Satchel Revamp - Before and After

I have been hunting for a cute turquoise satchel for some time now, but I couldn't quite find what I was looking for, so I decided to try out a little bag makeover! If you want to give it  a go yourself, here is what you will need;

• A satchel (obviously!) Thrift it, fish it our from the back of your wardrobe or buy it new, the choice is yours!
• A tin of Plasti-Kote Super in your chosen colour
• Masking Tape
• A very well ventilated area
• Newspapers or old cardboard to protect the floor/table you are spraying on
• A pretty piece of card or paper

This is what the bag looked like to begin with. I found it on ebay and decided to not spend too much in case my plan didn't work out. All I wanted was a large satchel with a front pocket, so that is what I got! Then I searched for the perfect colour, this was a little tricky as I needed a paint that would cover any surface. I finally found a Plasti-kote super colour that I loved (cool jade) and ordered it online.

Now I will enlighten you with the seven secret steps to making the satchel of your dreams;

1. Pick a well ventilated area. I used the garage with the back door open so as not to gas myself!
2. Prepare your work area by covering in newspaper or old cereal boxes. Don't leave any gaps and cover as much as possible, the paint goes further than you would think!
3. Cover the clear front pocket with masking tape to protect it from the paint.
4. Open the bag out flat. Do not leave it closed like I did (pictured above). Not the end of the world but it meant that when I opened it I had a whole area unpainted, and I had to give it another couple of layers to even it up.
5. Following the instructions on your can, spray a thin even layer over your bag. My paint told me to leave it to dry for an hour until you applied the next coat.
6. Go and make a cup of tea and watch 'Bargain Hunters' for an hour, then come back to paint your next layer, you will probably want to turn the bag over and do that side before you start layering up the first side.
7. Make another cup of tea and watch 'Come Dine With Me', then go back to your bag and paint another layer. Repeat this process until the bag is covered to your satisfaction. It took me about 5 journeys to the kettle in all, but of course I was having to turn the bag each time, so I would say 2 coats overall would be enough.

Once the bag was completely dry I hunted out some pretty paper to go in the clear pocket at the front. I always keep any paper that comes in packaging so I easily picked out this little flowery number, which matched the colour of the bag nicely.

One word of warning... I wouldn't wear white jeans with this bag!  I carried it next to a white paper shopping bag for the day and at the end I noticed the bag was looking a little green. This was only the day after I painted it though so it may be ok after being left to dry for a while. If I still have the same problem next time I will look to see if there are any clear 'sealers' that I could spray on top.

This project has made me want to paint all my bags different pretty colours. Although what a really want is a proper Cambridge Satchel Company bag, especially since I just visited Cambridge. I shall just have to save my pennies for one of those though!

Laura xXx