How to Paint Leather (Purse Upcycle)

This is my first time contributing over here (Can I get a WOOT WOOT?!).  I'm crazy excited about it, because REFASHION IS MY PASSION.  See what I did there?  Rhyming is fun.

Anyways, here's the story:  I didn't have a black purse.  I couldn't find a cute black purse at a single thrift store.  I couldn't buy a new black purse, because I'm doing this little mission where I don't spend more than $100 in 365 days on my wardrobe.  Meanwhile, I did find THIS tan purse at Goodwill.

I loved the clean lines, the gold embellishments, the detachable strap, and how clean it was inside.  I bought it.  THEN, I decided I would paint it, so I taped off the area I wanted to paint and sanded it down a little with fine grain sand paper. 

**I did NOT paint the backside of the purse that would touch my clothing, just in case it would rub off over time.

After I wiped away all of the leather dust, I mixed equal parts water and paint to cover the leather.  The watered-down paint is supposed to condition the leather for painting, so it is less likely to crack over time. 

I painted 2-3 layers of the watered-down paint on the leather and allowed it to dry.  After it dried, I painted a final layer of pure paint on top.

The final product was exactly what I wanted: a chic little black purse!

I love that it's rocking the color-blockin' trend!  On a side note, in real life you can't really see the brush strokes.  My camera just likes to be highly critical ;)

Hope you enjoyed my little upcycle!

xoxo

-Ariel E.

P.S. Want to see the purse in action?  Go here to see it worn with lots of different outfits (most thrifted and/or refashioned).