Turning an old suitcase into a bookshelf and jewelry organizer
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DifficultyMedium
Today, we're diving into a fabulous DIY project, featuring the versatile Dremel tools. We’re going to be transforming a vintage or old suitcase into a trendy and modern bookshelf and jewelry organizer. If you’re ready to get innovation and creativity together, roll up your sleeves and let’s get started!
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Paint or wood varnish
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Sandpaper
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Masking tape and tracing paper
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Paint brush
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Pen/potlood
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Vintage or old suitcase
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Wood planks
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Wooden balls
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Mirror
Measuring the Suitcase
First things first, let's measure those dimensions! Check the width and the depth. We want to make sure for the bookshelves that they fit perfectly inside of the suitcase. After measuring, mark the wood and cut into the marks with your Dremel Moto-Saw or with your Dremel Multi-Tool. For a perfect finish, you can sand the cutting parts to keep it smooth.
To keep the shelves in place, we cut two equally deep pieces from the same wood, each 2cm wide. We will place them each side of the shelves as a support point.
Gluing Supports and Mounting Slats
Using some strong glue you need to glue the supports into the wider side of the suitcase at the desired height. While this dries, you can use your Dremel Multi-Tool to cut narrow supports for the jewelry. You will repeat step 1 but in the other side of the suitcase. You need to measure, cut and create supports for wood planks. Remember sanding everything you cut to achieve a clean and smooth result.
Drilling holes
While the supports dry, we used our Dremel Multi-Tool and the Workstation for the drilling part. You can drill free handed, just make sure the wood planks are well secured. For a more comfortable drilling, we attached the Dremel Multi-Tool in the Workstation and we drilled holes into the narrow slats. The goal of these holes is to serve as holders for your earrings.
Final touches
Before placing all the wooden slats, you can apply a coat of paint or wood varnish. You can create as many shelfs as you want! Enjoy the creativity of the project! If you want to go extra mile, you can create a beautiful mirror. Get some wooden balls, spray them with your favorite color and fixed them to the mirror you want to use. In this project we used Dremel Glue Gun for gluing them and again the strong glue to stick the mirror into the suitcase. You can also add some wireless touch light for ambiance
Frequently Asked Questions
Ideally, you want to choose a sturdy suitcase with a flat surface on the inside. Vintage suitcases or old ones with interesting designs often work well, but any suitcase with enough depth can be repurposed for this project.
While prior experience can be helpful, this project is designed to be beginner-friendly. The instructions provided guide you through each step, and Dremel tools are easy to handle for most DIY enthusiasts.
Improvisation is key in DIY projects! If you don't have certain materials, consider alternatives that serve a similar purpose. For example, if you don't have wood varnish, you could use paint or even decorative paper to add color and protection to the shelves.
Absolutely! One of the beauties of DIY projects is the ability to tailor them to your taste. Feel free to experiment with different colors, patterns, or even additional features like hooks or compartments. Let your creativity shine!