Little girls love to play dress-up, and wear things that belong to Mom, like dresses, jewelry and high heels. It’s a lot of fun to be a little girl and look in the mirror at how beautiful you are when you dress like Mom. Many little girls love to receive things that are similar to Mom’s, such as costume jewelry or fanciful shoes. One thing any little girl would love is a nice purse. She won’t care anything about dragging around Mom’s favorite purses if she has some of her own. You can easily make an assortment of pocketbooks for your girl and they’re disposable! Even though the purses are made of paper, they can last quite a while, and another can be made cheaply and easily whenever you want!
It’s important that you use very thick paper to make the purse. Scrapbook paper or similar papers work great. Visit a craft store and you’ll find hundreds of different paper designs. Some have a foil or metallic look others feature floral patterns and still others have dots or stripes. Choose the paper designs you want to make a purse your little girl will love.
To make the basic design for the purse lay the paper so that the longest side is vertical and the short sides of the paper are horizontal. Fold the paper, from the bottom, up, about two-thirds of the way. Now fold the top half down so that it overlaps the opposite edge by a couple of inches. This is a tri-fold design that creates a clutch purse. Now you’ll need to create the sides of the purse by using additional pieces of paper.
Take two pieces of paper that are exactly the same size to make the sides of the purse. The paper should be slightly shorter than the actual side of the purse. Fold the papers into fans to make the sides. Hold each fan closed, apply adhesive to the sides and bottom of the fan, then position it in the side of the purse. Glue it directly to the inside edges of the folded purse. After the fans are in place, and the glue is dry, the purse is nearly finished.
There are all sorts of things you can do to enhance the overall look of the purse. Instead of it being a clutch purse you can attach a piece of roping as a handle. Simply poke two holes in the top area of the purse, push the rope ends through the holes, then tie the ends in knots. Or, create a much longer strap by using a piece of wide ribbon. Glue or otherwise attach it to the inside of the purse sides to secure. You’ll also need a closure for the purse. A velcro dot works well but you can also sew or glue on a snap or attach a button and rubber band closure.
Things can be glued on to the paper purse to make it even more attractive. Buttons, fake jewels, ribbon, bows, sequin, colored or metallic tape, stickers, lace cutouts, fabric shapes, paper cutouts, adhesive paper cutouts, and beads are just some of the options for creating the purse you want. All of those items are very inexpensive and won’t set you back too much money when the purse has finally seen its better days. When the purse is shot simply throw it away and make another. The purses are paper but last quite a long time. Make a variety of purses, to go with many different outfits, and your little girl will be a real fashion plate!
Thin cardboard can also be used to make the unique purses. Cover the cardboard with wrapping paper, scrapbook paper, foil or other materials. Or, use the cardboard as-is, particularly if it is any color but brown. Fold and shape the purse just as you did the paper one. The cardboard must be very thin – like that which comes in a pantyhose package – and not corrugated.
The finished purses are perfect for playtime, ideal as gifts for attendees at a birthday party, or can even be made into pinatas! Make an assortment of them: clutches, ones with short handles, ones with long straps, ones for little girls, nicer designs for older girls, and even ones to set on shelves as decor pieces. Make them in miniature designs, create two or three different ones, then set them on a shelf to display. They make great gifts or a perfect distraction for a bored little girl. It’s fun, it’s cheap, it’s rewarding and it’s a project you can do right now!
Reference:
- Purchase scrapbook papers here: www.michaels.com
