I am so very excited to finally be able to share this post with you all!! I have been holding on to this project for the last couple of months *Exhale* lol. It was actually this very project in particular that really made me put my scissors and fabric glue down and start planning the launch of this very blog. As I delved into and worked on this particular diy/ refashioning venture I stopped and thought to myself, “This is really genius!! People need to know about this!!”. So before I get right into it here’s how it all came about…
So as the seasons change, the days get longer, the nights get shorter and spring gets underway we as people start to declutter our lives cleaning out our closets, putting our winter clothes away into hibernation, purging our wardrobes and airing out all of our sacred living spaces. This is a ritual that usually happens every year for many and when it’s all said and done we end up with that big garbage bag full of “stuff”. That trash bag full of our once beloved items that have now worn out their welcome now sits somewhere in our houses or cars collecting the same dust we once cleaned away waiting to be passed along to charity, someone else or even thrown into the bottom of a garbage dump.
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Whelp… my bag sat in my bedroom corner for weeks without me batting as much as an eyelash till one day I needed a pair of blue and white earrings after the ones I had on suddenly broke. Needing a quick substitute I pondered what I could possibly come up with as I scanned around my room when my eyes landed on that very trash bag full of all my once loved items. Then all of a sudden it hit me!!! I thought about a particular old thrifted handbag I had placed inside.
The shoes I had on were the very reason I purchased that handbag in the first place because it matched them perfectly. So I thought, “Why don’t I repurpose that fabric and make me some new earrings?” Ah HA!! Yup…sounds like a plan to me!!! A little cardboard from a microwave popcorn box, fabric glue, some fish hooks and moments later…Voila!!! I had a new set of matching earrings.
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Seeing all the material from the purse leftover I made another pair of earrings out of the strap, a bracelet/cuff and a choker to complete my set. I used an old metal cuff I had lying around for the bracelet and I used a piece of the strap for the choker as well. I purchased some chain that came with o rings and clasps for the choker from a local store.
You can find me here in my last post donning a pair of my refashioned earrings.
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Now before I had even started on that bag I saw another old thrifted handbag laying amongst the heap of used rubble…a fringe one which I’d worn a million times and absolutely adored. So I thought, “Why not use the fringe to make another pair of earrings?” These were really the easiest because I only needed to cut, roll and glue them into shape.
And this was only the beginning….
My biggest haul of all came from this spiked handbag which I turned into a complete jewelry store. Ok, not really but a seriously elaborate jewelry collection nonetheless lol. I was totally blown away by the amount of cool jewelry I was able to make out of this handbag!! The sturdy and durable leather-like fabric and metal spikes made it perfect for all the different pieces. Sorry I had already started to dismember it at this point in the pic lol. But honestly this was such an easy project and I moved so swiftly creating all the pieces that I didnt document many of my steps.
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Many of the shapes were already precut into the bag so I only had to remove the stitching to detach them.
For the other pieces I cut them by hand and used the metal spikes as a pattern to guide and cut alongside. I used velcro sticky backs as a closure for the arm cuff and bracelet and a little fabric glue to mold the earrings into the shapes I desired.
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I also made a choker as well as a 1 and 2-finger ring cuff. I just rolled and super glued for the ring cuffs and I used an old ankle bracelet chain and clasp for the choker.
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My absolute favorite piece out of this entire project by far was this necklace I made out of the purse’s two handles and the adjustable strap. I simply attached one handle to the hooks of the strap and used gorilla glue to attach the other handle onto the actual strap. I absolutely Loved this piece!!! I used a couple of precut pieces from the handbag and glued metal hooks onto them to make a matching set of earrings. I didn’t put a back on them yet but I think posts or clips will be best.
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So before you throw out the old to make room for the new recheck that garbage bag full of your once loved belongings and see if any of them are salvageable. With a little imagination and a little time you’d be amazed at how quickly you can turn something old and boring into something new and exciting!!!
What I used:
Old and Thrifted Handbags
Cardboard
Fabric glue
Gorilla glue
Fish hooks
Safety pin (for poking holes)
Chain, o rings and clasps
It’s all so chic! ❤ it!
I cannot believe that you just started your blog. this was genious. I don’t usually follow blogs, but I will this time!
Thanks for sharing.
Janet
Thank you so much!!!
Please add a Pinterest save button, and date your posts too!
Ok there should be dates on each post but I may add that manually as well. There should also be an option to post to many social media sites including Pinterest if you click on the plus sign but I’ll recheck that as well. Thanks for the input!!
Girl you always look beautiful . you should sale some of your items
Thank you!!
This was awesome! I’m definitely going to try it. I have tons of old bags..I’m so excited!!
Cool!! I would love to see how it turns out!!