and a French toile fabric with skeleton people.

This one I made for my favorite 3 year old.  It’s Swedish horses.

The third suitcase that came with this set was never finished.  I started to paint it black, but never completed it.  Until now.  (Please begin playing Europe’s The Final Countdown now.)

I had to sand off a lot of the black paint I applied about 2 years ago.  Then I painted it white with an outdoor latex paint I had left over from another project.  The I used Modge Podge to adhere a postcard themed wrapping paper from The Paper Source to both sides.  Used ribbon to border the paper and wrap the handle.  Hot glued some buttons to go with the sewing motif from the lining.  And voila!

I really need to work on getting in-the-process pictures.