Recycling is always in style, so it is no surprise that accessories made with recycled items are popular. There are wallets made of duct tape, makeup bags made from recycled juice boxes and purses made with old license plates. You can purchase a purse made of old license plates, but they can be hard to find and expensive. If you have a few license plates lying around and a few tools, then you can make your own for just a few dollars.
Things You'll Need:
- Lining Fabric
- Riveter
- Bit The Same Size As Rivets
- 2 D-Rings
- Metal Clasp
- Long Vinyl Strap
- Rag
- Hot Glue Gun
- Sandpaper
- Tin Snips
- 3 Old License Plates
- 2 Hinges
- Metal Drill
- Rubber Mallet
- Short Vinyl Strap
Making a License Plate Purse
Clean up the license plates as thoroughly as possible with a rag.
Curl the short ends of one of the plates up 90 degrees about half an inch in from the edge.
Drill holes for your rivets on the edges that you just curled up: one hole on each side 3/4 of an inch from the bottom of the plate, and then another about three inches from the bottom of the plate.
Bend the sides of the plates parallel to the previous bends so that you form 2.5-inch sides for your purse.
Drill holes for your hinges along the back of the plate. Drill holes on each side for your D-rings for the long strap of the purse.
Drill three holes, evenly spaced, along the bottom edge of the plate to attach the front and bottom of the purse to the sides and back.
Cut the second plate so that it is six inches long, and sand the rough edge.
Bend the cut edge up 1/2 inch from the edge and drill holes in this edge to match the holes that you drilled in Step 6.
Bend the plate again 2.5 inches from the bend made in the previous step; this will be the front and bottom of the purse.
Rivet the purse together, attaching the bottom at the back of the purse, and the front along the sides of the front.
Bend the third plate 2.5 inches from one end, and then line it up on top of your purse. Mark where you would like to cut the flap for the front of the purse and make the cut. Sand the edge of the cut.
Drill holes for the hinges along the edge of the plate.
Attach your hinges to the back of the purse and the top flap.
Cover the edges of the flap of the purse and along the top edges of the purse with thin strips of lining fabric using a glue gun.
Hot glue a fabric lining inside your purse to protect your hands and belongings from the metal edges.
Rivet the D-rings for the long vinyl straps in place on the sides, as well as a small vinyl handle onto the top. Attach long vinyl strap to the sides.
Rivet metal clasp in place on the front of the purse.
Writer Bio
Based in Ypsilanti, Mich., Ainsley Patterson has been a freelance writer since 2007. Her articles appear on various websites. She especially enjoys utilizing her more than 10 years of craft and sewing experience to write tutorials. Patterson is working on her bachelor's degree in liberal arts at the University of Michigan.
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