How to: make a MDF Handbag!

Hello there! It's my turn today to share some MDF love with you. This is my first ever MDF project and I am so in love with this product. It's easy to do, quite sturdy and so much fun :)

When I received this Kaisercraft MDF handbag from lulupu.com, I really didn't know what to do. And then I googled and found a lot of MDF projects. Today I am sharing what I found and/or learned while doing this fun MDF project :)

Here's how the handbag comes, all pieces are separate and assembly is required!

First thing I found is that it would be a good idea to give a coat of paint to the entire thing.

And that is what I did. I chose to work with a grey acrylic color and a flat brush.You do not need to be an artist to do this :) Just apply paint in one stroke from top to bottom and/or bottom to top. Acrylic paint dries pretty quick so you really don't have to wait for long for the next step.

Tip: Don't forget to use a newspaper or old rug to protect your working surface.

I found that one thick coat of paint looked quite good especially since I planned to cover the outer side with pattern paper and the paint is gonna show only on the inside, but if you feel you can go for the second coat of paint.

Tip: Make sure you cover all the thin sides of the MDF with paint, because that will show in the end result.

Next step(my personal favorite :)) is to pick your pattern papers and cut them to size to decorate the outer side of your MDF handbag. I picked these yummy ones from the American Crafts - XOXO 6X6 paper pad.

Tip: To cut the papers that fit perfectly on the MDF, trace the MDF shape on the paper first with a pencil and then cut.

Here are all my individual parts covered with pretty paper. I left the bottom part as it is since it won't really show (and will save me some paper too :))

Tip: It would be a good time to use your punches before you adhere your papers. Punches add that little something extra to your project. You can find a wide variety of punches on Lulupu. I used a Fiskars Scallop Sentiment punch before adhering the papers.

And here is my final MDF handbag, all assembled and decorated. I used my trusted Tombow Multi Mono liquid glue to assemble it and till date it is holding good. You can also glue it together using glossy accents. And that is it! Isn't this so easy and so amazing ?

Tip: It would be a great idea to give a coat of Mod podge to the entire thing after assembly and before decorating. Mod Podge will seal all the edges and will give a protective coating to the paper as well making it much more sturdy.

I decorated using some felt hearts, gorgeous washi tape and rhinestones. I also made a felt key ring to go with the bag using this amazing wool felt. Its the softest one I have seen till date :)

And here's how the other side(back) looks! I kept it pretty simple and I love how it looks :)

I hope you like it and are inspired to give MDF products a try. They make for some cool gifts and beautiful home decor. You can find a whole variety here on Lulupu.

See ya again next time :)

Supplies used