Small Makeover - DIY Bag

I bought this bag a few years ago from Cost Plus World Market for around $7. I'm sorry to say I've only used it once or twice in the years that I've had it. It got shoved into my closet and held all my random knick knacks and there it's sat, in the dark and unloved.


Then that certain time of year came where I rooted through my closet and fished out all unwanted items for donation, and out popped this bag. I still liked it, but I realized that it would never live up to its potential as a purse with me.

Around this same time, I happened to come across a website called Mothology.com. While browsing through all their wonderful products, I spotted a canvas bag and immediately fell in love with it. It has been printed with the latitude and longitude of Bordeaux, France.


These bags could also be found at Ballard Designs at one point, but unfortunately they've since ran out of stock.
At only $16 for the small bag and $24 for the large from Mothology, these bags are a steal if you want to add a rustic touch to your home decor. Since I already had a bag with potential however, I decided to try and save it (sorry Mothology!). I had leftover spray paint in white and almond from my previous DIY projects, as well as black acrylic paint from my many school projects.

To start, I carefully covered the leather handles of the bag with blue painter's tape and plastic bags. I wanted to make sure no paint got on these parts. Then, I spray painted the bag with several coats of white and gave it a final dusting of almond.

I typed out the city and latitude/longitude coordinates in a font I liked and printed them out on heavy cardstock. Using an X-Acto knife, I carefully cut out all the letters in order to create a stencil.

I used black acrylic paint to paint in the stencil and let the bag dry for a few days before putting anything in it. Vuah-lah! My re-purposed bag!


It now has a happy home in our living room in front of the fireplace, holding a beautiful throw blanket that our neighbor knitted for us as a wedding gift. Since the blanket will most likely be in use during the winter months, I'll load up the bag with sticks and logs for cozy fires (so long as our dog doesn't get to them first!). Thanks for looking!