Recycled Craft: Portable Art Case

I have a couple of budding artists in my house, and it seems like we have projects and materials spread all over the house. I consider this a good thing- but I still wanted to contain the supplies a bit, and in a fun way.

I made this custom art suitcase out of a thrifted book.

It was very inexpensive, and makes a great portable, and customizable art studio!

Supplies needed to make your own portable art case recycled craft:

• Hardback book with sturdy binding (Make sure your book is large enough to contain your desired supplies, like your sketchbook.)
• Felt (Colors of your choice, I used dark grey and black. You will need three sheets- one for each cover, and one for the spine and the pocket.)
• Purse Handles
• Grosgrain Ribbon (I used black)
• Sketch Book
• Watercolor Pencils
• Prismacolor® Design Drawing Set
• Fabric Adhesive (optional)
• Hot Glue Gun & Sticks
• Craft Knife
• Scrap chipboard (I used a cereal box)
• Non Roll Elastic
• Sewing Machine
• Stapler or Straight Pins

Let’s get crafting!

The first thing you will want to do is prepare your book. You will need to cut the pages out of the binding. This is easy to do, just run a craft knife down the sides of the inside cover. Go slowly, so you don’t damage the binding.

You can set aside the book pages for another craft project!

The next step is making chipboard backing for the inside covers, and the book spine. These do not have to be perfect, they will be wrapped in felt. They are just to give the felt some stability when you glue it into place.

Cut the chipboard pieces slightly smaller than the covers, and the spine. This will leave some wiggle room for the felt to fit without hanging over the edges of the book.

Do not glue the chipboard into place yet, we are going to wrap them in felt.

Lay the chipboard over the felt, and trim- leaving enough felt around the perimeter to wrap.

At each corner, notch the felt as shown.

Then, use adhesive to hold the felt in place on the back side of the chipboard.

The notched corners should give you a clean fold.

Then, use a sewing machine to stitch the perimeter.

Repeat for both covers, and the spine of the book.

Then choose how you would like to design your art case.

I wanted to include pencils and a sketch book.

Lay out where you would like your materials to be, and add elastic.

I used elastic on the top and bottom of my sketch book to hold it in place.

I used pins to hold the elastic in place and then when it was placed where I wanted it, I used a stapler to pull the elastic taut and hold it so I could sew it.

Yep. A stapler. I have never professed to be an award winning seamstress, but hey- it gets the job done!

Just remove the staples when you are done stitching the elastic in place.

I repeated the same process to add my pencil holder. I marked lines with a pencil every 1/2 inch along the elastic, to house each pencil individually.

Then I sewed the elastic in place, stitching on each 1/2 inch interval.

I added a pocket along the bottom of the pencils- to hold erasers and a sharpener, and possibly treats. 🙂

I simply trimmed my felt to size, and folded it towards the back.

Then I stitched it into place. The nice thing about felt is that it doesn’t require hemming to look finished.

Now you can add your purse handles.

Place your finished covers inside the book, and mark where you would like the handles to be- making sure they line up together. Then cut four 4″ sections of grosgrain ribbon.

Loop the ribbon pieces through the rings on the purse handles, and staple the loops closed.

Place the handles where you want them to be, and staple the loops to the covers.

Sew the loops to the covers. Make sure they are stitched on there good and tight, I did four passes. I am the queen of over-kill!

Now you are ready to secure the covers to the inside of the book.

I used a good old fashioned glue gun! Seriously, what did we do without glue guns?

Be generous with the hot glue- you don’t want those covers peeling up!

Then you are ready to add your supplies:

The sketchbook-

And the pencils.

There you go! A chic and portable art studio!

Ready to inspire any artist.

Shaunte

Shaunte is a 30-something, chocolate-loving, SAHM from Utah. She has been scrapbooking since 1997, the dreaded era of photos cropped with deco scissors. Since then, her work has evolved into a clean, linear, photo-focused style. Her favorite subjects to scrap are her husband and five kids (never a lack for subject material there).