DIY Painted Neon Striped Clutch

Okay, call me crazy, but yesterday during my son's naptime I decided I was going to tackle a DIY. I am usually not a DIY person, but you see, I was inspired. I saw the adorable Emily of "Cupcakes and Cashmere" on the Today Show this week, and she was talking about painting purses. And then I remembered this Clare Vivier striped clutch that I love.

It was enough to get my wheels spinning and believe I could recreate this. I have a ton of old clutches from my grandmother and from an eBay phase where I went a little vintage clutch crazy. I chose this clutch because I don't carry it often and figured if I did ruin it, oh well. You could totally go to Goodwill or look on eBay and find a similar clutch for cheap.

My only piece of advice is this: if you buy a clutch, look for a smooth one—mine proved to be a little more difficult to paint because of the gathered leather. It was hard to get the stripe super straight.

The next part is easy: pick a color and go to town. This was a no-brainer for me, I knew I wanted to do hot pink. Use painters tape and tape off how wide you want your stripe.

I am not sure the best type of paint to use on leather. I used acrylic paint, because I had it on hand and it worked just fine. Like I said, I started this project during naptime and finished by dinner, super easy. It took me about four coats to get an even look. I let each layer of paint dry completely before I painted another layer.  This way, you don't get clumps of paint. Mine dried quickly, I would say I waited about 30 minutes between each layer.

I am pretty darn pleased with the end result.  Might just have to carry my new beauty this weekend!

Next, I  plan to get crazy and attempt to do three stripes + a monogram. Wish me luck!