I've always wanted to try my hand at up-cycling a vintage suitcase. And what better theme than Lord of the Rings. The story of an epic journey placed on a suitcase for my own travels. I found some inexpensive maps on Amazon and a medium sized American Tourister suitcase at a thrift store. The hardest part was refinishing the inside. I used fabric, but it wouldn't stick. I used a large amount of modge podge which made the fabric stiff. Next time I'll just use scrapbook paper. It will probably stick better and lay better in the rounded corners.
The suitcase was originally a light blue with violet interior. I used black satiny fabric for the inside and painted to outside with acrylic paint. The suitcase shell is hard plastic, not leather. I painted the trim in gold to emulate the ring. Oh, and I tore the map to fit and used distressing ink to make it have an aged appearance. I placed the Lord of the Rings on one side.
And Middle Earth on the other. I mixed some fine gold glitter in the top coat of the modge podge to girl it up a bit. I put several coats on top of the map, including a water proof one. I love the final product and can't wait to use it!
For some reason I can't get the last photo to be the same size as the others...
But I hope it inspires someone to try one. I love the custom look. I will definitely have no problem finding my suitcase at the terminal!
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