4.02.2009

Upcycled Vintage Leather Bag Tutorial

This is the first time I have ever done a craft like this.

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I have this fabulous vintage bag that I got a while ago (for $4 from Fun Junk, my favorite-est place EVR) but I've always thought it needed a little sass. So I turned to my trusty internetz friend Google and searched "painting leather" and came up with several great links.

I especially like this one.
This one is pretty good too.
There is some useful information in this link as well.

1. Decide on the image you want to paint. I wanted to use a silhoutte of Goose. Let me tell you, getting her to sit still for the pic was probably the hardest part! I printed out the image and cut it out.

2. I didn't have any leather cleaner at my disposal but in one of the many links I visited yesterday I recall one saying you could use acetone (the main ingredient in fingernail polish remover). Since all I had was nail polish remover, thats what I used. I put some onto a cotton pad and lightly cleaned my work area.
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3. Place your image and trace it onto the bag. (If I could have found my clear contact paper, I would have cut a stencil, I think the painting would have been easier that way.) I outlined my image in a white paint pen.
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4. Gently scuff up the area you wish to paint with a fine grain sandpaper. This will help the paint stick.
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5. Apply a thin base coat. I found a multi-purpose sealer made by Deco Art and a white water-based acryilic paint for porus surfaces made by Folk Art. I mixed equal parts of paint and sealer and made a base coat. This sealer is specific for adding "maximum adhesion" to acryilic paint when mixed and is a sealer when used by itself.
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6. Apply 2-3 coats of the paint/sealer mixture depending on your desired coverage.
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7. Apply one coat of sealer only.
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8. Embellish (and let paint dry overnight)
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9. Enjoy!
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Since this is the first time I have ever done this, I'll keep you updated on how the bag holds up. I can tell you that I have done some "product testing" myself, including a scratch test and water test, and it seems to be hunky dory!

TFL!

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6 comments:

Andrea said...

Great job Kelsy! Love the silhouette!

Julia Ladewski said...

great idea!!! love how you embellished the ponytail!

Anonymous said...

LOVE it!!!
~Katrina

Heather said...

Too cute! Great idea!

Unknown said...

That silhouette is FAB!

KelsyC said...

FYI - Months later and paint is still holding up great!. I have gotten TONS of compliments on it too! Very cool!

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