Painted Glamping Luggage

I just finished the luggage makeover for "Pattycakes", my 1976 Serro Scotty Hilander.  Read further to see how I did it.  Be sure to scroll far enough to see what's on the back side!

This upcycled piece of luggage is a Goodwill buy.  It is approximately 21"x14" and started out in a rather dull shade of blue.

Plain Jane suitcase found at Goodwill

The inside still looked great, so I decided against ripping out the lining on this one.  I let it air out for several days and when closed it is stuffed with "Bounce" dryer sheets to get rid of the slight stale odor.

Use Bounce dryer sheets when closed for the stale odor

I first taped all metal on the suitcase with FrogTape. Forget that blue painter's tape because if you are looking for a clean line with no paint seepage, then you want the GREEN tape and I'm not "croaking"!  Groan, right?  

FROGTAPE

Yes, it was time consuming to tape all the metal, but I enjoy that type of thing.  Some prefer to paint everything, including the metal.  That is a quicker way and there are some very cute upcycled luggage pieces out there using that technique.  

Kyrlon Maxx Primer

Since the suitcase was much darker than the color I wanted to use, I knew it needed to be primed.  I found a can of Krylon Maxx Ultimate Coverage Primer at Walmart.  It did a great job and I used the entire can on this project.  

Top & three sides primed; bottom still dull blue.

I sprayed light, thin coats on the suitcase, waiting one minute in between each spray session.  When it was primed enough to suit me, I set the kitchen timer for 1 hour and prepared supper for the hubba-hubba hubby.

Time to prime the bottom of the suitcase.

An hour later - tummy full and dishes done - I flipped the suitcase over and primed the bottom using the same spray method as the top and sides.  Then I let it all dry overnight.

The next morning I used a 1-inch paint brush (the cheapest one at Home Depot) and painted 2 coats, letting each coat dry for at least an hour or more.  I first painted the top, then all four sides and let it dry for a few hours.  Then I flipped it over and painted the bottom.  

It looked fabulous with just a paint makeover, but I decided to give it a bit of glam using my handy-dandy Silhouette Cameo vinyl cutter.

Life is Good in the Camper!

This is what the bottom looks like, words cut on white vinyl with my Silhouette Cameo.

Bottom of Suitcase:  Oh the Places I'll Go!

About the paint color:  I had a bottle of Folkart acrylic paint in "Calypso Blue", which was bought on clearance and a discontinued color. I had painted a postcard holder in this color and loved the shade.  So I took the holder to Home Depot and had them color match a quart of Calypso Blue.  I still have plenty for more glamping projects for Pattycakes!  

"Calypso Blue" FolkArt acrylic color-matched in Behr Premium Plus

Overall this was a very easy paint project, one that anyone could easily master!

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Camper girls are the happiest girls!