I’m sure these were all the rage back in the day. I quickly threw them in my car and was on my way.
Whatcha think? Better, no? Now I don’t know that it’s ready for American Airlines, but it could be great for storing all sorts of things.
And you could leave it right out in the open!
To paint this, I first spray painted it with black spray paint. I knew I wanted to sand the edges here and there and I didn’t want the blue to show through. Then I painted it in a mix of Cottage White (Behr) and Pure White made into chalk paint.
The stripe is Harmony from Country Chic Paint.
For the Paris graphic, I used this stencil from Artistic Stencil Designs.
I used adhesive spray to hold it in place, I just sprayed the back of the stencil. Then I used a small brush and acrylic craft paint to fill in the stencil, brushing away from the edges as much as possible. I’m not a huge fan of the stippled look that you often get with a stencil brush, so I like to use a regular little brush.
One thing I don’t love about stencils is how they look like, well…stencils, with all the breaks in the letters.
Now it looks hand-painted instead of stenciled. After the paint had dried a while, I lightly sanded over the whole graphic with 320 grit sandpaper to smooth out any imperfections.
I finished it off with a coat of Annie Sloan’s clear wax to seal.
Are you ready to see the inside?
Probably not as effective as the straps we have in our luggage today though.
Say good-bye to the blue!
For some reason my youngest always wants to unfold anything that is neatly folded, so my blankets left out in the open don’t stand a chance!
Here’s a quick pictorial for how I lined this suitcase. It would work for a trunk as well.
1. Cut a piece of fabric slightly larger than the bottom of your suitcase and hot glue in place. Cut off excess fabric at the corners if you wish.
2. Cut a strip of fabric to go all the way around the sides. Fold over at the top and secure with hot glue. This will create a neat top edge. Leave enough fabric to fold up at the bottom.
3. Hot glue top edge to inside all the way around.
4. Fold fabric up at the bottom and hot glue fabric strip in place.
You could use this to store so many different things!
Guess what? I’ve got four of my thrifty friends sharing their own trash to treasure transformations today.
Click on the links below the collage to take you to the after of each project!
My Sister threatened to post me on FB picking up trash off of someone’s curb. She must not know me very well! I tell everyone myself ha ha!! Have you ever found anything good curbside? Please share!
Hi! Love, love the suitcase makeover! I also have some of the fabric that you used, love that, too! I have three suitcases and want to paint at least one of them. I wanted to ask why you spray painted it black first? Keep up the great makeovers & styling!
a one-woman crusader to save the world of junk!!!!!
Ha ha thanks, Addie!! I could be dangerous in a landfill lol!
I love the transformation of the blue suitcases. They turned out just right. I could see them in a spare bedroom, left open, with things a guest might need or want stashed inside. Great job again.
Oh my, what a find, Christy! Those blue cases would have flown out of my shop, but ooh, la, la, the new one is perfect! Great job and thanks for sharing all your tips.
You are so funny, Christy! My husband also had no shame actually CHASING someone who was going to dump this gorgeous (but filthy!) vintage circa 1930s trunk, right in the middle of Manhattan. Its been in my basement for a month now, and you gave me an idea of what to do with it! Yours turned out beauiful, as always!
This is so cute, I love all of your projects, absolutely beautiful!
What a fantastic transformation! It’s such a cute and functional accent piece now!
It is so cute! Curbside shopping is my favorite, but around here right now, there isn’t much out there. You can do so many things with suitcases! You found a couple of gems! Great project!
Thanks, Lindsay!! I rarely find anything other than old fencing on the curb, so I was super excited to find these!
That is fantastic! Love it!
Love your suitcase makeover! Wow! You did a fantastic job painting and “relining” it. I love the script fabric and anything to do with Paris! Keep up the great work.
Great look for the suitcase Christy. I see this type of look all the time at our local HomeSense store here or Marshalls perhaps? Paris chic was in last year hot and heavy and still is. I have a few pieces reflecting this Paris theme for my kitchen.
LOVE it! now maybe i am ready to tackle a suitcase i got from a yard sale for next to nothing. thanks for all the ideas and items that you used!
I just love your fearless thriftin’ ways!!! 😉 I would so do the same though! I have no shame either! Love the suitcase, sooo pretty now! The inside is the icing on the cake!
And yes to connecting the stencil, does look hand painted now.
Wow! What a great transformation! would love to do one with my hometown’s name on it.
Couldn’t tell from the pictures, was the suitcase hard-sided and covered in leather?
Thanks, Natalya! That’s a great idea! This set is hard-covered, but it isn’t real leather.
Great makeover! I got lucky before Christmas and found a beautiful leather-like vintage suitcase in a trash pile. All I had to do was clean the outside and air out the inside. A lady bought it to use for jewelry storage. I really like how you updated both the inside and the outside of your suitcase.
The suitcase is adorable! I wasn’t really into suitcases, but maybe I am now. Beautiful job!
Sooooo cute, Christy! I love how you did the inside with the stamped fabric!
Thanks, Lauren! I just couldn’t get away with leaving the inside blue lol!
“To paint this, I first spray painted it with black spray paint. Then I painted it in a mix of Cottage White (Behr) and Pure White made into chalk paint.” I am not very crafty so can I ask why you painted it black first?
Sure, Wendy! I knew I wanted to sand the edges here and there and I didn’t want blue to show through, so I spray painted it black so that would show through instead.
It looks Great! I love how you did the inside too!
That is beyond fabulous – love what you did to this vintage suitcase! When I was actively doing real estate home staging we would often jump for joy when we shopped the home and found old suitcases to use as end tables, etc. The neighbours would have heard us screeching for joy had we stumbled upon one this gorgeous!
your suitcases turned out amazing. PS- your neighbor called and wants them back!
With or without the Lego people, this is a lovely transformation. Truly trash to treasure. Pinning and sharing.
Do I win a French suitcase if I say Gandolf, Wild Style and Batman (he’s very dark, you know!) 😀 And would you guess my kids are in college and high school?!!
My goodness! That is incredible. What a fantastic transformation. I’m really impressed with how you did the inside. I’ve tried to strip the inside of one of these suitcases, and finally gave up! Never even got to the re-lining stage!
I’m so glad I found you! I first saw your suitcase makeover featured in my daily Hometalk email and now that I see your project gallery, I’m a big fan! In a sea of creative talent represented on Hometalk, your projects really stand out. The suitcase became my new must-have item so I went out and found one and can’t wait to get started.