D.I.Y. Makeup Case (that WILL hold everything)

Whenever I go with my studio to performance venues (my studio doesn't compete, but we perform at various events 2-3 times a month), our company waltzes in carrying about 50 duffels, backpacks, garment bags, and makeup cases. For the most part, my teachers have not bothered to organize this chaos; they focus on the performance itself, rather than the preparation. A couple weeks ago, I saw this picture on Pinterest.

From what I can tell, it's a vintage suitcase with a mirror, some light bulbs, and a shelf. It looked to me a bit like a vanity-type-thing, and I thought, "Why not make something like this that can be carried from place to place?" I knew I had a performance coming up the next weekend so I decided to try my luck and see what would happen.

When I was little, my mom used to buy antiques from a local junk store, and for whatever reason, an old Samsonite suitcase was one of the few things from that store that we still have around.

After cleaning it out and disinfecting it, I removed some of the more rotten fabric and lining. It had two straps on one side to hold in clothing, and I removed the fabric, but kept the hardware.

I did have to purchase a few items, but the total was somewhere around $18, and I found everything I needed at Micheal's. I went out and bought a a 6 by 6 inch craft mirror, 3 yards of 1 inch ribbon, heavy duty stick on Velcro patches, and a bead organizer with removable dividers(the equivalent of a tackle-box).

The first thing I did was measure and sew the ribbon. I had to be long enough to not only span one side of the suitcase, but to hold a rather bulky object as well.

Because the two pieces of ribbon joined together, individually they didn't have to be quite as long. I used a regular stapler to attach the ribbon to the suitcase lining, but one of the straps came off while I was packing everything up after the performance, so I will update you on what I figure out. I had my dad help me get the mirror even, we but Velcro all on the edges of the mirror(with the other side attached) and stuck it to the suitcase. It is very strong, and has held up very well.

I also added a hook to the underside of one of the pouches in the suitcase to stand up my hanging organizer.

For the tackle box, I wrote my name on the outside in permanent marker, and organized my hair stuff inside it.

This is what the finished product looks like, I have more pictures and tips on how to store it that would just make this post too long, so I'll put those up later.