DIY Tutorial: Sticker handbag!

The Jacket

A few weeks ago I had a vision of a denim jacket with patches all over and I decided I was going to create it myself. I headed over to Pinterest and gathered some inspiration and I customised this jacket. I have worn it over and over again as it’s easy to pair with the rest of my wardrobe and it’s really fun. Even though it was super easy to do, people are still really impressed that I did it myself.

Sticker Obsessed

As a child I was a full on sticker obsessive. I collected them, traded them, asked for them for my birthday. I was always looking for new and rare stickers and I was basically obsessed. I probably still have my sticker book at my parents, filled with my treasured furries and shinnies! My love of stickers has never really died, as a teenager I always bought band stickers at gigs to put on my vintage suitcases, anyone else remember Bis? I still have a Bis sticker on a vintage ballet case. Too cute!

Inspiration

I was recently scrolling through Pinterest and I saw a picture pop up of a girl with stickers on her shoes, I was interested. I can remember sticking heart shaped stickers on my boots and it brought back all the memories. I set about making a new Pinterest board, filled with stickers and adhesive adorned accessories. At this point, there is only one thing left to do… make my own!

Fashion Stickers

I’m not the only one sticking stickers on my accessories. Last season Anya Hindmarch teamed up with Chaos Fashion to produce the sticker shop, a fabulous range of luxe leather emoji-like stickers, which you can customise  your handbag and phone case with. They were of course fabulous and I really wanted one, but I got the Chanel Boy Bag instead. Personalised items have been popular for a while now, whilst it’s still super chic, I’m kind of over it. Monogramming and personalising your accessories with stickers, is so much more fun!

 The Bag

Customising items is always a gamble. It might look awesome, it might look pants. With this in mind, I never want to ruin an amazing handbag with a dreadful DIY project, nor do I want to create something awesome on an item of clothing with is horrid. Also, the project needs to fit the item you are customising. If you sticker up a tan leather slouchy handbag, it just won’t work, instead I wanted something cute and sassy! My bag is from Boohoo. Things to remember when looking for a bag to sticker up:

• Whilst clutch bags are super cute, I’m a fiddler, I knew if I was holding a clutch bag in my arms all day, I would be tempted to pick the stickers off!
• Stickers tend to be bright and colourful, so whilst it might feel like a good idea to pick a hot pink or sunshine yellow handbag, something more neutral might make the colours pop more. Black, white or silver. Clear bags can look really cool too, I went for hologram to match the hologram effect of the stickers.
• It’s inevitable your stickers will peel off eventually, but some surfaces are better for adhesives than others. Fur will always be a bad idea, where as a plastic will hold stickers better.
• I’m a big fan of over-spending on handbags, but this is one of the few times I would recommend not splashing out. Find something fun and affordable, it’s hardly a luxe look!

The Stickers

There are so many places to buy stickers; Paperchase, toy shops, Amazon … they are everywhere! I picked up these smiley face stickers on a little shop on Bethnal Green Road. I think they cost £1.29. I liked the mix of colours, sizes and I thought they looked really bright and cheerful. You can buy one style of stickers which come in a verity of colours and sizes, or you can buy lots of different packs and play around with mixing up the textures, sizes and motifs. If you want to play it safe, opt for a single pack like mine. It’s important to remember paper (or furry) stickers will ruin in the rain, so if they have a plastic finish, they will last better!

Go for it!

Make sure your bag is nice and clean before you start sticking your stickers down, as it will be much harder to clean once the stickers are placed. Also, any dirt of grease will stop the stickers from fixing onto the bag as effectively as they should. Don’t be afraid to give it a quick wipe over with surface cleaner and a cloth if you think it needs it!

Keep Going!

If you start sticking and you don’t like it, don’t worry, just keep sticking, it will all come together eventually. This is a more-is-more look, three stickers in it will probably look rubbish, lots of stickers will look great! Try to remember to distribute the colours of the stickers evenly. I laid my stickers out across the bag and then I filled them in at each side. Avoid placing your stickers too near the edge of the bag or over the clasp and stitching as they will cling better to the material.

Finishing Touches

Once you have stickered up your bag, you might want keep it as it is, or you might want to add a bag charm. Mine is from New Look (past season) and it also features a face motif, I really like the added texture too. If you are wanting to buy the same bag as me, it is from Boohoo.

I hope you like it!!

 PS. If you make your own and post about it, remember to tweet @labelsforlunch so I can add the photos to my Pinterest board!