I've had a project in mind for a while, where I wanted to turn a vintage suitcase into a little traveling shop for Pin Up and Pearl. I had the perfect opportunity to try this out at the Alford 1940's Weekend- I was one of the last to book in and there were only outdoor spaces left. As I don't have a gazebo, I decided to set up my table with a series of suitcases to protect my stock, while keeping my fingers crossed for no rain!
I found the perfect suitcase in the Lincoln High Street St Barnabas Hospice Charity Shop. It was NOT easy to carry up that hill! The outside of the suitcase was in really good condition and it was just the right size. The paper lining inside was starting to come away and was a little bit discoloured, but I knew I would be relining it anyway, so that didn't matter. Next, I bought some black paper to line it with and some chicken wire to create a hair flower display with. I raided my husband's wood stash for some shelves and wood to use as brackets. In the end, some left over laminate was ideal for the shelves- nice and light and the right thickness for what I needed. I relined the case using the black paper and some contact spray glue, which was a very fiddly job!
For the next part, I recruited a team (i.e, my husband, son and son's toy dragon) to help with sawing the wood for the runners, dowells and the shelves, and screwing holes in the case to attach everything. I would like it on the record that my three year old did not do any of the sawing. He was in charge of measuring and so far, still has all his fingers.
I painted the runners black to help them blend in with the lining of the case and then attached the chicken wire to the dowels, to make it easier to keep the wire in place in the case. I used my trusty glue gun for this, before rolling the wire around the dowel on each side. Miraculously, I didn't burn myself on the hot glue or stab myself with the wire while doing this, so the arts and crafts Gods were clearly on my side.
Next step was screwing everything into place and then doing a quick practise set up. It all worked as planned and was nice and easy to transport. Here it is below, in situ at the Alford 1940's weekend! I was really happy with how it worked out and will definitely be using it again for future events.
Comments