Just in case ...

I was out of sorts this morning.  I'm not sure why.  An outing was in order, though I wasn't sure where to go.

After departing the driveway, we decided to head in a direction we don't usually take.  Our destination suburb had a couple of opshops and we found quite a few bargains in the second one we visited.

This vanity case didn't have any identifying marks but was well made.  It was a different style to others we regularly see and seemed a good size to hold wine bottles.  

Once home, I removed the two stiff cardboard loops and thoroughly cleaned the interior.  (As much as I like the neat mirror, it won't stay).

The case was in good condition and didn't require much attention.  I cleaned the exterior and used a magic sponge on a few white marks.  I then rubbed very fine steel wool on the tarnished hinges.   

As you can see, Nick applied some silicon spray to the lock.  It should work into the mechanism and lessen some of the stiffness.

To finish, I applied a conditioning balm to all the exterior surfaces. It's come up quite well and really didn't take much time or effort.

At this stage, I don't have any plans to re-line the case.  I bought a small bottle of hydrogen peroxide when grocery shopping.  You might be able to make out a water stain on the lid lining.  I've dabbed peroxide over that a couple of times and think the mark is becoming fainter.

I'm thinking of making a pair/set of bottle bags to provide some extra protection for any bottles in the case. At this stage though I have plans for lots of Christmas sewing and the bottle bags have a lower priority.  

We haven't given up on our port port but that project is taking longer than anticipated, so this vanity case revamp will work in the meantime - or be a useful addition.  

I should say we aren't huge drinkers.  Last trip we took several choices and most came home.  We only opened one bottle of bubbles for our Winton cheese platter!