Suitcase Project: Before

I got this nice old leather suitcase last summer at a yard sale. I fell in love with the shape and the fun, vintage feel of it. The only problem - the smell. This thing smells mustier than your great-grandpa's 50-year-old collection of crossword puzzles. Something had to be done.

So, after spending some time last summer trying to wash it and make it stink a little less, I failed and shoved it in the back of my closet to think about some other day.

That day, my friends, is today. I'm just about finished cleaning my room, and I pulled the suitcase out of my closet just to see what it's been up to this past year. Well, it still smells like old feet. But this time I'm determined to defeat the stank!

I just took it outside and determined that the lining fabric makes up most, if not all, of the smell, so I just ripped it all out and tossed some baking soda inside the shell to hopefully soak up the odors.

I plan on checking on it tomorrow and reevaluating the situation. Eventually, I plan on lining the inside with some fun fabric and maybe decoupaging the outside. The leather's very pretty, but it has some scratches and paint marks I'd like to cover up