Happy Labor Day everyone! Wow, has the summer ever blown by fast. I have had a very busy summer which included a cruise and a white-water rafting and zip-line trip to West Virginia. I also went to many flea markets, yard sales, estate sales and thrift shops. It was at one of these venues that I found this….

It is a sad little suitcase, probably for doll clothes. It is an old one, and certainly one that has seen better days, but then again, haven’t we all? If you look at the top right corner of the case it even looks like a mouse might have sharpened his teeth on it!

Why would I even consider spending good money on this? I had three reasons. First, it is sturdy and the hardware is all intact. Second, it only cost $1.00. And lastly, it is so sad I just couldn’t leave it to a fate of ever being tossed in the trash can, unused and unloved. Yes, I really do get emotional about inanimate objects! But I could not leave it in this miserable state. I decided since I will never be able to afford a face-lift, this sad little case would get one instead.

First, a coat of white paint around the edges and hardware. Sometimes you have to get ugly (or in this case uglier) before you get pretty. If you’ve ever had foil highlights put in your hair you know what I’m talking about.

Then I applied a bunch of scrap papers around the whole case. This is a view of the top.

And here is the front. As an afterthought I decided to cover up any white paint around the edges and hardware with some distress ink.

It gives it a little more vintage flair.

I wiped out the inside, which was not so bad, but it needed a little upgrade too.

I just put some paper in the lid and in the bottom, but left the sides in their original state. I love how this sad little case ended up. Not so sad anymore! I am mainly going to use this case to carry art supplies when I go out (can anyone say, Donna Downey class in October!!!!). I was going to stamp some “arty” words inside the lid but decided I may also use it for displaying lace and such at vintage shows. I’m sorry my pictures do not do this little $1.00 beauty justice. She actually is quite pretty now.

So my challenge to you is to take a chance and spend that whole dollar on the sad little object nobody else will buy. You never know, it could be a diamond in the rough!