DIY Before and After: Handbag Makeover Project

Who doesn't love to shop dirt cheap bags? With the GST drying up our wallets these days, to still enjoy that privilege to shop, naturally, we would look for an affordable solution. Thankfully, we now have Jalan Jalan Japan at One City Mall, Subang Jaya. If you are worried about the condition of the item, all you need to do is put in some crafty effort and easy-to-use craft supplies for a revamp. However, if you are thinking "...but I am not creative..." not to worry, a simple makeover would do. You can refer to Pinterest-baby! or make a deal with a crafty-friend to help you.

Before the Makeover

So, on my trip there, I found a cute, vinyl-like bag (possibly a stationery organizer) at MYR6. Condition? Looked slightly used, a little dirty but has the potential to be renewed. Let's see what I did:

Craft under RM50 depending on the number of colours or materials used.

What You Need:

1. Setacolor opaque fabric paints by Pebeo

2. Brushes

3. Stencil

4. ModPodge by Plaid Crafts

To select the type of paints to use to paint on a plastic-like surface bag, you can choose to use either acrylic or fabric paints. I decided to use a paint with stronger pigments like Pebeo Setacolor opaque fabric paints from Craft Haven. Click to purchase a single bottle or a set of fabric paints from Craft Haven online / retail store, use code [TAC10Setacolor] for 10% discount (limited time only).

To give your secondhand bag a fresh look, start off by painting it using a brush or a sponge brush. You can change the colour, but for me, I used a tone that compliments the original colour of the bag.

Leave it to dry, possibly even overnight and that means you might have to do this layer by layer. If you want to quicken up the drying process, use a hairdryer.

Add any patterns that you like! This is entirely up to you, whether you want to use a stencil or freestyle. I used a self-made stencil with cut out triangle patterns, made from transparency sheet. For other patterns, I freestyle it with a brush. Get creative!