A Simple Summer DIY Purse Makeover

If florals are for spring, bold stripes are for summer. I’m loving the hand-painted striped look popping up here and there and how easy it is to add to everything!

This purse was the perfect candidate for a makeover. I ordered it online hoping it would be the perfect summer shopper but hated the pleather color. Still, the shape and details were good enough to drag on the internal ‘return debate’ until that window closed ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

This DIY is pretty simple, but there are a few tricks along the way to nail the perfect, imperfect lines à la Ann Howell and not Crayola Master.

You’ll Need:
purse
painter’s tape
paint brushes
paint
pen

I used an acrylic paint over fabric because 1) acrylic is more opaque than fabric paint 2) the flat surface of this purse doesn’t require a flexible paint. If you’re doing this on a tote or any bag that has a softer form, build up layers of fabric paint to prevent cracking.

Remove any straps and hardware if possible. Tape off the edges of your purse with painter’s tape, really making sure to press the tape into the seams.

Roughly plan out your lines by marking paint brush widths on the tape border. I alternated between two widths.

Start from the center and paint in nice, steady strokes. Focus more on getting the lines down and then touch up with the second coat.

This is after one coat ^. You can kind of see patchiness. Try to brush the edges of the lines in towards the center of the stroke to keep paint from building up.

Once that second coat is on, take off the tape. Taking it off while the paint is wet will keep the paint edges from peeling off. Reattach the straps once dry and you’re done!

Gah, I love this purse so much now. True story, when I finished the project Michael told me he thought it was going to be a disaster while I was painting but really liked how it turned out. Considering I recall exactly one other purse compliment from him in 8 years, I call this a win!