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Easy Fun Photo Wall with Old Vintage Suitcase

DIY Home Decor

INSIDE: Use a vintage suitcase as a photo display on a wall or shelf. Idea for how to re-use old luggage for easy fun home decor.

Display travel memories and photos in vintage suitcase. How to re-purpose old luggage as DIY home decor.

I sent my mom on a mission to pick up a $10 beaten down, old suitcase someone in her neighborhood was selling on Craigslist. This was a bit of a gamble considering, as she often says, she can get lost turning around in her driveway! A handful of phone calls to me about directions and maps, she nevertheless found the home and showed up at my door with a vintage suitcase in hand.


With the suitcase now in my crafty hands, I have come to learn that my mother is upset with me that I took the suitcase apart and used the bottom half as a dog bed for our geriatric four-pawed baby. Claims the dog is too old to climb in.

However, mom is on board with what I did with the top of the suitcase. Here’s how this grown daughter made her mama happy …all over a $10 DIY project!

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Easy Fun Photo Wall with Old Vintage Suitcase

This old suitcase must’ve had an amazingly adventurous past life because it was in rough shape!

What once housed someone’s belongings on some old-time travels would now have a new kind of adventure…as a photo display on my wall.

Supplies:
– Drill with small drill bit
– Fabric
– Iron
– Glue gun
– Bailing wire
– Wire cutter
– Cute paper clips
– Photos/Polaroids/Vintage postcards
– Vintage suitcase

What to Make with Old Vintage Suitcase for Home

The original liner paper, which kept someone’s belongings safe and dry, just couldn’t be saved. Don’t you think?

First task was to remove the old, albeit cool, paper.

How to decorate with old vintage luggage. DIY home decor with vintage suitcases.

The top of the suitcase was gently removed. I asked my husband if he could remove the top for me. I turned around for all of a minute then found myself with two luggage parts. Who knew I had my own resident Hulk? He just pried the pieces apart!

This equally strong and handy guy was nice enough to also insert a hook on what would typically be the top of the suitcase. This is how the suitcase will hang on a wall, assuming you plan to do so.

We laid out a rough plan for how the bailing wire will be strung within the suitcase.

Based on this layout, drill small holes within both sides of the suitcase.

Turn the top of a vintage suitcase into a piece of wall photo art. Insert wall hook into top of suitcase and drill holes into sides of suitcase.

how to decorate with photos using vintage suitcase

I hauled out my clothing iron and flattened out some fabric. While doing this, I also folded down the raw edge of the fabric.

Working in small sections, run a bead of hot glue around the inside of the suitcase and apply the fabric.

Install fabric as new liner in a vintage suitcase using hot glue gun to secure to top of vintage suitcase.

At each corner, make a small triangle, fold the fabric down and secure theses corners with additional glue.

Insert fabric into a vintage suitcase for a DIY wall photo display.

Once the inside of the suitcase is lined, poke the bailing wire through the holes previously made on the sides of the suitcase.

Make a small twist, at both the beginning and end of the wire, to keep the wire from slipping out.

Insert bailing wire into top of vintage suitcase to make a DIY photo wall display.
Talk about re-purpose! This old suitcase-turned-photo-display is fun on a dresser…

Retro home decor using vintage suitcase as a photo display
…or hung on a wall.

DIY vintage photo display with old suitcase top. Fun way to display kid photos at home.

how to re-purpose old luggage into wall art

Use fun paper clips to hang an assortment of personal photos or postcards.

It’s a fun way to display travel memories!

Display travel memories and photos in vintage suitcase. How to re-purpose old luggage as DIY home decor.

More gallery wall ideas!

Make a beach-themed gallery wall around a wall-mounted TV!

How to decorate a gallery wall around a TV. DIY beach themed gallery feature wall ideas around a television

Use an old staircase banister for unique gallery wall!

Staircase Banister from salvage yard turned into unique Gallery Photo Display

More DIY re-purposed ideas you may like:

 

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Comments

  1. What a great way to display travel photo’s! I am always on the lookout for old suitcases, but I think they have become so popular in home décor they are snapped up too fast 🙁

    Reply

  2. Brilliant! Can be used for a photo display at a event such as a wedding, birthday party, sports awards banquet. …. the possibilities are endless!

    Reply

  4. What a cute idea, I love ticking you added as a background. I bet the person who sold it to you is kicking themselves for not coming up with this idea on their own. And how lucky you get to send your mom on treasure hunts for you, my mom would gladly do it too but she’d also start bringing more stuff to repurpose (more than she does already LOL).

    Reply

    • Oh, my mom shows up at my door with all sorts of goodies…from her own house, garage, backyard. It’s never ending!

      Reply

  6. I’m glad to see old suitcases are still in. I have several on hand I’ll try selling. I love how you repurposed this Victoria! Such a clever idea to display old photos (or new ones), and it will make a great conversation piece too.

    Reply

  7. I’ve seen old suitcases used in so many ways, but this is awesome. It’s perfect & hold so many pictures. I love this idea! Husbands are great helpers 🙂

    Reply

  21. Oh, that’s a lovely idea. I’m pretty sure I can find some old suitcases at my grandfather’s attic and maybe I can make something similar too. Thank you for sharing at The Really Crafty Link Party. Pinned!

    Reply

  23. I’m always looking for a new way to display pictures. This is a really cute idea. Thank you for sharing at To Grandma’s House We Go.

    Reply

  24. I have a vintage stuitcase collection and some of them would be perfect for this. Great upcycle and love the ticking fabric! Thanks for sharing at Vintage Charm! xo Kathlen

    Reply

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