DIY Vintage Doll Case to Hallway Travel Shelf

I’ve lived in my house for 5 years and I’ve never gotten around to hanging something in my hallway. It’s been a boring blue blob and I am ready for a change! I love to travel and the hallway would be a perfect place to display some of the vintage souvenirs that we find at thrift shops.

I needed a shallow shelf so that I wouldn’t hit it while walking down the hallway. I didn’t have spare shelves so I started keeping an eye out at thrift stores. You never know what awesome retro goodies you’ll find at thrift shops. While Cally and I were out thrifting she showed me a beat-up vintage doll case for $5. At first, I said “no thanks” haha! But she said, “Look inside. I’m sure you’ll want it.” and WOW was she right! Look at the pink 1950’s atomic starburst print inside!

How To Turn a Doll Case into a Shelf

I knew if I took the doll case apart it would make the cutest shallow wall shelf. So we used a hammer and nail to get the pins out of the hinges of the doll case so the case would separate. I made sure to tape the pins to the doll case (where you can’t see it) so if I ever want to put it back together we won’t lose the pins.

You can buy your own vintage doll case trunk online right now!

Then we had to figure out how to attach it to the wall. There are little metal pieces that hold the inside and the outside of the doll case together. We removed the metal piece so there was an opening. We put screws in the openings and that’s how we attached it to the wall.

Ta-Da! A Cheap Retro Hallway Makeover!

All that was left to do was decorate! I hung my framed See America travel wrapping paper by Cavallini, added my souvenirs and put out my travel ephemera framed art in between the shelves.

A Unique Way to Display Travel Souvenirs

I love having a dedicated space for my finds. Travel is a huge part of our lives and we want to celebrate it when we’re at home. When we are in another state or country we love to go to the local thrift stores. Here’s an adorable Princess Diana and Prince Charles piggy bank that I found in a charity shop in England for 1 pound.

Shop for vintage travel souvenirs from where you’ve traveled.

Who would have thought an old and dented doll case could be the solution to my hallway problem?! I’m so happy with it! What do you think? Do you miss traveling as much as I do?

If you liked this check out my blog post on Recovering a Lampshade With Vintage Fabric