Refurbished Purse: Paintified, Leatherfied, and Studified

I found a purse that I probably bought years ago and never used. The material was probably very cheap and so it started tearing and peeling... so instead of throwing it away I decided that it needed to be fixed. Here are photos with my new and improved purse from my random photo shoot (as in I jumped out of the car and someone took these photos within 3 minutes time...I know, so professional).

Here is what it use to look like:

I used left over leather from my No Sew: DIY Clutch Project and ordered studs.

First I painted the leather with red acrylic paint to bring a pop of color. I followed the technique from my other DIY Project.

I didn't have a rotary leather hole punch...so I used the next best thing, a push pin. It probably took a lot longer, but it definitely got the job done. The studs I used were 2 pronged, so I poked 2 holes and inserted the stud. Then I used a plier to bend the sides from the other end.

I suggest poking holes first and measuring it out so that the studs will line up straight.

And in the end you will get something as wonderful as this:

After I finished, I used leather glue to attach it to the part of the purse that was tearing apart. I laid about 2 engineering books on there (I knew they would come in handy again). And let it stay for about a day to make sure it was fully dried.

Then I realized it was missing something, so after days of contemplation I decided to go with tassels. I still had left over leather and I painted it red to match the other piece I glued on. I slightly followed this tutorial to make the tassels.  I used leather glue instead and a jewelry chain that I just happened to have. I sewed the last loop of the chain to the end corner of the leather in order to secure it. After you glue it, I suggest tying a rubber band around it to make sure the glue sticks.

Also, I took out the Tommy Hilfiger buckle because I felt like it didn't fit and added studs instead.

And when that was done.. I still felt like there was something missing. So I painted a red acrylic stripe on each side to bring it all together.



Seriously, this post is picture overload. I think I am just super proud of how this bag came out. Here is another one to add to the mix: