Ever since I laid eyes on the Reece Hudson Bowery Clutch on ManRepeller this summer, I’ve been dreaming of making her mine.

Last night I did just that. Well, almost. It may not be a Reece Hudson, but it’s custom, and it cost about a tenth of the price of the original. I had planned on painting a pattern on the pistol, but I’m digging the all gold silhouette print for holiday and it definitely makes a statement in solid. Perhaps I will add a floral print come spring.

Wanna make one? You’ll need:

• 1 Clutch (leather or canvas)
• 1 X-Acto Knife
• 2 Catalogs or magazines that you’re happy to trash
• 1 Metallic fabric marker
• 1 Fabric marker in the color of the chosen clutch
• 1 Printer
• 1 Piece of paper
• 1 Small foam brush like this one
• 1 Bottle Liquitex Matte Medium Acrylic Fluid Sealer
• 1 Bottle repositionable easy tack
• A few small pieces of tape
• This police pistol image below. It is identical to the Reese Hudson print.

Project Pairs Well With: rosé, pinot noir

1. First wipe your clutch down with a damp cloth to ensure that there are no particles on the surface you’re painting. I used this American Apparel leather clutch (similar here), but you can use almost any clutch. I did not try this on synthetic fibers, but I have a strong feeling this will work best on natural leather and fabrics since they tend to absorb color better.

2. Print the police pistol using the full page setting. This will be the perfect size for an oversized clutch. If you are using a smaller clutch, re-size the image to fit the “canvas” you’re using.

3. Place one of the catalogs inside the clutch to prevent the paint from bleeding through to the other side. Put the other catalog next to the clutch, and place the pistol print on top of it. Tape it down to prevent the paper from moving. Begin cutting the gun outline on top of the magazine or catalog using light pressure with the X-Acto knife. You are making a stencil, so remember that if you are going to do any sloppy cuts, keep those inside the image and leave only clean cuts on the white space. The white space around the trigger is also a stencil you’ll need, so be sure to save that piece and put it aside.

You may want to save the pistol cut out as well, so you can use it to play around with the placement of it on the clutch.

4. Once you have your stencils, lightly mist the undersides with the repositionable easy tack. You can use tape if you insist, but I swear by the Krylon stuff. The lines will be sharper, and you will have less budging to worry about. Place the tacky side down on the clutch with the cut out placed where you want your gun print.

5. Using the metallic paint pen, trace the stencil lightly around the edges using sideways strokes and fill in the smaller areas like the trigger.

6. Remove the stencil as soon as you’ve got the outline down. This helps to prevent bleeding and any clumping. Leave it on longer, and you’ll have more line cleanup to deal with later.

7. Fill in the rest of the print carefully, making sure you rest your hand only on the unpainted area. You’ll need at least two coats, and you’ll get full coverage out of a single paint pen like this one. Blend any additional layers using your finger in larger areas to give it a smooth finish.

8. Once this dries, use the metallic paint market to sharpen any edges and the fabric marker in the same color as the clutch to clean up any bleed along the edges.

9. Let it dry laying flat overnight. Then, squirt a small amount (about the size of a quarter) of the matte medium acrylic sealer on the magazine you used as your cutting board and dab the foam brush twice. It should be mostly translucent on your brush. Apply lightly (do not smear lines as this could cause smudging or bleeding) to the metallic area and any edges you painted with the fabric marker.

10. Let it dry for at least one hour. Congratulations on your new bad ass custom clutch!

Have you DIY’ed anything lately you’d like to share?
xo BB