Decoupage suitcase

In everyone’s dacha, in a village house or on the mezzanine in their own apartment, you can find a lot of interesting things. Vintage things, antique items - in general, many things that you can no longer find in modern life. Many families still have old-fashioned suitcases, which are completely inconvenient for traveling on planes and trains, and they look very shabby.. But you can breathe new life into any old thing. To do this, you just need a little imagination and the desire to create.

One of the ways you can decorate a suitcase and fit it into the interior of a house or apartment is decoupage. The fact is that this technique does not require special skills or abilities, just a little care and accuracy is enough, and you will receive a completely new designer item that will decorate your home and lift your spirits.

What is needed to work with decoupage?

Decoupage is a technique for decorating the surface of an object by applying drawings, patterns and paintings to it. For work you will need:

• an old hard-sided suitcase;
• sandpaper;
• degreasing agent before decoupage (alcohol or acetone will do);
• PVA glue or special decoupage glue (you can find it in arts and crafts stores);
• acrylic primer (preferably white, but you can use the one you like);
• paper napkins, printouts on office paper, newspaper scraps, cotton fabric (for example, pieces of chintz). The main thing is that the drawings and patterns fit your idea and interior;
• roller, sponge or brushes for glue and paint;
• scissors, ruler, pencil;
• acrylic lacquer;
• other accessories for decoration: buttons, leather for artificial “patches”, etc.

Don't forget about a good mood! It will definitely come in handy during your work. Then minor failures will not overshadow the wonderful result that you will definitely get.

Preparatory work

Before you start decorating the suitcase, you need to prepare its surface and interior for work:

1. The first step is to carry out a small restoration of the suitcase. To do this, open it and remove the old paper that was often used to cover them from the inside.
2. Then soak a cloth in the soapy water and wipe it from all sides. Be careful not to soak the already shabby coating too much.
3. Wipe the suitcase a second time with a cloth dampened in clean water. Leave it to dry completely outside and inside.

Inspect your luggage for scuffs, holes and other damage. If there are any, then it is better to restore the surface to make it more convenient to work.If the sheathing is only a little frayed, then glue the scraps with PVA glue or apply a woven patch, and if there are holes all the way through, then it is better to make leather or wooden patches. They can be fixed with superglue or self-tapping screws.

After the restoration has been completed, it is important smooth the surface of the suitcase. To do this, using a large brush, sponge or roller, cover it on all sides with acrylic primer in 2–5 layers and dry.

Next, you need to sand the surface after priming. Using fine-grained sandpaper, sand the suitcase without making sudden movements.

You can sand it first and only then prime the suitcase; there is no fundamental difference in the order. However, be careful because the surface without primer can be very flimsy due to the age of the product, so do not rub the new hole.

After completing the preparatory work, you can additionally coat the surface with acrylic paint in a color that matches the style of the room. After complete drying, treat all walls and parts with a degreasing agent so that the decoupage adheres and holds tighter.

How to decoupage an old suitcase with napkins - master class

Turn the prepared suitcase upside down if you are going to tape it completely. If not, start from the middle of the lid. Prepare all the necessary tools and materials and get to work:

1. Divide beautiful paper napkins so that only the top layer with the pattern remains (that is, disassemble multi-layer napkins into separate layers). The napkin can be used completely or the necessary fragments can be cut out;
2. place the napkin in the desired place. Start working from the middle of the surface and move to the edges;
3. Using a sponge or fan paint brush and decoupage glue (you can use PVA diluted with water to the consistency of liquid cream), glue the napkin. This is done as follows: the composition is applied from the middle of the napkin with smooth movements to the edges, so that all air bubbles come out from under it and the unevenness is smoothed out;
4. Do this with all napkins. If the napkins are transparent enough, you can repeat another layer.;
5. After the glue has completely dried, cover the suitcase with several layers of acrylic varnish. It can be different: matte, glossy and even with glitter. Choose for your own purposes;
6. finish the decor of the suitcase: make a new handle from beads on a wire or an old belt, if necessary;
7. decorate the product with additional elements.

Decoupage in Provence style

Elements of Provence in the interior are always an opportunity to create a cozy and calm atmosphere in the house. This style is also called “French country”, and its motifs allow you to feel closeness to nature and beauty in simplicity..

A suitcase in this style should be decorated in white, milky and olive tones. Napkins and other paper bases can be selected with natural motifs - with plant branches and flowers. To decorate the product, wide “knitted” ribbons, straws, and accessories woven from twine are suitable. It is best to deliberately leave the fittings on the suitcase old - this way the slightly rustic, cozy style will be preserved.

Making decoupage in vintage style with your own hands step by step

An old suitcase can be deliberately “aged” again, but it will no longer look shabby, but rather stylish and elegant. For the retro version, various tools will be useful to help artificially fray the surface of the pasted suitcase.You can use the following methods:

• carefully blend bronze or brown eye shadow along the edges of napkins, corners of the suitcase, next to the fittings;
• Even at the stage of gluing the napkins, you can leave “wrinkles” on them and not smooth them out perfectly;
• use a piece of sponge or foam rubber to paint “scuff marks” on top of the napkins;
• for pasting, use clippings from old yellowed newspapers;
• cover the suitcase with a special crackling varnish, which can be bought in the creativity department.

Interior finishing - examples

Having worked on the outer surface, do not forget about the inside, which also needs to be decorated to match the style of the suitcase. You can glue the insides using the same PVA or decoupage glue. There are two main options:

1. Cover the insides with paper cutouts or napkins. It is not necessary to make the inside of the suitcase as colorful as the outside. A monochromatic design will look much more organic;
2. decorate with cotton fabric. It can be glued with glue or nailed with a special stapler for furniture, if you have one. Fabric with small polka dots, with small flowers or elegant patterns looks very beautiful.