Thursday, June 2, 2011

packed


Remember when I said I wanted to outfit a crafting suitcase?


I chose this wooden case because, even though it was in pretty good shape, the outside had begun peeling a bit. 




I gutted the inside (which was actually pretty easy since the lining was a bit dry-rotted. 


I had this really fun fabric with desserts and the days of the week...love it so much! I thought it would make a great new covering for the case. I cut the squares out and individually mod-podged them on, patchwork-style. It was a lot easier than dealing with large sections of fabric that can easily get air bubbles trapped underneath. I still have some air bubbles but not as many as I would if I'd used bigger pieces. 


You can't really see it but I embroidered some of the squares and added embellishments. (I was going to use this fabric for another project that I ditched)


I lined the inside with pages from an old dictionary.


But before I put in the pages, I glued a cookie sheet to the back of the interior of the suitcase top. I glued super strong magnets to the backs of circle bead organizers...



And then filled them with all sorts of buttons and jewels and bits and bobs. (Oh, and I used red linen bookbinding tape to finish up the edges of the interior.)



The circle bead organizers came in these clear plastic boxes that made perfect trays for papers and stuff that was too big to fit in the circles. 


So here I am, all packed and ready for my trip to St. Louis!

90 comments:

The Rambling Papercrafter said...

What a beautiful case and I love the organization of it. The cookie sheet and round storage containers is an awesome idea!!! Have fun in St. Louis.

Lorrie said...

Your project has so many brilliant ideas - love the cookie sheet backing and magnets. Have a fun trip!

donna!ee said...

gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous!! :)

Shelley Noble said...

It's official. You're a genius.

beadgirl said...

Ooh, now I want a crafting suitcase filled with goodies!

Laura @ 52 FLEA said...

Very clever and so fun!
Cookie sheet backing was genius!
:)

Alison said...

This is so darling -- I want one!!!
Alison

Jill said...

Brilliant~ simply brilliant. Love it!

Danee said...

Jeez, everything you make is like Tinkerbell's ice cream sundae and I want to live in your world. Yummy!

Donna said...

Can you still pick it up and carry it? Looks pretty full! What a GREAT idea...done so well.

Pam said...

Soooo cute! Can't wait to meet you in St. Louis, although your last few posts make me realize that I am WAY out of your league....just throwing stuff into a tote bag!

debi said...

Oh my gosh! What a beautiful case!

I love the cute fabric, and the cookie sheet is such a creative idea!

Love it!!!

Nancy Wethington said...

Amy, this is adorable! What a genius idea to use a cookie sheet. I may have to copy that one!

Paula Parrish said...

Hello Amy
Your suitcase is absolutely gorgeous. I love the idea of including a cookie sheet to make it magnetic; plus super organized and funcuntional.
Smiles, Paula

miss lynn said...

hello amy!
you know what
this is???
this is sick,
SICK CRAFTING,
dear friend!!!
you are sooooo
gifted!
i LOVE it!
genius!

Waterfall said...

You are amazing, sweet friend!

Lynn said...

Wow!!! I must have one of those.Great ideas.

vivian said...

YOur box turned out wonderfully! and I want to play with all your sweet little goodies. I remember that you brought the best stuff with you to niagara last year! have fun on your trip! cant wait to see what you make!
xoxo
vivian

Jen Bowles said...

What a fun and lovely project! So many great and thoughtful details. Hope you have a wonderful time in St. Louis!

Janelle said...

That's extremely cute--the magnetized containters are my favorite part! I have an old traveling case form my grandma's things that would really benefit from this type of treatment--thanks for the inspiration!

theoldesaltbox said...

That is so awesome Amy! I bought an antique childs round suitcase on etsy the other day to do that to.

Angela said...

That's a neato and adorable crafting case! Hope you have a great trip. Tell Mary Happy Birthday! Blessings, Angela

Debby Schuh said...

This is one of the cutest and craftiest and cleverist ideas I've seen! LOVE it!

Michelle said...

Absolutely amazing....especially the workmanship! Clever idea with the cookie sheet. ♥♥♥

Diane Duda said...

this is genius!!!

Susan said...

So adorable. I love it and want to make one this summer!

csewy-csescrap13 said...

An awesome idea and finished project!!! I have several suitcase just like the one you used in your project, thanks for the neat idea!! Where did you find the circle holders, or, maybe I just didn't read it well. Love it!

Anonymous said...

Wow can you even lift that or do you need a hand cart?

Sorry it's cute but I hate when I see people destroying items from the past..leaving nothing to pass down from generation to generation. Another perfectly good vintage destroyed.

Dawn said...

Love that!!
Just.
LOVE.
It.
!!!

Anonymous said...

Holey Moley! What a clever girl you are!
Lovie

Kjersten said...

SO fun to see the pictures of the process. The results are amazing. I want to make one!

Alex Hughes said...

AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can you hear me yelling? This is just so darn AWESOME!! I have a stack of cases and now I want to do that!! Love it, thank you so much for sharing.

PRECIOUS PENZA PEEPS said...

Hi Amy!
Vicki from Dallas here!
Hope you made it home with full air-conditioning. Have you ever sweat so much in your adult life as we did Saturday at the Chase? OMG!
WEll....you crazy crafting goddess,
Thanks for making us look bad!
First the craft case....then the amazing birthday hat.

I hope you took pictures of the carousel you created for Mary. I did take one, but I haven't had a moment to upload them yet. Your creativity is inspiring. Thanks for letting us peek into your craftin' mind. See ya' next year (hopefully!)

Lynda said...

Well this has to be the best idea I've ever seen for an old suitcase. I love it! The most brilliant idea was to secure the metal in the lid before you recovered it so that magnets will adhere. Absolutely awesome!

Leslie Brier, Brier Design Studio said...

Amy, that is just the most magical thing ever! Love it!

Jill said...

You did a great job here. I'm especially impressed with the cookie sheet magnet part!

emily said...

wow! This is just absolutely awesome! You did such a wonderful job!!!!!

mum 2G said...

My first visit here, but no doubt there is a highly creative mind, and a big smile, behind what I’ve just seen - from the eye candy fabric to the metal/magnet duo, and everything in-between…;o)
loved it!
beatriz_souza

eileen hull said...

So cool Amy. Those magnets are such fun. Have a great time in St. Louis!

Becky said...

I love this! I think i might make one for my daughter for Christmas.

Kathy said...

This is so cool. TO SAVE an old suitcase like this is the best. Reuse is so important.
Now the cookie sheet - where did you find a flat one - all the ones I see have at least one edge RAISED for cooking (well for us to grasp it I guess!).

Jenni Conklin said...

What a great project.You did wonderful on it,love it!!

Georgee said...

I love, love this idea. I have several of these vintage suitcases in different sizes. BUT ... I haven't been able to let myself take off the old fabric and recover & repurpose them YET!!! Maybe this will give me the drive to do so.?! They are serving as storage for fabrics and yarns now & are stacked in the guest house!!!

Georgee said...

I love, love this idea. I have several of these vintage suitcases in different sizes. BUT ... I haven't been able to let myself take off the old fabric and recover & repurpose them YET!!! Maybe this will give me the drive to do so.?! They are serving as storage for fabrics and yarns now & are stacked in the guest house!!!

the old white house said...

That is genius! I love every little bit of it... I stopped in to check out the post on the summer mag and haven't been able to pull myself away! Thanks for all of the inspiration, t. xoxo

Caterina said...

Lovely, lovely, lovely...everything in your blog is lovely!!!

Caterina@LemieScarpeRosa

DICAS SCRAP DAS AMIGAS said...

Amei a dica
publiquei sua foto e link no Blog aqui no Brazil
beijos beijos

sandra/merryheart2 said...

this is genius! i'm gonna try this. thanks for sharing!!

Angie in AZ said...

The cookie sheet and magnet idea is brilliant!

TerhiH said...

Lovely! And me going to throw my old suitcase away while wondering where to store all the stuff :) Thanks for the idea!

Mary Beth Rogers said...

This is an AMAZING idea!!! I am always one to take craft projects with me on trips and have stuggled with keeping them organized. Very creative idea!! Thanks for sharing!!

Ragbird said...

Oooooo! I'd love to have a root in your lovely suitcase :O)

You've inspired me. I'm going up to the attic now to look for an old suitcase to customise.

Thanks for sharing

Korianne said...

What are you headed to St. Louis for? That's where I'm from! This is adorable, maybe I'll spot your crafty suitcase somewhere around the city! If so I'm totally saying Hi!

MJ said...

OMG this is amazing!!! I am so impressed! I do have a small question regarding the flying: would this be safe to take on international flights? I assume it wont be cabin luggage but will it be ok in the plane itself?
Thanx for sharing, I love this!

Angela said...

This is awesome! I saw it on the Craft blog and now I must pin it!

Danee said...

Pinned this project.

Sita said...

Great idea, I want to pin it. Thanks!

Miriam said...

This is SO lovely!! I want one! :o)

Melissa Whittaker said...

I love this idea! I blogged about your project over on my blog at:

http://vegasnarcissist.blogspot.com/2011/09/project-idea-travel-craft-suitcase.html

(also, just realized I left a comment on the wrong post, I'm sorry! Please delete!)

Susan M. Brown {sbartist} said...

Love this idea - I so have to make this for all of the supplies that are always OUT on the table, kitchen counter and in my bag! Thanks for sharing your awesome creation!!!
: ) Susan

Anonymous said...

I heart this idea!!! Funny how I've been trying to think of an idea to put all of my crafts in a box....suitcase is SO MUCH BETTER!! Great idea and GREAT JOB!!! Well done!

Sabine said...

This is so much better than my plastic storage box! I love this! I found it through pinterest and will repin for sure. Thank you for sharing!

Michelle said...

That's great -- especially the way you can stick magnets inside the lid!

Linda said...

Great project!
I'm a gardener, and this leads me to want to make one to organize my garden seeds and garden paraphernalia. I'm thinking of decorating the outside with old seed packets. Decoupage them all over. And your bead boxes will work perfectly to house my seeds (I save heirloom seeds...)

Thanks for sharing this! ^^_^^

My Happy Place by Vanessa said...

Fantastic!!! It turned out so cute too! If ever I come across a suitcase like that I'm going to remember this! Love it! Good job!

~Vanessa W

Unknown said...

LOVE this....posted a link to this on my blog! Happy Tuesday! :)

Janet said...

I am completely in love with this! I am heading out to the thrift shops to find a suitcase! Woot! Woot!

Brenda said...

Love this! It is so pretty and useful too!

Caro said...

Great idea. Love it.

Splendid Little Stars said...

love it! pretty and functional!

Karilyn said...

Wondering where you found the circle bead organizers. I'm looking to use that idea for small jewelry for my daughters room. Maybe hang an antique tray on the wall? Way cute idea. Love it!!

Susan @ Oh My! Creative said...

What a great idea! I featured it on my blog today and Pinned it!

http://www.ohmy-creative.com/home/decor-accents/20-diy-vintage-suitcase-decorating-ideas/

Carol Schmitt said...

Hi Amy- We are going to meet in St. Louis. This will be my first time at the Home Companion Workshop. I think I will do a box with a lift top lid using your ideas. I will try using magnetic paint on the inside of the lid. I'll let you know how it goes. See you in St. Louis in June.
Carol Schmitt

Sew Lovins said...

This may be one of the cutest things I ve ever seen. Thanks so much for sharing:)

theswamplady said...

This is too cool...I'm getting ready to turn a steamer trunk into a craft workbox and you've given me some great ideas to work with. However, tell me how you lined the trunk - did you decoupage the inside with the newspaper or just glue it in? Inquiring minds want to know!

Unknown said...

this is amazing blog. thanks for sharing with us. flights for pakistan

redskier said...

I have just the suitcase waiting for the perfect idea... THANK YOU! I can't wait to get started.

Norma Gomez said...

Beautiful project, thanks so much for the inspirations!

Unknown said...

This is so cute! I used to live in St. Louis and miss it GREATLY!! What are you doing there? Likely a wonderful craft show...they have tons of them!! Have fun!!

C.Robin said...

This is really coo,

censuous1 said...

absolutely gorgeous... I must add to my to do list. What is the dimensions of your suit case?

Patti Hodder said...

I think I may be obsessed with this project. I just love it and can hardly wait to try this idea out. Thank you for sharing.

prestige paris transfer said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
prestige paris transfer said...

Beautiful creation and i love it. i will share with my friends.www.transfer-private.com

Anonymous said...

You are a genius! I love it. I'm inspired to get an old suitcase and make one. Thanks

nini said...

superbe idée , j'ai une vielle valise en carton que j'avais déjà customisé en panier pour chien , et je vais maintenant la refaire pour transporter tout mon matériel scrapbooking !
Un tuto tellement bien expliqué que l'on ne peu que craquer !
merci

Anonymous said...

How cute is this?

Unknown said...

Then why comment Ms/Mr failed attempt at bubble busting. Glad we are free to be our unique selves! I suppose you stockpile all ur old cellphones for pasts sake eh🤣😉

Mary Jones said...

Thank you

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