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.
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| 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.
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| 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?
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| Life is Good in the Camper! |
This is what the bottom looks like, words cut on white vinyl with my Silhouette Cameo.
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| 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!
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| "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!
