Instructions:
- Our first job is to take off the old fixtures. Don't throw them out, though. You may find a use for them with another project in the future.
- Our second job is to prep our dresser drawer for painting. There isn't much you have to do when refurbishing old furniture; taking a piece of sandpaper and roughing up the surface will do.
- Finally, we can start painting each individual drawer as a "suitcase." We chose earth tones for our colors. This is in keeping with the colors that were common and popular during the sixties, fifties, forties, and before.
Tips:
• Look at photos of vintage luggage for inspiration in design. Just make sure to shake it up. Have as many different designs as you have drawers.
• Make sure to wait at least an hour in between coats. Two coats should do, but do more if needed. Wait at least 24 hours for the paint to dry completely. • Just like our paint job, I drew on photos of vintage luggage as inspiration for our fixtures. I didn't limit myself to one decade. I have leather straps from the 30's, as well as brass clasps from the 50's. • Creating the illusion of where the "top and bottom" of the "suitcase" is as simple as using a medium width point, white crafting marker. Take a ruler and find the center of the height of the drawer. From that point, use that same ruler to trace the length of the drawer with the white craft marker. That will create the illusion of depth that looks like the meeting point of the "top and bottom" of the suitcase. • Want to create the look of leather "stitching?" Use the same medium width point, white crafting marker and ruler; make short dash marks equidistant from one another to create the look. • Finding the fixtures was as easy as visiting my local hardware store. Also, look to your closet. Old leather belts can provide great handles. As always, if there is something specific you want to do, you can always source it online. • We already found the center of the drawer when we created the look of where the "top and bottom" of the "suitcase" meet. Just use a drill to install the fixtures. • Affix decals of vintage travel boarding passes for your "luggage." You can certainly buy vintage travel boarding stickers as decals from crafting stores. But for pennies on the dollar, I downloaded images of vintage travel boarding decals from the internet and printed them out on label paper. It was as simple as that.
Enjoy your Suitcase Dresser Drawer!
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