Jul 24, 2011

vintage luggage

 this weekend was crazy days in excelsior- i found this awesome piece of vintage luggage at a flea market for- are you ready??? .50 cents!! yes, .50 cents!! SCORE! you need to know something about me- i have the BEST sense of smell ever! honestly- i can smell like a hound dog! ha...so- anyway- this sweet little piece of luggage really had a horrible old smell  inside- airing it out for years would not have helped- so i had to take matters in to my own hands-


i opened it up and started ripping all of the guts out- it took a while and i kind of wish i would of wore a mask- it was so stinky- after tearing it all out - i gave it a good scrub down- taped it up and got it ready for its make over-

i used a berry pink that i had already- i did go ahead and spray the inside just a soft coat to get rid of the smell- it still stunk even after the fabric was out and it was washed- then i went to town- sprayed the outside with a good couple coats and then used some polyurethane to top it off- after the kiddos were in bed- i pealed the tape off and it looked great! i loved how the silver and pink looked together- then- i started on the inside- i took fabric that i heart so much and that i already had- and finished it off with a ribbon binding- that i also had-


so what do you think? LOVE?? me too!! can you believe this adorable thing came from that brown- smelly thing?? and for only .50 cents- i am pretty happy with my vintage find and make over- i plan to use this for carrying yarn- craft supplies etc.


-birdie

17 comments:

  1. LOVE... OMG... You are so creative. I am having you over with sister and other "B's" and we are going to do one of my walls like your owl wall and then I am going to pick your brain for all your crafty ideas. LOVE THIS. LOVE!!

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  2. Harriette-

    We must be kindred spirits, b/c I scored a piece of vintage luggage for $2 {Starline} complete with old lady smell. It's in mint condition, so I can't paint it... :(

    But I love what you've done with it! Show the after once all your crafty goodness has its home.

    If you have a moment today, please share this with my readers @Creative Juice Thursday Hope to see you there!

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  3. Love love love love love! I think my favorite part is that it still looks retro, but now fresh & clean!

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  4. Yay! I love it! I am so lucky to have such a crafty, creative, inspiring BFF. Can't wait to see what's next.

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  5. I love what you did with this! I recently found one of my own to makeover...same make as yours. Was wondering how you managed tomget the handle off and back on again?

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    1. I posted you a note under the luggage comments!

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  6. HI Erica-thanks for stopping in and following! My handle had little screws I was able to get those off. Good luck with yours! Its fun!

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  7. This is awesome, I had this piece in a pretty blue at one time, I wish I had it now. Can I ask, I am not a sewer, did you use the ole "guts" to make the new pretty insides???? Just love this! I will be on the lookout for these pieces now, you can find them at garage sales a lot!

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  8. So adorable. I am feeling really old now because I had one of those. :)

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    1. Me too, still do ! My high school graduation gift

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  9. Love it! I have a navy blue one that would almost be a twin to yours. It needs a make over but mine smells good. :)

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  10. Love it! I have a navy blue one that would almost be a twin to yours. It needs a make over but mine smells good. :)

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  11. Love it! I have a navy blue one that would almost be a twin to yours. It needs a make over but mine smells good. :)

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  12. The inside might have had a smell but the condition was remarkable. Weird bc my heart actually hurt seeing how pristine it was in only to be ripped out. I get it though. If it's anything like the American Tourister's I have I bet I know the smell. Had it not needed the guts ripped out you could have easily flipped it (with original lining) and profited $50 I bet. Keep an eye out for more. I have a sweet spot for these train cases.

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  13. what did you use to attach the fabric?

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  14. I’m echoing other comments... how did u do the fabric? I have one almost exactly like this and another leather one my husband found for free after a yard sale and I ripped the guts out of the leather one and need to redo it lol

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  15. I put kitty litter in my stinky find and left it for a month. I was surprised how Oder free it became.

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