Saturday, March 1, 2014

DIY | Upcycled Studded Leather Purse

Since I splurged on the Silhouette Portrait last November, I've been trying to spend less on frivolous things as of the new year. However, H&M had this 20% off + free shipping offer in January that I could not pass up... Digging through the sale section, I stumbled upon this fabulously versatile black leather handbag (with double zips and crossbody strap!). I looked over at my current forlorn-looking purse with its ripped handles and figured it was time for a replacement!

Using my coupon, I was able to snag this for, wait for it... $12 (original price $35)! This bag is really lovely in person and of pretty good quality, but it was a little on the plain side. I opted to upcycle it by adding some cone studs, which made it look way more expensive than it actually was! Here's the link for it but it's sold out online; perhaps it may still be in stores? This is so darn easy though; you can grab any ol' bag (think thrift store finds!) and add little stud accents to it as well!


Picture copyright of H&M



DIY Upcycled Studded Leather Purse

(Difficulty: Easy)



Supplies


(1) Plain handbag (best found thrifting!)
(2) White glue
(3) E-6000 glue
(4) Cone studs or flat back cone beads

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Steps



1. If you're using flat back cone beads, skip straight to step 3!

If you're using cone studs like me, fill your stud to the top with white glue. This will fill in the empty space and create a flatter surface that the E-6000 can adhere to. Repeat with your desired number of studs. Let dry.

2. Push down the prongs of the stud so they lay flat.


3. Apply E-6000 glue and stick it where ever you feel your handbag needs a little oomph!

I stuck studs on the bottoms of the handles, the sides of the handbag where the crossbody strap attaches, and one each on the corners of the bottom part of the bag.

This is so ridiculously easy that I feel sorta bad calling this a DIY :P Feel free to use any shaped stud (pyramid ones would look awesome) wherever your heart desires!


Check out my other stud-muffin-ly DIYs: Studded Headband | Kate Spade Inspired Studs | Simple Pyramid Studs

** Don't wanna DIY? Prefer to B-U-Y? I'll be selling any extras I made, along with many other items, in my shop Two Teaspoons coming soon. Stay tuned!

11 comments:

  1. Great idea! I love how a few simple additions can make a big difference

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Lisa! I almost didn't want to call this a DIY because it seemed a little too easy ;)

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  2. the studs add such a great touch! looks great!

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  3. This isn't really upcycling. Upcycling means taking a thing and turning it into a different useful thing. The word you want to use is Customizing! Or.... Bedazzling... But I like customizing better.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Megdalena, you're probably right. Maybe upcycle wasn't the best word to use and customized might've been a better choice. In my opinion, upcycle to me means to reuse or give life to something I already have/own into something else that I would otherwise not have used or liked as much, so I think that was the angle I was going for. I understand the confusion so thanks for letting me know!

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  4. Why not just get a leather punch and use actual spikes. That way your creation has a chance of lasting!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yup, you can absolutely do that! Unfortunately, my hole puncher doesn't reach that far into the bag and my spikes were not the screw-on kind so I had to work with what I had :)

      Delete
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