How to Make a Vintage Purse

Creating a cool sixties vintage purse will make you the envy of your friends. The beaded purses of the 60's are in fashion today, even though they are very rare to find and quite expensive to buy. The intricate and colorful bead work and metal clasp is representative of the 1960's vintage purse era. The good thing is that the vintage purse can be replicated pretty easily with an old purse and will surely generate many compliments and admiration. Follow the steps below when you make a vintage purse:

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• An old purse
• Craft glue or glue gun
• Necklace with chain links
• Beads; either loose or string
• Pliers

shop at the Thrift Store

1. Go to the thrift store. If you don’t already have an old purse to transform into a vintage purse, you will need to find one and a thrift store would be a perfect place to start your search. Any second hand store will have older purses that you will be able to make into a vintage purse. Go to a consignment shop, your local Goodwill store or you could even ask your mother for an old one that she is no longer using.

2. Find a purse that you can transform into a vintage purse. A basic black rectangular purse with a metal clasp or one that is secured by a zipper or an inside snap would be great. It doesn’t matter what sort of a strap that it has because you will be replacing it anyway.

3. Add beads to the outside. When adding the beads, use good craft glue or a glue gun, but be careful when using hot glue as it can burn you. Place the beads in an organized manner. Making a specific design or a random color pattern is also trendy and will make an awesome vintage purse.

4. Take the old necklace and attach it for a strap. Remove the strap that is already in place. Try to find an old chain necklace that is at least 30 inches long or even longer. You will need to use a pair of pliers to open the chain links to fasten it to the hook where the original strap was attached.

5. Add fringe to the bottom, if you would like. Some of the old vintage purses have a bit of fringe on the underside, so you can add a few strands of beads by using a needle and thread to secure them.

6. Fill in any openings. Examine the purse to check for any spaces that aren’t filled in and glue beads into the spots to finish your stylish new vintage purse.

Tips & Warnings

• When you use hot glue guns, be extremely careful not to get burned.