How to Make a Display Holder for Handmade Purses

Handmade purses are a hot commodity in today's craft market, but if your merchandise is piled in a basket or a shelf, chances are your customers will not take the time to dig through them. Making a simple display holder can make all the difference in transacting a sale and making a profit. You can make this easy-to-construct display holder for handmade purses in a few hours with minimal woodworking skills.

Things You'll Need

• 4 inch by 4 inch post, 6 feet long
• Measuring tape
• Miter saw
• Safety goggles
• 1/2-inch thick plywood scrap
• Jigsaw
• Yardstick
• Pencil
• Drill, small bit, 1/4-inch drill bit and screwdriver bit
• 3-inch wood screws, three
• Masking tape
• 1/4-inch dowel, enough for 6-inch lengths in each hole
• Wood glue
• Acrylic interior paint
• Paint brush
• Polymer clay
• Baking sheet and oven
• Acrylic paint
• Craft paint brush

Instructions

1. Measure and cut a 4-inch by 4-inch post 60 inches long, using a miter saw. Measure and cut a 12-inch square of 1/2-inch thick plywood, using a jigsaw.

2. Place the plywood square on your work surface. Lay a yardstick across the square from one top corner to the opposite bottom corner and trace along the yardstick edge with a pencil. Repeat with the other top corner to the other bottom corner to form an "X." Drill a small pilot hole through the center intersection of the "X." Stand the 4 by 4 post on end and create an "X" on the exposed top end in the same way. Drill a pilot hole.

3. Insert a 3-inch wood screw in the center pilot hole on the plywood square. Drill the screw in until just the point comes out the other side, an 1/8 inch. Place the plywood over the end of the 4 by 4 post with the pilot hole. Line up the 1/8-inch exposed point with the pilot hole in the 4 by 4. Continue to drill the screw into the plywood and into the post, to attach. Drill two more pilot holes in the bottom of the plywood and into the post, an inch from the center screw and on each side of it. Insert 3-inch wood screws in the pilot holes and attach.

4. Stand the display holder on the plywood stand. Measure 2 inches down from the top of the 4 by 4 post and use a pencil to center a mark on all four sides. Wrap a piece of masking tape 1 1/2 inches from the tip of a 1/4-inch drill bit. Drill straight into the 4 by 4 at each mark, stopping when the edge of the tape touches the wood.

5. Hold a handle of a handmade purse at one of the drilled holes. Center and make a mark 2-inches above the bottom of the purse. Repeat on the remaining three sides of the post. Drill straight into the post at the marks. Repeat all the way down the holder length. Stop before your purses touch the top of the stand. Depending on your individual purse design, this may be right at the stand bottom or higher up.

6. Cut a 6-inch length of 1/4-inch dowel for each drilled hole, using a jigsaw. Apply wood glue to one end of a cut dowel piece and insert it into a drilled hole. Repeat with all the dowels. Paint the handmade purse holder, including the dowels, using acrylic interior paint in a color of your choice. Allow the paint to dry.

7. Roll a 1-inch ball of polymer clay. Press the ball over the end of the dowel, inserting it halfway into the ball. Remove the ball and set it on a baking sheet. Make a ball for each dowel. Bake the clay according to the clay manufacturer's instructions. Allow the clay to cool. Paint the balls, using acrylic paint in a color of your choice. Squeeze wood glue into the holes on the balls and insert them on the dowels. These decorative balls will prevent the purse handles from sliding off.

Tips & Warnings

• Always exercise caution when working with electric saws, and wear goggles for eye protection.