Okay, so, I’ve been wanting a new handbag for a while, something fun and different. I saw this Louis Vuitton rainbow bag a while back and I thought, “That’s it! That’s the one!” But, you know, those bags are not exactly cheap. And they’re kind of hard to find, especially the older ones, because they were like, a limited edition thing from a few years ago.
So first, I started looking around online. I went to all the usual places that sell used stuff, you know? I found a few, but they were either way too expensive or they looked kind of beat up. I did find a couple of online stores that had some good-looking ones, but they were still pretty pricey.
Then, I thought, “Maybe I can just make it myself?” I know Louis Vuitton has that “Mon Monogram” thing where you can customize certain bags, but not this one. And definitely not a used one. So I figured I’d have to do it all by hand. It seemed like a fun project to tackle in my spare time.
The Hunt for Materials
Finding the right bag to use as a base was the first big hurdle. I wanted one that was in decent shape, but not so expensive that I’d cry if I messed it up. I finally found one at a local second-hand store that seemed like it would work.
- The Paint: I did a bunch of reading online about what kind of paint to use on leather. I ended up getting some special leather paints. I also got some sealer to put on top so the paint wouldn’t crack or peel.
- Brushes: I already had a bunch of different sized paintbrushes from other projects, so that was easy.
- Stencils: I couldn’t find any stencils that were the right shape, so I ended up making my own out of some cardboard. It took a few tries to get them just right.
The Painting Process
This was the scary part! I was so worried about ruining the bag. I started by cleaning the bag really well with some leather cleaner. Then, I practiced painting on some scrap leather first, just to get a feel for the paint and the stencils.
Once I felt a little more confident, I started on the bag. I taped off the areas I didn’t want to paint, and then I carefully started painting each section of the rainbow. It took forever because I had to wait for each color to dry before I could start the next one. I did a few coats of each color to make sure it was nice and bright. I had to redo a couple of sections because I messed them up. But eventually, I got it all painted!
After the paint was completely dry, I put a few coats of the sealer on top. This was to protect the paint and make sure it would last. This also took some time because each coat of sealer had to dry for a while.
The Final Result
I’m really happy with how it turned out! It’s not perfect, but I think it looks pretty good. It’s definitely unique, and I get compliments on it all the time. And the best part is, I made it myself! I had a ton of fun bringing this old bag back to life, and now it’s one of my favorite accessories.
If you’re thinking about doing something like this, I say go for it! Just be prepared to be patient and to make some mistakes along the way. But it’s definitely worth it in the end.
