Fun “Bar” Suit, Part IV: Purse

To go with the “Bar” suit, I needed some bar-themed accessories that were in keeping with the overall look (so no shot-glass necklaces or coaster epaulettes).

I started with the handbag, which began life as an acrylic purse shaped like a perfume bottle.

It’s also shaped almost exactly like a bottle of Disaronno liqueur, so I decided to replace the “Paris” label with a faux Disaronno label to keep with the “bar” theme.

I took an image of the label and tweaked it to the proper dimensions (2.5″ wide x 2″ tall, in case you wanted to know), then printed it out onto ivory cardstock before filling in a few bits of color with a red pen.

Annoyingly, my printer’s toner didn’t want to stick to the cardstock, so in order to keep it all from flaking off I “laminated” the label with a strip of clear packing tape before cutting it out and gluing it to the label frame with Tacky Glue.

I also decided to line the purse with a bag made of amber-colored taffeta– both to mimic the color of the drink and to hide the purse’s contents, which might otherwise distract from the look. The bag itself is cut all in one piece and sewn together with french seams so it looks nice inside and out. I used triangular side gores so the top opens wider than the bottom as the bag hinges open.

I just tucked the bag inside the purse– not using any glue or anything to keep it in place– and the taffeta was stiff enough (with the french seams) to hold its shape. I really, really love the finished product, particularly since it was so easy to make!