Every workin' lady needs a fancy little briefcase covered in lace! At least that's what I think. I picked this boring brown briefcase up at a thrift shop recently and couldn't wait to dress it up! Here's how I did it…1. Supplies Needed: Vintage briefcase, wood glue (I like using heavy duty glue), lace trim or ribbon (the non-ruffled kind that lays flat works best) and scissors. 2-4. This project is easy and fairly self-explainatory through the photos above. Here are a few tips… Arrange your strips before glueing to make sure your proportions are pretty. Leave a little extra lace on each edge until you are done glueing and then trim last. Most importantly, use plenty of glue (especially on the edges). 5-6. I added lace to both sides of my briefcase. Check your glue bottle for drying time. Be sure to let the first side dry before flipping it over. Enjoy! ♥
Have fun feeling fancy with your pretty new briefcase! XO. elsie
See me wearing this briefcase in an outfit post right here.
71 Comments
Elsie, that is adorable, and a DIY that is not so intimidating that I couldn’t just whip it up myself! Cheers to that. I look forward to getting lacy!
I have to say, this is very cute! Totally sold on the idea.
♥
Talia Christine
http://taliachristine.blogspot.com
Business time!
This is so cute! I’ve never thought extending “pretty-ness” to briefcases!
xx Grace
Dream-Boating
oh my god! i love lace and this is absolutely perfect!
http://www.petiteandhungry.blogspot.com
So cute, I love it!
http://www.funkysunday.com
Oooh. I love this! Now this is something I could be happy about carrying to work everyday.
Such a cute idea!
this is brilliant!!
feast.fashion.faves
Oh my goodness!! Love it! I was just thinking when I saw your outfit post, “I wish she would do a DIY on that briefcase” (!!!)
Love,
Stephanie May*
http://www.maydae.com
It’s so simple yet adorable and elegant I love it! 🙂
“Every workin’lady needs a fancy little briefcase covered in lace”. I totally agree! 😀
Love it.
Oh my gosh, what a super sweet idea! I’ve got some brown vintage luggage and this would be a great way to dress it up and make it pretty. Thanks so much Els! xoxo
I know we haven’t done Holy Cute! in awhile, but can I get a Holy Pretty! for this briefcase?! ‘Cause that’s what it is!
Super cute and such a good idea. I have loads of lace and have never thought of this.
Also, sorry I feel a little bad about this but thought you’d want to know, you have one small typo. You accidentally pressed c instead of v with ‘leave a little extra lace’. Sorry, I hate when I do that on my own blog.
Wow, what a lovely idea. I really like lace and I didn’t realise how lovely it would look on a briefcase.
Sarah
xo
http://www.almostdelightful.com
They rocked it!
Looks amazing! I’m off to find some glittery lace for my make up bag now! x
Cute!
What a brilliant idea! You added life and beauty to that lonely looking briefcase! 🙂 Nice job!
absolutely great! simply adore it;)))
well thought, well done!
That´s such a fab idea, I think I will steel that to the suitcase that´s gonna be on our weddinginvitations!
What a great idea! It looks much more like your style now!
♥ Gina Michele
CrochetClouds.com
super cute <3
Thats awesome!!!!!
Loved it!
cutest idea ever! I would never had thought of that. Do you have any suggestions on where I could find a cute/thrify bag for school? One big enough to carry all my books in?
This is apsolutely amazing idea! I will sooo try it with my vintage brown leather Sarajevo 1984. Olympic suitcase 🙂
Thank you!
La Kat
You red velvet girls are too cute! It’s been a while since I stopped by your blog and wow! Your shop is looking soooo good! 🙂 Love the suitcase! Have a wonderful weekend! Love from Scotland! Zoë x
this is just about the cutest diy i’ve seen of yours. i love how lace instantly adds such a sweet, feminine, and fun touch. the white on brown looks fabulous.
Oh my goodness! That is so cute! I love your diy posts!
Katiediditt.blogspot.com
This is so adorable! I’d totally carry a briefcase if I had one like that.
Very nice! I kind of inherited quite a bit of very old lace trim from my grandmother. I am not sure what to do with it. Now it’s just laying around in a closet at my parents’ house, but I’d love to use it for something very special.
http://thesignaturebow.blogspot.com/
NEW POST: My Latest Loves – Mini Bags
Pretty original 😉
I can just imagine going to see the bank manager with that by my side 😉
this is so cute!
http://breatheandhush.blogspot.com/
so fun! thanks for the DIY.
I already have it saved for a rainy day (:
What a brilliant idea! I’m going to keep my eye out for a suitcase or even luggage I can decorate with lace and ribbons! Thanks!
This is so simple, pretty, girly, and classic! Great job! Can’t wait to deck something out in lace! <3
That’s so adorable (!!) ♥
So lovely! Love this! xo
That briefcase is amazing! I love that DIY!! XOXO, http://www.NatalyasCloset.com
hi elsie, i wasn’t sure where else to leave this link that i think you’ll love 🙂 , so here you go: http://www.missmoss.co.za/2011/04/20/high-school-fashions-1969/
<3
Wow, I love it! ^^ I have never seen such a beautiful suitcase in thrift shops in Poland but maybe it’s because I visit wrong ones 😉
love your outfit!♥
xxxo
http://angelieeee.blogspot.com/
you can also follow me on Twitter! 🙂 @angelieeee
super cute idea!
What a great idea! This is so cute and relatively simple!
Pinning this!
–Jaclyn T
I won a $25 gift certificate to the Steamy Kitchen Shop…but they don’t ship to Canada. I’m giving it away on my blog:
http://positiveponderings.blogspot.com/2011/08/giveaway-benefit-from-my-loss.html
so nice! cute and business 🙂
bisous,
mia
HEYLILAHEY
So cute…Amazing idea!!
Beijos…
Manu Demonti
http://manumanuelices.com
aww! that’s so cute! Great idea!!
What a super fun & easy idea! Now I just need a plain suitcase to dress up…
sooo cute! must try it
this is so creative! i love the idea of making a briefcase more feminine!
http://tidbitsofaddiction.blogspot.com
great idea – looks like an old bat-gammon set.
Freakin’ cute!!!
I absolutely love this and must try it! Love your blog! Just trying to start blogging but am not nearly creative enough! haha! 🙂
love it.
You’re a genius.
I love this so much, I had to put a link to it on my itty bitty blog:
http://worksofanselm.blogspot.com/2011/08/friday-5.html
Thanks again Elsie!
Dear sir/madam
We specialize in cotton lace ,embroidery tulle lace ,elastic lace ,collars and collars for several years,with good quality and pretty competivitve price.Free samples will be send if u want.
Any questions ,pls do not hesitate to contact me.
Best regards ,
William
SALES MANAGER
TRIMS LINK CO.,LTD
C702,Xinghuixuan,Twin Star Building ZhongDa,Haizhou City,510300,China
Email:william@trimslink.com
I love lace on absolutely everything! What a neat idea!
I want to buy a breifcase just to do that 🙂 saah cutee 😀
I’d actually love to review these boxes on my shopping/lifestyle blog. i wonder if they’d send me a sample box to talk about?
I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don’t know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.
Oh fer fun!!! I just picked up one of these SAME vintage briefcases at a thrift store the other day. I’ve re-done the inside, but wasn’t sure what to do with the outside…hmmm, so many options!! 🙂 Check out my post about it:
http://www.gracefully-gifted.blogspot.com/2012/01/project-time-crafting-on-go.html
I share this on my blog.I hope that isn’t a problem :))
http://modasokagi.blogspot.com/2012/02/bir-diy-projesi-daha-d.html
wow,I have to say it’s gorgeous,so beautiful
http://www.guccibagsjapan.com/ ２５日午前１０時半ごろ、北海道白老町の白老港から南東約１０キロの沖合で、登別市の登別マリンクラブ所属の遊漁船「ＭＩＨＯ７（ミホセブン）」（全長７．３メートル、定員１４人）が転覆。乗っていた船長の沢田行雄さん（６３）＝登別市千歳町＝と釣り客４人が海に投げ出されているのを、近くにいた漁船が見つけて４人を救助したが、２人は死亡。１人が行方不明になった。
Donna, that is so beautiful! You do such npsiiring work, and your talent and love of what you do shows. I love the combinations you are using in these pieces.Thanks so much for your sweet note…I feel the same way. 🙂 BTW, that photo in my previous post was taken at a local area home show. The homes in the show wasn’t too “inspired” on the whole, but I thought that arrangement was neat. It was a fern surrounded by faux limes (or lemons?) in a wire planter. I laughed when I saw it after I posted…it kind of looks like an arrangement of tennis balls. By that time, I was too tired to care! ;)I hope that you’re having a good week.
You are so gifted and leatnted!The way you put things together, it is so lovely and i always enjoy looking at them and i get inspirated my self to do better an be more creative :)Thank you for sharing your work!
i dont have a brief cas but i do have an instrument case that looks a lot like a brief case, ill probably decorate that.
thanks elsie!:)