Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Shabby well traveled storage Vintage suitcase up cycle using decoupage and Clear coat

I am not a stranger to revamping an old suitcase or train case.  I am also no stranger to finding a different use for a suitcase, However I can not find a better use then the trending practice of using them for storage.  I found these little Jewels in a local thrift store for  2.50 each...Yep you cannot pass that up even though they were in gnarly shape I felt there was hope.




They appeared to be from the 1940's or before one was just a card bard carry case the other was a much more high end case that may have some sort of lizard skin covering. The stress and years on them equaled them out. 



The cardboard case had a stress tear on the top I approached it with modge podge smoothing it out n letting it dry .  I also sealed the damage from the inside using modge podge. When the damaged area was close to dry I hid it with some really neat book pages from a 1960's writing book.  









The end results I am very pleased with.  What a great storage case a perfect fit on top of that stack in the house...








The next case was a bit more of a challenge.  It was literally dry rotted and flaking off....The interior all though neat was also dry rotted .



And I approached it with modge Modge as well.   A good gooey coat and ran it under the peeled areas and let it dry completely.  Then I used Rustoleum Ultra Cover Gloss (it protects and dries realativly hard) to protect the outer case.  I applied several coats, allowing it to dry until not sticky, concentrating on the edges and damaged areas.  


the inside was removed and I turned to old map pages and Modge Podge...
SOLD
The end results even I think are stunning...How unique!  A warm funky completey utillitarian piece of art work.  





This was a fun and challenging project.  So the next time you see that tired case at an unbeatable price pick it up ..There is HOPE.
Thank you for stopping by!
Sheryl


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4 comments:

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    1. Thank you Joy for the lovely comment and for finding a place for me on your blogroll.

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  2. I just love your suitcases and their transformations! I have my eye on that blue one...so rustic! I have been finding a lot of train cases and suitcases lately, in good condition at thrift sales. I have enough to make a nice stack but nowhere to put them. I am reluctantly putting them in my shop for now.

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    Replies
    1. Oh girl we are soul junkers. The next post features my booth and the suit cases in it....and the fact that I am looking for the perfect spot for my stack. Thank you for stopping by it is alwasy nice to hear from ya. Sheryl

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