TAKING a gamble on life decisions can either work in your favour, or go terribly wrong.
But for one craftswoman, stepping out of her comfort zone was totally worth it.
Stori decided to head to an auction one day and put money down at an auction on an “old mystery suitcase” without knowing what was inside it.
Heading to an auction to bid on a suitcase isn’t known to many, but is quite a regular activity to do.
Airports will usually commission private auction houses to sell pieces of baggage that haven’t been claimed and lost property such as phones, clothing items and other electrical goods.
Research shows that the number of “mishandled” bags surged to 26 million.
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Whilst the number of lost bags was recorded at 7.60 per 1,000 passengers, a 74.7 per cent increase from 4.35 per 1,000 in 2021.
Which means thousands of bags could be going up for auction on a daily basis.
And as they say, ‘one man’s trash is another man's treasure.’
This was certainly the case for Stori, who took to her TikTok account to share the results.
The craftswoman, who goes by the name of Stori Stalcup Mauld, shared a video of her opening up the suitcase for the first time.
She wrote: “Bought this old mystery suitcase at an auction not knowing what was in it.”
After opening the suitcase, Stori discovered a Vintage Ken Griffin’s scrapbook 1952.
This book has leather carving patterns with 40 pages featuring leatherwork patterns, carvings, and instructions.
Other findings include leather lacing, leather finishings, and tools.
And so she decided to put it all to great use, and make her husband, Tim, a leather wallet out of it.
Filming the results, she says: “Might need a manicure but learned how to use it and made my husband a wallet.”
The wallet was beige with a buckle button to securely close it, and had Tim’s name engraved on it.
She added her own little touch to the wallet by engraving her signature, and ‘I love you.’
The video attracted lots of attention, with many rushing to the comments section to share their thoughts.
One said: “It looks fantastic! Great job.”
Another added: “What can’t you do young lady? That’s a gift you can’t buy, gorgeous.”
A third wrote: “That’s awesome! Great job.”
Whilst another said: “Wow! You are so talented.”
This isn’t the first time someone has managed to hit the jackpot after discovering an old rusty suitcase.
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Darick, who goes by the name of ‘abandonedexplosquad,’ on TikTok, found a rugged old suitcase in the rubbish.
It is made from genuine alligator skin and is worth over £3,000.