Vintage Suitcase Dog Bed

Looks like a vintage Samsonite suitcase....

And it was.  A big tall one.  Or extra long, I suppose.  Opens end to end, not on the side.

I forgot to have the family take pictures of me with my safety glasses on and saws-all in hand when I went to town on the hinges of this suitcase to get the two pieces to separate.  Oh well.  You can imagine it, right?!  It was easy work.  No one got hurt!

Here is a picture of what would have been the bottom on the suitcase.  It has all the latches and handles on the sides.  Instead of trying to pry or cut off all the latches, I kept this piece to use in an art project.  It will become a shadow box of sorts..... or more like a modern diorama, filled with interesting objects at varying degrees of depth and distance.  The result ends up being a sort of low-relief three-dimensionality.  But that's a whole 'nother project!!  Back to the repurposed vintage suitcase dog bed!

Here is the top half!  We had two old pillows that were going to the thrift store so instead I just relegated two older flannel pillow case to be the covers and now they belong to Shotzie!

I've been seeing these in magazines lately and online .  All the rage, upcycling suitcases, pampering your pet!  Lots of times the top is left opened and propped back against the wall, and holds doggie objects, like brush, toy, etc.  Or even a photo or piece of art!  Since this one opened end to end, I didn't have the room to leave the bottom on.  Shotzie's bed sits under a full size, old-school free standing chalk board that takes up a lot of space.  You cant really see it here, but it also limits the size and dimension of his dog bed.

Here is shaggy Shotzie, in all his glory, getting comfy in his new bed!  He needs his eyebrows trimmed!  But he loves his bed! 

I may make one more of these, with the top and bottom left intact, to use as a travel bed for him.  I found this particular case back in early summer when Jasper was going to Circus Camp in Georgetown.  Some girls pulled up in front of The Foundry, their car full of vintage cases, trying to sell them to the shop owner.  He didn't want them but my smart friend Natasha suggested that they let us take a look and they did!  They had some cool cases that looked like leather but when we opened one a dust cloud of mold and mildew spores plumed out so big and stinky it was all we could do to close it up and throw it back in the car!  It was gross!  And I deal with a lot of old gross stuff but some of the cases these girls had were nasty!  But not this one.  Not the blue Samsonite.  And it was an unusual size.  Long and tall, opening end to end.  I offered her $10 and it was mine.  You just never know what you'll find on the side of a road!

Off to pick paint colors for Ms. Fireball.

Have a lovely little day,

Jennette