I bought this fabulous, vintage suitcase at the Salvation Army (for $.99) during the summer and wasn't quite sure what to do with it. My travelling, these days, pretty much consists of running the kids around and my 3 minute jaunt to/ from work every day. It seems a shame to not utilize such a neat piece, so I decided it was make-over time. The suitcase is a tan suede and is lined in tan/ mauve satin (I left the inside alone for now). It's in terrific condition, but the tan was a little boring. I covered the front and back with a beautiful brocade fabric, added some cording around the perimeter and finished it off with some vintage lace pieces, ribbon, silk tassels and various "bits & bobs". I cut strips of the brocade and tied them around the ugly metal handle. I still don't know what I will use it for, but it's pretty to look at and was lots of fun to work on! I'm thinking it still needs a bit more "OOMPH!", but I'm trying no practice the "less is more" concept these days...not an easy task for this over-do-it girl!
Okay, I got sidetracked trying to find a solution to an in-progress, chandelier makeover. I'm just stuck, so here's my official S.O.S. I've had this chandelier for years and was never crazy about the pewter color. I attacked it with spray paint last night and am loving its new black, matte finish. I've also had these adorable toile lampshades and thought I could somehow make them work with the chandelier. Because the lights point down, however, the shades look strange...at least I think they do. I've tried turning them both ways, but something still looks odd. I'm being rather stubborn (surprise, surprise!) about making these "work", but am beginning to have my doubts. Any suggestions/ comments? I could just scrap the idea of pairing the two and look for more appropriate shades or glass covers. Seems such a shame, though, since I have 5 shades already. What to do, what to do?
I bought this fabulous, vintage suitcase at the Salvation Army (for $.99) during the summer and wasn't quite sure what to do with it. My travelling, these days, pretty much consists of running the kids around and my 3 minute jaunt to/ from work every day. It seems a shame to not utilize such a neat piece, so I decided it was make-over time. The suitcase is a tan suede and is lined in tan/ mauve satin (I left the inside alone for now). It's in terrific condition, but the tan was a little boring. I covered the front and back with a beautiful brocade fabric, added some cording around the perimeter and finished it off with some vintage lace pieces, ribbon, silk tassels and various "bits & bobs". I cut strips of the brocade and tied them around the ugly metal handle. I still don't know what I will use it for, but it's pretty to look at and was lots of fun to work on! I'm thinking it still needs a bit more "OOMPH!", but I'm trying no practice the "less is more" concept these days...not an easy task for this over-do-it girl!
