packed

Remember when I said I wanted to outfit a crafting suitcase?

I chose this wooden case because, even though it was in pretty good shape, the outside had begun peeling a bit. 

I gutted the inside (which was actually pretty easy since the lining was a bit dry-rotted. 

I had this really fun fabric with desserts and the days of the week...love it so much! I thought it would make a great new covering for the case. I cut the squares out and individually mod-podged them on, patchwork-style. It was a lot easier than dealing with large sections of fabric that can easily get air bubbles trapped underneath. I still have some air bubbles but not as many as I would if I'd used bigger pieces. 

You can't really see it but I embroidered some of the squares and added embellishments. (I was going to use this fabric for another project that I ditched)

I lined the inside with pages from an old dictionary.

But before I put in the pages, I glued a cookie sheet to the back of the interior of the suitcase top. I glued super strong magnets to the backs of circle bead organizers...

And then filled them with all sorts of buttons and jewels and bits and bobs. (Oh, and I used red linen bookbinding tape to finish up the edges of the interior.)

The circle bead organizers came in these clear plastic boxes that made perfect trays for papers and stuff that was too big to fit in the circles. 

So here I am, all packed and ready for my trip to St. Louis!