Giving an Old Bag Some New Bling
So, I kept seeing these handbags everywhere with tons of little things dangling off them. Charms, keychains, you name it. Looked kinda fun, I guess. At first, I thought, okay, another trend. But then I looked at this one old tote bag I have. It’s sturdy, I like the size, but man, it’s boring. Plain black, kinda scuffed up. I almost tossed it out last spring during a big clear-out.
Instead, I figured, why not try sticking some stuff on it? Give it a bit of personality. Couldn’t hurt, right? Worst case, I ruin a bag I was gonna get rid of anyway.
Finding the charms was the first step. I didn’t want to just buy a pre-made set. Seemed kinda pointless. The whole idea, for me, was to make it personal. So, I started digging. Went through my old jewelry box – you know, the one with single earrings and broken necklaces. Found a weird little silver feather charm from god-knows-where.
Then I remembered my collection of old keychains. Dug through that box. Found a tiny, slightly dented Eiffel Tower from a trip years ago. Perfect. Also found a small, smooth, grey stone with a hole drilled in it that my kid gave me once.
- Old silver feather earring
- Tiny Eiffel Tower keychain
- Smooth grey stone
- A random cool-looking button from an old coat
Okay, so I had my treasures. Now, how to attach them? The bag has these metal rings where the handles connect. Seemed like the obvious spot. I needed some small metal loops, like jump rings. Had some from a failed jewelry-making attempt ages ago. Got out some small pliers.
Attaching them was fiddly. Honestly, more annoying than I thought. The jump rings were tiny. My fingers felt huge. Trying to pry them open without scratching the bag or the charm? Tricky. The feather went on easy enough. The Eiffel Tower needed a bit more force on the ring. The stone was the hardest – the hole was small. Had to use a stronger ring for that one. The button needed a loop of strong thread first, then attached that to a ring.
It took maybe half an hour of fiddling, dropping rings, and muttering to myself. My wife walked past and asked what on earth I was doing making such a racket with pliers.
The final result? Well, it doesn’t look like something from a fancy store. It looks… like someone stuck random bits on an old bag. But I kinda like it. It’s definitely not boring anymore. And I know what each little bit is, where it came from. It makes the bag feel more like mine.
This whole thing reminded me of a time back when I suddenly had to change jobs. Totally unexpected. Money was tight for a while. I got into this whole phase of fixing everything myself. Darning socks, patching jeans, trying to repair squeaky chairs. Anything to avoid spending money. It was partly necessity, partly just needing to feel like I was doing something useful. This bag project felt a bit like that. Taking something old and kinda worn out, and instead of replacing it, just adding a bit of myself to it. Making do, but making it unique. It’s not always about having the newest, shiniest thing. Sometimes it’s about working with what you’ve got, even if the result is a little rough. Adds character, I suppose.
So yeah, that’s my charmed handbag adventure. Simple project, used up some old bits, saved a bag from the bin. Done.
