DIY: Disney Suitcase

As I prepared to leave on my Disneyland trip back in November, I teased a picture on my Instagram of this suitcase I painted. You can see pictures from that trip here if you haven't already!

My sister gave me this suitcase she bought at Goodwill years ago and no longer needed. I came up with the idea that I wanted to paint it. I look back on this project and smile because this was one of those things where I had no idea how I was going to accomplish it, but I had a vision for it, and made it happen.

The suitcase was probably just a few dollars, and it certainly wasn't perfect. There are a few little hiccups in the zipper (nothing major), and one of the little feet on the bottom of the suitcase is missing, but it's okay! These quirks give the suitcase some character… or should I say characters?? (ba-dum-ch) Get it? See, because there are a bunch of characters on it… hahaha.. ah.. boy.. moving on!

I had to learn a bit about the painting process along the way and figured I would share my new knowledge with you all in case you find yourself wanting to do something similar in the future!

If you are interested in knowing HOW I did it and what I used, keep reading after the pictures below :)

Back: Peter Pan, Aladdin, and Tangled!

Left Side: The Seven Dwarfs :)

Right Side: My other favorite group of guys along with the Dwarfs, the Lost Boys!

Front: UP, Finding Nemo, Dumbo, Mickey and Minnie, and Ariel with Flounder, Sebastian, and Scuttle! Also, can you spot the Hidden Mickey? Leave a comment on this post if you found it!

I had to be sure and include a bunch of my favorites on this suitcase!! I have many more favorite characters and scenes in mind and ready for a future project though, whenever that may be :)

**If you would like to see any close-up pictures of any sides in particular, let me know--I would be happy to whip the camera out again! Just comment on this post or message me about it, and I'll post the additional pictures here for you to see :)**

What I used:

• A vinyl suitcase (probably just a few bucks when my sister purchased from thrift store)
• Acrylic paint (yes, the cheap stuff you can get at the craft store for like 60 cents a bottle)
• A variety of paintbrushes including very tiny ones for details
• Satin Varnish (Can also be found at most craft stores)
• Gloss Varnish
• Flat (and quite wide) sable paintbrushes to seal

I had never painted on vinyl before so this was a bit interesting, but my go-to paint for any project is acrylic paint from the craft store. I learned about different ways to possibly seal my project once it was finished and decided on the varnishes listed above. 

The beauty of using the acrylic paint on vinyl is that until you seal it in the end, it can be fairly easily washed off with just water. So, what this means is that if you're not happy with something, you can take a cotton swab with a little bit of water, like I did, and "erase" your work. Also, when I was all finished with a side, I took a wipe along the edges to clean it up and this was EASY and gave it a much cleaner look and the illusion that I'm a more precise painter than I am. All smoke and mirrors, people. Let it be said for those that are worried your hours of work will be for waste, once it is sealed with the varnishes, it cannot be wiped off with water. Phew.

Now, I can't just list you all a step-by-step to-do now because that will be up to you and your design! I chose to paint on all sides of the suitcase, leaving some of the vinyl exposed for contrast. My technique was to finish a side completely, let it dry (for at least a day), and then paint on the varnish coats. I used one coat of Gloss Varnish first, and then followed with two coats of the Satin finish, with at least 3 hours between each coat, as the product labels instruct.

If you have any further questions about the process, let me know OR if you think you are going to embark on your own Disney DIY project soon, tell me about it! 

If you were to paint a suitcase of your own, which characters or scenes would you want to see on it? :)

x Lauren

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DIY: Disneyland Diamond Celebration Mickey Ears

Last month, I went to Disneyland for the first time since I was 9 years old! My next post will be all about that trip with pictures, stories, and such, but first, a quick tutorial if you will!

This year, Disneyland Resort turned 60, and to celebrate you can partake in Disneyland's Diamond Celebration! For the record, when I turn 60 I will be celebrating "Lauren's Diamond Celebration" all year long and it will be just as, okay maybe not as awesome as Disneyland's, but still.

I am ALL about classic black Mickey ears. I have quite a few pairs of them, and with them, you can't go wrong. A black pair would be a nice nostalgic throwback to the days of the park's opening. Now with that being said, this is the Diamond Celebration, people! I could not NOT show up to the party in style.

I decorated this pair of ears before leaving on my trip, and it really is quite simple. I'm not the first person to decorate a pair of ears like this, but I did decorate mine recently enough that I still remember tips and lessons I learned that I can share with you now!

What you will need:

•  a pair of Mickey ears (if you are ordering from home like I was, you can buy them directly from the Disney Store's website!)
• heavy duty glue (I like this clear one for its strength)
• Jewels/gems (whatever you want to call them! po-tA-to--po-tah-to)
• a paintbrush you're willing to sacrifice to this project

A few quick things! A (1 lb.) bag of the silver jewels in varying sizes was around $20 regular price. Well, that was a lot to me, so bring in the coupons! I used a 50% off coupon from the craft store, and that was much more reasonable to me :) Also, just so you know, I have plenty of jewels leftover that I could easily make another pair, so if you're planning on making more than one, or using the gems for another project, one bag may be just what you need!

Let me stress that unless you are really thorough about cleaning, you need to just consider the paintbrush disposable after this project. I did clean it the best I could afterwards, and used it on another pair, but I'm certainly never painting with it again, haha!

Now let me try and explain my method to the madness!

1. Sit down in front of the TV with a good movie or program going because you'll want something to keep you entertained while you glue gem after gem (and let me say that you can totally split the work up to be done over the course of a few days- you do you!)
2. Start by gluing one layer around the patch on the center of the hat. As you go, you'll see that you have to have a little bit of awkward spacing on the hat, and it looks much better to have that spacing issue take place around the plastic ears where it can be hidden more discretely, and not in the center of the hat where you will see it and it might haunt you, haha.
3. After that, I use the different sizes of the gems to fill from the patch down to the bottom of the hat. In order to achieve a cleaner, finished look in the end, you'll want to have a nice line along the brim. Well, as nice as you can with round pieces of plastic.
4. Keep gluing to cover the entire hat! (It's as simple as that sounds, but I did also include more tips and explanation below!)

**I found it easiest to work from the bottom of the hat up! First go around the patch, then establish the bottom line of the hat, and then fill in as you go up and out away from the patch. 

**I left the top area near the ears alone until the end since that is where you have a little grace to hide spacing issues.

**The paintbrush gluing method was to squeeze a little glue out on the hat, and brush it out to cover a little surface area at a time, and then calmly, but quickly, grab gems and start applying! Your fingers are going to get sticky from the glue, but that's just part of crafting and DIY sometimes, am I right?

I think the work is totally worth it in the end because you finish with a pair of ears that is uniquely yours created by you to wear around in the parks (or home, or workplace, or out in public.. I won't judge).

I wanted to show how I made the ears first so that when you see pics of them in action in my next blog post, you'll already be in the know!

This idea/technique isn't limited to this look by any means! You can glue whatever color jewels in whatever pattern your heart desires! Here's a look at a pair I made for a friend inspired by The Little Mermaid.

So let your imagination and creativity fly!!

If you have any questions or ideas, please do share them with me! I would love to hear anything you think of! If you need me to clarify anything I wrote, please also let me know, I would be happy to do that as well.

I look forward to posting more pictures from my trip very soon! I hope you are all doing well :)

x Lauren

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