When my niece paid me the great compliment of saying that I was up-cycling and re-purposing before it was the “in” thing to do I laughed. But, in fact I have been doing the “in” thing for years – out of necessity. My junior prom dress a few years later became a maternity smock. An old wooden cable spool became a bistro height table with stools for my first kitchen and an old oak dresser became the buffet with tiled top. Which, by the way, I still have, although it has seen better days.
One of my favorite re-purposes was my grandfather’s old suitcase that
I casually threw into the back of the car and used as a storage container for jumper cables, umbrellas, or any other little thing that needed corralling in the huge cavern trunk of my ’77 T-bird. Eventually that old thing, abused and neglected, became moldy and sadly beyond saving (the suitcase, and eventually the car too).
Recently I determined that it was time to revisit the old suitcase. I am in sore need of someplace to store all my fabric remnants and bits of this and that and the suitcase seemed ideal. They are sturdy, stack-able, and come in a variety of shapes and colors. But, they also stink! Seriously; much like musty attics, moldy basements, and stale perfume.
And what is a girl to do? I sure don’t want my bits of this and that to smell like a long forgotten trip to Great Aunt Bessie’s house! So when I stumbled upon these fabulous wooden screens (on clearance of course) at the craft store I KNEW what I had to do. Out came the Dremel and this old suitcase had a new ventilation system.
But then something 
happened….The project took on a life of it’s own, (not the first time this has happened) and I try always to follow where the spirit leads. I suddenly realized that this old suitcase needed a new purpose in life. More than just storage on a shelf, it needed to become useful again, recognized for it’s past and celebrated into it’s future. It needed to become a picnic basket! NOTE: This is the 3rd case from the top in the first picture.
As I worked on duct taping the tattered sides, and using yellow India ink to brighten the panels I kept seeing flashes of Gene Kelly singing, “Gotta Dance” from Singing In The Rain. You know, that guy with the too short (plaid?) jacket and the funny hat, carrying a tattered old suitcase to the big city? And then I remembered that I had some handmade paper with sheet music embedded in it, and an old poster from my daughter’s dorm room days and it morphed.
Interestingly this suitcase like many, has a monogram, R. R.. At first, being a warm blooded woman of a certain age I thought “Robert Reford,” but then it dawned on me, “Richard Rogers.” So now this picnic basket has a name, The Richard Rogers, complete with musical notes flowing from a summer wine….sure is funny how things just flow when you allow it.
I made an insulated bag for food and an insulated ice bucket for beverages out of fun fabrics – storage of left over scraps still TBD! And I used reclaimed straps, buttons, and buckles to hold them in place. Happy Summer Solstice! Let the picnics begin!
NOTE #2: The next case (bottom of the stack) is Miss C.C.. The stories she could tell. I can’t wait to get started. Also, this one of a kind picnic basket is for sale. $125.
swansroost 