Make it Monday // Painted Purse

I've seen these crazy awesome upcycled thrifted bags & wallets with like tribal prints, neon colors, cool textures & patterns, etc.  I finally got around to trying it out on a thrifted bag I bought a long while ago.  This bag is awesome! It has a tassel, fits cross body, & holds just enough things.  It's a dark brown leather (I think) with some scuffs around the edges.  It's the perfect amount of worn in: enough to make it look intentional & not torn up.

So I took some loose advice from the Mr. Kate article on using acetone with the paint.  The video mentioned priming the area with acetone: she put it on a cotton ball & wiped it on the bag.  I just mixed it in..which was trial & error, and may not have been the best solution.  I started by just pouring some on to the paint & mixing it in.  It made the paint a bit sticky & thick.  It separated a bit too.  It reminded me of thick icing.  When I added a bit more it seemed to mix up again & not be too sticky.  So, I don't really know how to tell you what the best amount is.  I poured some 100% acetone nail polish remover into it's cap & went from there, adding a bit in at a time.  But if I do this again, I'll probably prime it the way she did.

I cut out some triangles from masking tape & made a little triangle design on the bag.  Make sure you adhere the tape securely....meaning push down the edges so the paint doesn't seep through.

When applying the paint, try to go in one direction.  It would pick up the paint from where I'd placed it before if I tried to outline the triangles individually.  So I ended up doing two coats where I covered up nearly all of the tape to keep the coats even.  The acetone in the paint was harder to work with, but I liked the process better (I think!)

I added a textured bit of yellow by painting it on then dabbing my paper towel in the wet paint.  For the fringe, I dipped it in the teal then wiped it off.  I ran my fingers through the fringe to make sure it all dried separately.

Now it's a perfect summer bag! I can't wait for Zach to get back so I can have some outfit photos with this bag!